𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕥 / 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆

taemin…? hyeri tries to recall if she’s heard someone with that name before. it frustrates her that the name eludes her, but should she really be surprised when she does not spend a lot of time socializing in the first place? most of her friends are her social buffers with the siren being dragged along. she tucks the name away in the back of her mind to get more details later. she will get to the bottom of this. “never? well first time for everything,” hyeri walks to the other, holding her arm out for the other to loop it through, “it’s fun and cozy. the rest of the world tends to melt away when you’re in one.” hyeri cannot offer much for mei who is so tightly wrapped up in sorrow, but she wants to do what she can for the other. where the other has lacked loved, protection, and a home, hyeri will offer one to her with open arms no questions asked. mei only needs to give her a signal and hyeri would cross the world for her. 

it had all happened so fast. one moment the wolf had been with soohan trying to find their way out, or well for minhwan, he was trying to find his way to jay. but the next there was a sharp pain up his paw as a bear trap flipped and locked onto him, biting into the skin enough that he’d have probably made a horrible noise if he could. that had been enough to nearly floor him in seconds, but what really had him down and stuck there were the act of a burning tree finally losing it’s fight in standing up still and instead falling right onto him. he’d heard and felt the crunch in his back and his throat hurt from just attempting to how in pain. he couldn’t move it hurt so much , and the fire wasn’t helping either as it nipped as his skin, singed some of his fur even. and the kicker of it really, was the another tree and fallen, separating him and soohan.. and minhwan didn’t even know how long ago that was now, or if soohan was even alright. he’d lost his scent in the flames.

and that’s where’s he’s stuck now. paws clawing at the ground, back cracking anytime he moves too much and shocks of pain being sent up his body each time. not to mention the bear trap still cruelly wrapped around his paw. so he almost doesn’t notice the new presence before him, and at first he thinks it’s a hunter– and he wonders if they’ll have mercy enough to just kill him, or he’ll go through the same as last time. but well, then he manages to look up with pain showing so easily in his eyes, and there’s a girl here.. helping? he panics for a moment still, trying to get back out of fright, his body shaking, but it just brings more pain for him and quiet whimpering sounds leave him barely.

       A NERVOUS TREMBLE ripples through mei’s heart, thumping lightly into the deepest crevasse of her chest as she sees the pain in the other’s gaze.  & , to watch him panic in his wounded state makes her feel guilty, almost helpless. but, she knows she’s not  — she certainly can help. &, up until this point, the girl had tried her best to avoid her abilities. had tried her best not to rely on the gifts that had been given to her. yet, watching the wolf whimper in pain is too much to bear. without much time left to spare, she sucks in a deep breath. concentration laced upon her visage as she focuses on the tree as well as the injured wolf before her. 

      ‘ it’s going to be okay. we are going to get you out of this. i just need you to try & hold still , if you can, ‘ the girl does her best to sound as calm & reassuring as she can muster. however, something is different in the way she speaks to the other. & her words are not heard aloud but rather, within their own headspace. something only the two of them could hear amongst the turmoil around them. keeping their conversation quiet from the hunters which could possibly be lurking about. 

@mcilings

CURIOUS eyes scanned the girl’s figure as it seemed to stop d e a d  in its tracks. he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been keeping an eye on the girl. to him, she was a P E R F E C T  candidate for a soul he could take. and, though jitae hadn’t been at keisung long, he’d become so familiar to the sight of newcomers wandering about like l o s t  souls looking for an end; always bemused. the phone in his hand would have to wait, and the male SIGHED at the realization. seeing an opportunity to finally strike and m e d d l e his way into the other’s affairs. ❝ let me GUESS… ❞ he muttered as he took to approach the stranger. heavy footsteps trudged toward the girl and stopped behind her. ❝ you got LOST, didn’t you? ❞ jitae smirked, his lips only inches away from her ear. his tone  s m o o t h  as he often made it when either trying to persuade or seduce someone.

           IT’S  THE  HEAT  of  his  breath  against  her  ear  that  sends  a  fresh  wave  of  shivers  to  race  down  her  spine .  his  soft  voice  being  at  fault  for  the  tension  that  caused  her  body  to  stiffen .  naturally ,  subconsciously – the  girl  shifts  ever  so  slightly .  shuffling  away  from  the  warmth  of  the  stranger  in  an  attempt  to  create  some  distance  between  the  two . “  lost  ??  ”  the  word  slips  past  her  in  a  barely  audible  whisper ,  voice  hushed  almost  as  if  she  had  been  asking  herself  the  question.  turning  to  face  the  individual  behind  her ,  mahogany  irises  turn  to  focus  themselves  upon  the  male’s  facial  features,  examining  him  in  search  for  something  she  just  can’t  seem  to  find .  “ i  was  headed  toward  the  garden ,  but  I  guess  i got  distracted  , ”  her  shoulders  drop  as  if  in  disappointment  &  the  girl  offers  the  stranger  an  almost  nervous  smile –  feeling  her  cheekbones  rise  in  temperature .  but ,  suddenly  as  if  to  make  everything  worse ,  a  grumbling  sound  that  indicates  hunger  can  be  heard  from  her  stomach .  &, she  feels  her  face  grow  hotter  as  embarrassment  paints  itself  red  against  her  cheeks .  “  ah , . .  um. .  but  maybe ,  the  cafeteria  would  be  a  better  idea , ”   mei  jokes .  still  awkward  but  perhaps  trying  not  to  appear  so .  

whatever they wanted until they could repay it back. hyeri cannot help the startled look that overtakes her face or the way it slowly melds into sympathy. those were not the right words. words are powerful things and with some of the creatures on campus, words can be binding. words can be promises. words can be cages. “can i ask who? and then i’ll drop it,” the siren promises with a smile. she just needs one more bit of information so she knows who to keep tabs on, or possibly interfere. “lets go back to my dorm,” she rises to her feet, reaching and packing her things, “i bought some new pillows and blankets and we can make a fort, watch a couple movies?” she looks to her friend, smile still there, wanting to let her know it’s okay. that she is here for her. hyeri will protect her no matter what. from people, from danger, from her own sadness. “we can grab some food along the way too if you want.”

“what do you mean a sticky situation? was it something personal of theirs?” hyeri asks, trying to get to the root of the situation. there is too many variables to consider right now and she cannot help if she does not understand what happened. so she will get to the root of it as best as she can and as much as mei lets her. her confusion reflects back on her face, her lips formed in a slight frown, brows furrowed ever so slightly. the siren’s patience does not waver, continuing for mei to come to her. the words explain to her are vague at best, and she almost believes mei is trying to save her from some sort of trouble or maybe save her from some sort of grief. 

✞ –––– babette allows herself to be emersed within the warming comfort of the hug that the girl provided. she wanted nothing more than to be safe, and have everyone who she cared about… everyone who attended this camping trip to be safe. although sadly, she knew this was nothing more than a dream at this point. nonetheless, she tried to push the thoughts aside as mei spoke, promising a comforting affirmation to her thoughts of safety. with a nod of her head, baby reluctantly broke the embrace and wiped the tears from her eyes with a final sniffle. “okay, let’s go… i’m ready to be home,” she said taking meiling by the hand. 

✞ –––– tears flooded the eyes of the fallen angel as she struggled to make her way through the pitch forest. the screams of terror from the campers who were being prayed upon were still able to be heard as she attempted to navigate through the woods. it is when she is no longer able to hear the sound of screams that another fear sets into her soul… where was she at? once again another soft wailing of sobs escaped through her hand that was pressed against her mouth in attempts to silence herself. too concerned with the situation that babette found herself in, she had not paid attention to the sounds of another walking up towards her. a scream tore through the once almost silent air as the voice of another whispered to her. panic quickly turned to relief as the moonlight revealed the face of meiling, with a panicked breath she spoke between sobs, “i-i don’t know where i am… bu-but… i couldn’t stay there” once again a choked sob broke her sentence, “so many people are hurt mei… i-” her words trailed off and were replaced with tears as she went to lean on the female for comfort. 

her lips thin with displeasure, ice beginning to frost over in the siren’s eyes. a moment passes as she reigns in her temper. no need to scare mei. “is someone giving you trouble?” hyeri’s voice is soft, comforting, as she reaches out and takes one of the other’s hands between her own. she worries for this one. more so than she should maybe, but the siren cannot help it. she sees mei and her instinct is to nurture, to protect. mei is one of her own, one of the kind ones who slipped into her heart. she will not let anyone bruise the anomaly any more than the world already has. there is a pause in the air, as she contemplates something, her eyes going distant for a second before sharpening once more. “i know… most people here tend to be in it for themselves, but that’s not an excuse to let them treat you badly. i can talk to them if you want?”

           THE PLEASANT SMILE that tugs along her visage remains , but perhaps the vibrance is lowered for the sake of the situation. & there is something shy or timid in the way mei’s gaze avoid’s hyeri’s. trying not to seem too apprehensive as the other takes her hand within their grasp. but she lets out a soft sigh when the other speaks, shaking her head in a silent ‘no’. “ nothing is going right today. well ... actually, it’s kind of a tricky situation. “ she begins to explain. recalling what had happened. “ honestly, i might have caused them more trouble. i just.. i wasn’t watching where i was going... & well, i kinda broke something that belonged to them ... “ she laughs nervously. “ i tried to make it better. but, i think i just got myself in a sticky situation. i just felt so bad “

              taking  a  few  steps  back.  she  does  this  in  an  attempt  to  make  herself  feel  at  ease ,  or  maybe  to  not  feel  so  flustered  about  the  seemingly  innocent  incident  in  which  just  taken  place .  &  it  was  innocent ,  until  a  sickeningly  horrid  crack  is  heard  beneath  her  foot.  mortified .  she  practically  loses  all  the  air  in  her  body  as  she  gasps ,  finally  bringing  her  eyes  to  meet  the  male  before  her .  shocked  the  female’s  mouth  falls  wide  open  in  disbelief  as  she  absorbs  the  reality  of  what’s  just  happened .  bringing  a  hand  to  itch  nervously  at  her  head ,  a  sheepish  smile  tups  upon  the  edge  of  her lips .  with  a  brief  pause ,  she  looks  up  to  《 @hcllbcys  》 as  she  tries  to  find  the  right  words  to  say .  "  a-ah… was, um… was that yours ?? "  

zero didn’t really get the point of all this. it wasn’t like he wanted to be out here doing all these weird things.. the only pro to it was that if he killed someone in the forest then it could be exciting if someone found it during one of their nightly events. now that would be a shock. but with a scolding from minho to not do that because it would come back to minho instead of him, then.. zero is stuck having to actually do what he’s here for and help out. and right now that is apparently guiding his partner through a weird maze thing full of.. things? honestly zero would’ve done it himself, but there was no point when everyone knew zero would just cheat and go through the walls and creatures without a care. so when his walkie talkie crackles to life, the ghost takes a moment of so to look down at the maze and maybe actually try figure this out a little. “if you go forwards until you can’t anymore.. take a right then a left and keep walking until you hit another dead end– also they said this maze is full of shit so uh.. if vines start to try and pull you into the wall it isn’t my fault! i watched harry potter once, i know how this works!”

           MEI  OBEDIENTLY  FOLLOWS  the  ghost’s  instructions .  but,  as  soon  as  they  mention  something  about  crazed  vines  potentially  trying  to  grab  her  from  the  walls ,  does  her  pace  quicken.  &  fearful ,  she  looks  around  her  attentive  to  any  plants  that  may  try  to  come  for  her .  “  uhh ,  harry  potter  ??  umm. . .  did  this  harry  make  it  out  of  this  maze  okay  ??  “  she  asks  through  the  walkie-talkie  obviously  worried .  clueless  as  to  who  zero  was  referencing  to ,  &  naturally  the  girl  had  assumed  maybe  he  had  been  a  student  at  keisung  who  was  fairly  good  at  this  activity .  but  as  she  was  about  to  meet  the  dead  end ,   the  walls  begin  to  morph .  &  it’s  a  quiet  yelp  that  escapes  the  girl .   only  then  her  eyes  grow  wide ,  as  she  takes  notice  of  some  strange  creature  off  into  the  distance.  directly  in  front  of  her.  without ,  instruction  she  begins  running  the  other  way .  whispering  into  her  device  once  more .  pleading  within  her  mind  for  zero  to  hurry  &  find  her  another  route .  “  zero  !!  i  saw  something  !!  i  can’t  go  that  way  !!   ”  for  a  moment  she  wonders  if  she  should  just  mentally  find  the  easiest  route  with  her  abilities .  but  she  reasons  that  out ,  because  being  sick  on  this  trip  sounds  far  less  appealing .

her eyes snap upwards immediately pining them on the familiar face. “mei?” she tilts her head, a smile gracing her lips bright and welcoming, “of course you can. you never need to ask.” hyeri reaches out, offering her hand to the other so she can sit across from her or next to her, whichever mei prefers. it is only then she notices how tense the other is, how tightly wound the anomalie is, and then the concern sets in. her smile drops slightly, her brows furrow, but still she doesn’t ask, does not push. hyeri lets the other sit, and will wait for the other to open up and speak freely about what troubles her today. it does not stop the worry that sets into her bones, or the primal urge to find out who is the cause of distress for the other-if there is one. and if there is someone, hyeri will find out and settle things. the siren will not let anyone give mei grief, not unless they want their blood to be spilled. “i’m happy to see you.”

              IT’S  THE  GLIMPSE  of  a  shortlived  smile  that  sets  mei’s  nerves  at  ease .  a  sense  of  warmth  illuminating  her  countenance  as  she  offers  the  other  a  soft  nod  before  gladly  taking  the  seat  across  from  her . &  the  siren’s  words   bring  feelings  of  comfort  to  the  younger  girl ,  relaxing  slightly  as  she sits  before  them .  her  eyes  barely  catching  the  way  hyeri's  body  language  seems  to  change  as  they  take  notice  in  mei'    tensed  behavior .  but ,  instantly ,  it  is  a  look  of  reassurance  which  dawns  upon  her   visage .  another  faint  smile  surfacing  to  that  of  delicate  features ,  as  an  attempt  to  silently  inform  the  other ,  that  everything  was  okay .  or ,  at  least ,  now  it  was .  &  before  she  realizes  it ,  the  female  is  revealing  the  reasons  she  had  come  to  visit  the  other .  "  today's  been  a  little  rough  "  she  admits  shyly .  a  nervous  laugh  slips  past  the  gentle  curve  of  her  lips ,  while  a  hand  goes  to  itch  at  the  back  of  her  neck .  "  adjusting  here  has  just  been  a  little  hard . .  not  to  mention ,  not  everyone  here  is  the  most . . . "  she  pauses  to  think  of  the  right  words  to  say .  " friendly ?? "