hellblood

it’s not often that yeji finds herself going out like this. she’s become a homebody, since she’s finally able to afford an apartment she feels happy in, one without infestations or peeling wallpaper and stale, mold-filled air. she spends too much time in her living room admittedly, curled up on her nice new couch with a nice new thick blanket tossed over her lap. she even has a speaker system that plays happy, poppy music throughout the space. it’s a home, the first one she really has, so of course she’s a little addicted. but it’s a lonely space too, no matter how many girl groups fill the space with their bubblegum voices. so she’s out at neutral territory, seeking out the comforting presence of others. the coffee shop is packed though, so by the time she has a hot chocolate curling steam from between her palms she’s at a loss. she’s busy studying the room when a voice draws her attention. it’s familiar, and sends a spike of fear through her. “oh!” there’s an empty seat across from minho, and she hesitates to fill it. she’s not sure what would be more offensive, staining his presence with her own, or slighting his offer and walking away. “thank you,” she settles on, sliding into the empty spot across from him. “i’ll be quiet, promise.”

It takes him a moment to realise just who he’s invited to his table. Yeji is still relatively new or at least new enough that Minho hasn’t gotten good at identifying her near instantly like he can with the rest of the clan. There’s still a distance there, that he has admittedly built himself for her own good - even if she isn’t aware of that yet. It doesn’t been he’s against her company though, just new and specific with it. “Don’t worry yourself too much with being quiet. I’m not going to bite your head off if you talk to me, that would just be bad manners.” He doesn’t close his book instantly. Eyes still straining to read the last few lines of the page, he really needed to admit some decade soon that he needed to carry glasses with him, before finally settling on her. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen you out of Carpe Noctem territory.”

it was rare for seung to cancel a new relocation or trip, especially on minho. but this one was far too great to let up. to conquer another throne. he couldn’t just let that opportunity pass by, especially by practically allowing his clan to lay at the feet of the baku’s this entire time. so now, just like many times before, they would take what rightfully there’s, and the crown of seoul was just that. but of course, in deciding that means that he has to deal with his brat of a husband who he already knows will be a in a foul mood because of his decision. 

“up.“ he mutters, barely looking over at the other as he reaches past the desk to take the glass from the others hand, gesturing for him to stand and remove himself from the chair he was sitting in. all whilst taking a sip from the glass. “i’ve already heard you’re sulky because things have gone a different way that you want. that’s no way for a second in command to act right now.“

There’s a barely contained curse pushing at his lips as the glass is plucked from him. Still, he does as he’s told. Whilst he may be looking to make the scope of his frustration clear he knows that pushing Seung too fair at any point will end in nothing good for him. He moves from the chair near instantly getting situated on the desk instead. Brown eyes follow the glass, not looking at Seung himself, as he tries to not pout at the younger that still sits low in him and won’t be filled anytime soon now that his drink is gone.

The same eye’s roll as he listens to Seung. Leaning back on one hand and finally fixing his gaze on the elder as he tries to not let too much insolence seep into his tone. “Oh, how should a second in command be acting when his husband has just cancelled all of their plans on him at the last minute so that he can chase a possibly deadly endeavour simply for his own precious pride and ego?”

Gin tilted his head at the vampire, trying to figure the guy out just by looking at him. If it wasn’t for the information that he already knew, he would say he looked like any type of guy, drinking coffee and enjoying a book, but a lot of people had a lot of secrets, including the man in front of him. “You guys call it a cult then? Whatever. Second in command then? I mean if I did my research right, then I’m pretty sure that’s your job title.” He had no idea where he was going with this, not that it mattered much. Gin eyed the cover of the book once again, finding his words ringing true. “You’re right, but it doesn’t mean I’m not curious for why you’re reading it? Doing some research on how the old people took over land?” 

There’s laziness to his movements as he looks at the other. Not seeming interested and as if he is just putting up with this conversation for the sake of it. When really he’s trying to place the other. It’s very likely Gin is just a random ghost, there isn’t a shortage of them around, but with the recent change of events to the city, Minho has been on guard more than normal. He easily hides his annoyance that the ghost seems to know just what he is to Carpe Noctem and that Minho can’t put a face to a gang right now. “It’s a clan. Vampires have clans and, well, kinda any religion is a cult. Despite any of that am I going to find out why a random annoying ghost is researching me. Seems a bit too stalker esque.” Slender fingers pick the book off of the table again and into his lap before settling around his mug. It didn’t seem like he was going to get much more reading done for a little while anyway. “It’s about me and I’m narcissistic and like reading about myself. Or what people thought of me anyway.”

“it’s witchcraft, not google maps. how am i supposed to find someone’s lost pet?” she might as well have hissed at other. sometimes, very rarely, her patience was tested. today at work, it had been one of those moments. why did everyone think it was easy to do this shit? with a loud sigh, lifting her coffee to her lips and frowning. soojung often wondered, what would she be up to if she hadn’t taken up the shop? probably die of boredom and stupidity. “i had this lady the other day, asked me to make her younger, like, do i seem like jesus or something?” she huffed, “she looked like a raisin. there is no going after that.” soojung never used her illusions to change her appearence, well.. never was pretty broad term, if her life depended on it, hell yeah she was gonna use magic to make it seem like she wasn’t there “some days, i really want to burn that place down. too much stupid clients.” she pauses, bringing the cup to her lips and narrowing her eyes “too bad i like making money.”

If asked Minho wouldn’t say he’d snuck into Soojung’s store. Only made sure he wasn’t really seen by anyone including her. There wasn’t really anything that said that witches and vampires couldn’t get along, actually, Minho had had many wonderful relationships with witches over the years who had given him many prized charms in exchange for favours. But being around witches who were actively working against his clan was not something he enjoyed or wanted to be seen doing. And it was a slight shame. Soojung would have been a good person to have on side in a different lifetime. It’s not until she starts talking that he finally pops up beside her, eyes still firmly planted on the potion bottles he’d been looking at for the past few minutes. “A wise man once said money is the root of all evil and desires. Or in this case the root of keeping up with stupid people. People need to stop looking for eternal youth though when all you have to do is get bit by a vampire and there you go.”

          ﹡ ╰     yuan wet his lips, black eyes and black clothes making him resemble a vulture at the corner of the cafe. a cup of steaming dark coffee was safely tucked between his palms, the metal of his rings contrasting with the white porcelain and clinking softly every now and then as he stood. he didn’t make an effort to look for any hidden kindness in the man’s words; if minho was even capable of that, it surely wouldn’t be directed at him. yuan merely sat down, no thank yous or pleasantries offered, silently stirring his coffee with subtle circular movements of his index finger a few centimeters above the top of the cup. ‘ i bet my name wouldn’t make the top hundred on your list of preferred company for a place like this. or anywhere, really. ’

It’s not until Yuan speaks that Minho actually raises his eyeline and instantly regrets even thinking of telling the other to sit. “I’ve changed my mind, piss off.” He tries not to keep his sights on the younger for long, jaw already tightening in annoyance but it’s hard to not take in his appearance. Noting how if an ignorant human was to walk past they would probably clock the all black adorned Yuan as a vampire before even considering Minho himself. “Top a hundred? You’re at least lower than the top one thousand, trust me. I’d probably pick a couple of hunters company over you, broom lover.”

Gin always had a love and hate relationship with the café. He loved it, because it was one of the only places where there wasn’t a fight going on, a lack of a headache acting up, but hated it because his enemies were there more than he would’ve liked and, there’s just so much of faking and lying he could do before he popped a vain and finally step a foot in the after life. Not that he was going to do anything stupid, like start a brawl in an innocent coffee shop. He was way too sad for that, but didn’t stop him from being a tease, because he was a very bored ghost. – He ignored the other ghosts around the building, some young kid crying to some lady who was laughing and enjoying her date, which made him guess that she was either her mother or sister and moved on or the old man, trying to possess a coffee mug. “Aren’t you cute. Who knew gang leaders could be so nice.” Gin said smiling, making himself stop floating and landing himself opposite from Minho. “So whatcha reading over there?” 

The vampire only felt a little burst of regret that he’d basically just invited a ghost to sit with him. Probably one of the few supernatural beings he didn’t have the most experience with, apart from the couple victims of his that had tried to stick around before being convinced (dragged) into the afterlife. This one seemed young though which only meant more annoying. “Not a gang leader and most certainly not cute.” Is all he grumbles out for a moment. Pale fingers flipping a corner of a page down before placing the book on the table and merely ignoring the other for a moment as he focuses on his drink. Who knows maybe someone would suddenly find Gin’s bones and burn them so that Minho could be saved from this conversation. Instead the other is still there and with a barely suppressed huff, he lifts the battered cover of the book to the others eyeline. “Old folklore from around Russia and a little bit of China. You probably wouldn’t find it interesting.”

The sound of the door to the office opening doesn’t really register until Seung’s shadow hits him. Eyes raising to the other’s face as he continues to sit right there in Seung’s chair and takes another gulp of his drink. “Oh, you’re back.” Legs lazily moving off of the others desk almost mocking the fact that he knows he shouldn’t be sat here and most certainly shouldn’t have his feet all over Seung’s papers. @rcxseung​