safe and sound

...

“Appa, do you have some unopened packets of underwear or something? Having Seokjin-ssi get dressed before wrapping the bandages seems silly.”

Ji Hye set the clothes down near the mortar bowl and pestle she had used earlier, and let her eyes roam the clinic until she found a familiar table holding some rolls of gauze and other necessary tools. 

( @obsjihye​ )

This entire situation is more embarrassing than Seokjin would like to admit. After all, this place is rather familiar to him. His reason for showing up here though is less than honorable; if only Seokjin had been watching carefully or if that little brat hadn’t run out on his own, then this experience would never have been lived through. What’s done is done though, and Seokjin sticks to that thought, feeling more grateful that someone was here to help. It’s not every day that he’ll get stampeded in a riot though, and that’s enough to help Seokjin breathe just a little easier. The embarrassment exists in Seokjin’s mind, though after careful consideration, is not as prominent as it needs to be, really. There was that one time that Seokjin had tripped between the gap of a train and it’s platform, and the footage of him tripping was on a “CCTV Fails - FUNNIEST FAILS EVER” video because of how he’d spun around trying to catch himself. Yes, that was definitely more embarrassing than being naked on a doctor’s medical bench. Maybe.

At the mention of his name, Seokjin drags a breath into his lungs and turns his head only slightly to look over his shoulder (still very much aching, despite the good treatment that’s been done to it). He manages to throw a peace sign, despite how tired his body is.

There are probably odd things smeared on his body here and there, and the taste of blood in his mouth hasn’t gone away, no matter how many times he swallows his own saliva. He thinks that maybe he must’ve fallen and bit his tongue to make this happen, but it has to be the least of his worries at the moment. Though he’s covered in a sheet as well, Seokjin shivers from the cold of the room. Or the cold from losing some blood. Both ought to do it. “Sorry for…” He trails, voice scratchy, as he lazily gestured to himself, the messy table, and the entire room in general.

Some things simply can’t be helped, such as: when a foo dog is bleeding profusely and collapses at the door of a medic’s place, the environment in which the foo dog falls is bound to become dirtied in some way. As long as this whole thing doesn’t stain Seokjin’s very fluffy and well maintained tail, then he’ll be okay. Seokjin is willing to come by and clean up the mess he’s made, at a later date when his shoulder isn’t aching to be chopped off.

...

Jiho would be appalled if he was on the other end of this ordeal. He brings up a hand and quickly slaps himself across the face for a burst of adrenaline.

“I’m sorry but the engine is broken! I can’t take you out to sea today!”

He widens his eyes and does his best to force a smile on to his face. He fails spectacularly, but at least his left cheek is red.

( @obsxjiho​ )

Seokjin’s smile really only stays on his face for politeness when he first witnesses who is supposed to be the captain of Seokjin’s Random Weekend Adventure that was meant to be his method of relaxation. (Seriously, trying pilates that one time had threatened Seokjin’s entire life. He’s not a very flexible man to begin with). He looks like he was just used to mop the floor. Seokjin mentally scolds himself for being so rude, but the guy seriously looks like he just woke up from a nap that lasted maybe five years at the least. It’s doing wonders to his confidence about the bucket hat though, since at least his hair is tame underneath it.

Even the way that the guy leans on to the railing is rather intimidating but it’s very fisherman-like in nature that Seokjin blows it all off as normal. The stutter is what causes his polite smile to start fading away. “Yeah, I’m- oh lord!”

Seokjin definitely didn’t jump when the guy smacked himself on the cheek, that would be stupid.

Okay so maybe he jolted just a little bit, but what’s clear is that Seokjin has his head on his neck and his bucket hat on his head still. “It’s broken?” Seokjin asks, and no sooner does his face screw up like he’s tasted something sour. “Did it just break or something? Are you sure it can’t be fixed?”

He’s really trying to make some excuses, and is more than willing to go buy a posterboard and make an idea map with this guy on how to fix the situation, because all the excitement Seokjin had about catching his own damn fish is thrown out the window, and sucks more than he’d like to admit. Maybe Seokjin’s sulking, but he’s only sulking enough to try and get the guy to feel guilty and find a peaceful resolution to the day.

Seokjin’s fit of giggles triggers the one Jinhwan suppressed — his forehead wrinkles intensely, nose scrunched and cheeks smushed in a lopsided grin that permeates his whole face, half giggling and snickering at his friend nearly folded over in contagious laughter.

“Such a generous father…” he adds, wiping away a fake tear from being touched (which might be a real tear of mirth), and takes a swig of his wine, probably not properly tasting it at all. He tilts his head toward Seokjin, listening and nodding sympathetically. “At least we can do this sort of thing sometimes, huh?” he smiles back. “Next time we can just do shitty beer at my place if you’re down for some bad soaps.” The next question makes him sigh, however. 

“Ah, I get caught up in work so much, you know?” He rubs his neck. “It’s hard running your own business when you’re supplying it too… I really need to take on part time workers but I’m not sure I can pay them adequately right now, you know?”

Jinhwan lets out a longer sigh and grabs a bottle at random, filling his glass up more than the testing amount and stuffing a piece of cheese of in his mouth. “Maybe I sh’ld take on ‘n apprentice or somethin’,” he says with his mouth full, washing it down with a little more alcohol. “But — ugh, that makes me feel so old. Please tell me I’m not old, Jinnie. I’m still a young, totally sexy entrepreneur, right? …Wait. No. Don’t answer that.”

He stops, and raises an eyebrow belatedly. “Actually, that cheese was pretty good. You’d think they’d label these, wouldn’t you?” He isn’t actually watching how much he’s drinking… Eh, but it’s wine, right? It’s not like he can get that tipsy on it. At the same time, however… he can’t exactly remember the last time he did go out and drink… probably an event that also screamed “networking.” Huh. Can he even remember when that was last? And he’s not even in his thirties yet. Jinhwan goes quiet as he stares into the cheeses for a moment. Certainly not a bit of a tipsy train of thought, that.

( @jinhwanxobs​ )

Hanging out with a friend like Jinhwan brings Seokjin the best kind of feeling and tucks itself nicely into his chest. The worries of the day, the week, the month disappear and Seokjin lets out a sigh; finally being able to relax and act stupid (but not too stupid) in good company is definitely the break that Seokjin had needed from his day to day life. He scoots his chair closer into the table, bringing the glass up to his lips, but not sipping it out of pure distraction. He likes to put his focus on people when they talk to him, so it isn’t rare for him to forget that he’s supposed to be eating or drinking something. He only remembers to actually drink it after his own giggles have died down (the duo has most certainly caused a ruckus in this Fine Establishment). “Nothing better than shitty beer and spilling secrets that come up when alcohol is involved,” Seokjin nods, like he’s just made a promise, and raises his glass up a few centimeters in a mock toast.

Seokjin smiles now, but it’s more of sympathy than anything else. “You’re busy, that’s all. Maybe it’s good to break the routine once in a while though? Maybe your mind can’t handle the everyday-ness of everyday. Doesn’t mean it’s any bad to stop and… do something new.” His advice isn’t new; Seokjin has been trying to tell himself the same sort of thing. As lovely as it sounds, it’s difficult to put into practice and Seokjin knows it, so he throws in a quick “But I’ll try to help you out if you want,” into the mix as a disclaimer. What else could Seokjin do? He cares for his friends. He understands the feeling.

“You’d need some real patience to take on an apprentice,” Seokjin chirps, quirking his eyebrow in curiosity. “Try it though. I’m dying to hear you either praise the hell out of your apprentice or talk shit about them. I’m already mentally preparing myself for both situations.” All he has to do is shrug his shoulders and drink down the wine with a nice gulp or two before setting it onto the table, nose scrunching at the taste that it leaves in his mouth. He decides it’s a good idea to wash it down with a glass of something new. Jinhwan’s comments have him scoffing, almost breaking out into another laughing fit. “Oh yeah, not old at all. Nope. And by the way - did you want me to buy your first walker for your or something?”

Joking around is easy and safe. It’s good company, Seokjin reasons, leaning onto an elbow as he sips from his glass. “I think we’re supposed to just… know what kind of cheese it is,” he replies, picking one up and giving it a sniff.

Ew.

... 

He can feel the slight burn to his ears and cheeks after the initial contact, but thankfully it seems the older male doesn’t take note. Just in case, Hoseok keeps his head turned in opposite to the other’s. “There’s plenty of cute places along this strip, I’m sure we’ll find something.” Hoseok hums, glancing over to flash a small yet bright smile, once he was certain the color in his face had faded. 

( @obshoseok​ )

If Seokjin keeps turning his head to look at Hoseok any more times, it’ll be much too obvious. He knows that at the very least. It’s hard to help though, especially since Hoseok is just that small bit shorter than he is, and Seokjin can just keep over at him so easily. It’s hard to resist just leaning all of his weight onto Hoseok and letting gravity do its work, since after all, Seokjin’s nothing more than just a pile of goo. A stupid pile of goo who’s acting like a teenager; like an idiot. He hums as they walk, though Seokjin catches how Hoseok peeks over from time to time, and he tells himself not to mistake it for any deep rooted fondness. Just two guys bein’ dudes, hanging out together on this evening for their very not-surprise-dinner-date.

Seokjin wishes he could bash his own forehead into the nearest window. Maybe it’ll put him out of his misery.

Guiding Hoseok down the sidewalk is no problem at all, now that they’re latched at the elbow. He tries not to worry about when their sides bump into each other as they walk or anything, no that would just be weird. Seokjin’s got more important things to worry about. He realizes that Hoseok is speaking to him only after he has a mild panic attack thinking if he’s walking too fast or too slow for Hoseok. “Oh- what?” He asks, turning to face Hoseok just in time to catch that million dollar beam.

“Perhaps not on this wine though… a bit too sweet for me,” he says, making a face and scrunching his nose. “But – tell me, please – what’s the latest gossip with you? Anything scandalous – heartwrenching – shocking happen lately, Jinnie?” Jinhwan asks, leaning forward with his glass between his fingers quite purposefully like a snooty housewife. He pretends to throw something over his shoulder like an expensive fur or long permed locks. “How aaare your kids doing, those little rascals,” he plays into it louder, slurring his words and giving a big fake laugh that has one of the servers giving him a strange look. Jinhwan closes his mouth and chokes back a barking laugh, leaning forward with a grin instead. 

“But seriously, how have you been? Feels like it’s been ages.”

( @jinhwanxobs​ )

“A dull evening? Any evening without me in it becomes a dull one, doesn’t it?” Seokjin asks as they walk to their seats, but he’s already laughing at his own comment like it’s the funniest thing that anyone has ever heard. Ever. Then again, Seokjin’s humor consists of cockiness paired with old puns and outdated memes. He figures that laughs that are based on pity are still laughs at the end of the day.

“Oh yes, us with alcohol. Very responsible. So responsible and adultish, almost like paying taxes or crying over the water bill,” he teases in return, taking his seat across from Jinhwan and being extra careful that his feet don’t cross into the other’s foot space. How odd would it be if they started to accidentally play footsie beneath the table?

Well. It’d probably end up with all out war, and red wine everywhere (which is the ‘fake blood’ of the battle of course). It sounds fun but Seokjin’s wallet says no to that idea really quickly.

“Darling, oh darling,” Seokjin says, trying to stifle his laughter, but it shows in how puffed up his cheeks are, and how his eyes crinkle right into his face. “Pfft- It’s the usual. My son crashed his Mercedes into a tree, but it’s okay, daddy will just buy him a new one,” Seokjin pretends to tuck some hair behind his ear, but ends up laughing, somewhat obnoxiously, onto the table, where he’s folded over and slapping his own knee like a damn seal.

It takes a few moments to get the giggles out.

Okay, it takes like maybe two whole minutes.

“I’m not really craving anything in particular, but I’m sure we can find someplace nice.” He muses, looking up at the male, smile growing wider like always. Especially when he was around him. 

@obshoseok​

What can Seokjin say? Cute jackets. Nice dinners. A lovely evening. Just two guys being dudes.

Seokjin’s hands are sweating already.

Sure, they’ve been hanging out with each other for a while. Alone. God, the more that Seokjin thinks about it, the more he feels nervous. Does this count as a date? Hoseok is really cute and sweet. He looks so damn soft wearing that little cafe apron too. Seokjin is perplexed; a man of utmost confidence worn down into a bumbling mess of feelings and emotions. Maybe Seokjin should have just stayed home and watched The Notebook, maybe that would’ve been better than playing with his own head like this. As he stands outside the place, leaning against the wall and waiting for Hoseok so they could go out on their not-really-a-date-but-might-as-well-be night out, he scuffs his shoe against the floor. Is his heart really beating like that? What is he, a teenager? 

Once Hoseok swings back outside, he clears his own throat and then stands up straight, maybe trying to look like he wasn’t just turning his brain into goo, thinking about this whole thing. Seokjin nearly pinches himself. This was all his idea after all!

“You weren’t gone for long, don’t worry,” Seokjin smiles, and it’s the way that he catches Hoseok rubbing his neck that helps bring his mind back to earth. At least he wasn’t the only one being awkward about this. That makes him feel at least a tiny bit better.

...

Probably not. The fact that this, too, could be attributed to being the fault of her unwanted ‘friend’ is what keeps her from getting up right away, the softest of frustrated yet disheartened groans being the only sign that she’s still entirely aware of her surroundings. 

( @obsxeunae​ )

Ring ring. I’m sorry. The old Kim Seokjin can’t come to the phone right now. Why?

Oh. Cus he’s dead (from a lack of sleep).

Seokjin doesn’t sleep very well on any particular night, and he’s stuck to an intense routine of keeping those puffy eyes and eye bags under control. One could say that his caffeine intake was probably terrible and would send his heart into intense and dangerous levels of overdrive some day, but Seokjin believes that since he hasn’t fallen over and died yet, then he has time to do what he wants. Mornings are rough for Seokjin, but recently they’ve been even more awful. Ever since he’s had the absolute joy of something, a ghost or spirit or someone’s dead cousin, started to absolutely pester Seokjin, that’s all he can hear in his mind. Sometimes, the cries and sobs get so loud that Seokjin can’t even hear himself think. He’s called it a day way too early, these past days, and staying at home with raging headaches isn’t the best thing for Seokjin’s mood.

Holy shit why is this ghost crying so damn much.

He feels like he’s been dragging his feet around and he of course is doing his best to not confront the ghost or spirit whatever thing. Seokjin heavily believed that if he didn’t acknowledge its presence in his life, then he would be nice and happy and free from being haunted; after all, if things are ignored, don’t they typically go away? It feels like someone is faintly whispering right into the middle of his brain- and instead of whispering, it just keeps crying and crying.

To try and save what little of his sanity and will to live is left, Seokjin tries to take a walk, hoping that the noises outside would have drowned out the noises that he hears in his mind. He considers for a moment that maybe it’s him that’s making up all of this stuff, but after a nice long rant into the air in his home last night, followed by mental silence, he thinks maybe it listens to him. Only when it feels like doing so.

Seokjin has a drink in his hand, a passion fruit iced tea, nicely sweetened. It’s one of his favorite drinks, and Seokjin thoroughly believes that this hellish week has been a “treat yo self” kind of deal, so that’s what he decides to do. That is, except for the fact that he’d nearly been barreled over from a person that’s a fraction of his size, and now the tea is dripping down the front of his shirt and onto the pavement. Just when he thinks that this week couldn’t have gotten any worse.

...

Eyes occasionally darting from the male back to the door, a glint of excitement forms as soon as a female coworker enters the storefront. He bites down on his bottom lip, trying to contain his excitement as he glances over at the male. “I’ll be back in few minutes.” He says quickly, swinging open the glass door like before. 

( @obshoseok​ )

Seokjin is so sure that his little fumbling mess of communication would have been the source of his embarrassment and shame for the rest of his sad little life, but at least Hoseok isn’t making fun of him for it. He decides to pocket the embarrassing moment and instead think about it some other time, such as maybe when he lays down to bed at night. The prime time to rethink about the past days events. He smiles up at Hoseok, the other’s own smile too infectious. Though he still feels nervous, afraid that maybe he came at an inconvenient time for the other, Seokjin does his best to swallow the fear and keep his little bits of confidence up.

Hoseok is cute, with his work apron on, and with that little smile and expression that tells Seokjin that he’s thinking about something in depth. He nods along, letting Hoseok speak and take his time to think too. It’d be rude to interrupt. “Just something nearby, something yummy. I was going to wait for you to talk about it, in case you had any kind of craving,” Seokjin answers with a slight tilt of his head. He’s been trying to keep track of things that Hoseok likes and dislikes, but right now that he’s faced with Hoseok, he thinks his mind and memory have started to turn to mush. Seokjin gets mildly distracted by the faint pink of Hoseok’s cheeks.

“Uhhh… Uhhm?” He hums, needing to blink once or twice to get his mind back to the conversation. He mentally scolds himself for getting so lost in the other’s features- just as a friend would do, since of course, they are friends and all and friends compliment and hype each other up. “You look cute, it’s really okay,” he promises, accidentally letting that one compliment slip. Seokjin wants to strangle himself, almost. He’s called his friends cute over and over again before, so this is no big deal. “You can have my jacket if you’re concerned though.”

It’s as if Seokjin only just blinks before he’s left outside the store alone.

(...)

Slipping from out of the front counter, he heads to the door, a light chime of a bell goes off as he swings it open. “Seokjin-hyung?” 

( @obshoseok​ )

Seokjin can only play so many games on his phone to look nonchalant as he can, while waiting for Hoseok. He tries not to shift around too much, but Seokjin has never been entirely fantastic with being patient. While he tries to get himself cozy and pay attention to the people who pass by, mentally commenting on someone’s outfit or another person’s hairstyle (honestly, whoever says that they don’t judge others is a damn liar) - Usually compliments! Seokjin knows what it’s like to lack confidence. He feels awkward, like he seems silly to everyone’s eyes, waiting outside this establishment without even purchasing anything. To make matters worse for him, Seokjin’s stomach growls in the most uncomfortable way, and he tries to distract by counting how many streetlights there are on this road.

It’s getting cozier. He feels less nervous, and that feeling that had started in his chest and sunk to his stomach has since fizzled away, leaving Seokjin to try and bask in the momentary peace. He takes a deep breath in and lets it out, reminding himself that he’s definitely done this before. Seokjin feels completely silly; he’s waited for Taehyung before, and he’s waited for Hoseok before. This is nothing new. Seokjin scratches his ear. Maybe… Maybe it could be?

As great as it seems, Seokjin knows that it’s silly of him to even think about making that kind of connection with anyone. They’re friends, and Seokjin just wants to hang out and maybe go eat something because it’s been forever since they’ve done so. The gentle chime of the door jolts Seokjin out of his thoughts, and he hastily considers just quitting his job, if he gets scared that easily. Seokjin doesn’t look up from where he’s scrolling mindlessly through his emails on his phone, until he hears that familiar voice. Seokjin should have known, he wasn’t really on stealth mode right now anyways.

“Hoseok! What brings you here?”

Seokjin is an idiot.

(...)

In the meantime, Jiho decides to take this opportunity to, at the very least, rest his eyes. He flops into his captain’s chair and leans back, almost instantly feeling the weight of his eyelids do him in. Just a few minutes of rest is all he needs; he’s put up with worse.

( @obsxjiho​ )

Seokjin feels stupid wearing a bucket hat. No, he really feels incredibly dumb, but he’s noticed a trend (on the internet of course because where else is a shi-blooded citizen going to get their daily dose of the latest trends anyways) of people who go to fish with these bucket hats. One bucket for the fish, and one bucket for the fisherman? Seokjin shakes his head. It’s no use getting distracted right now; he has things to do. He has fish to catch. He wants to try grilled fish, and one that he’s caught with his own rod. Or something.

Honestly, the guy has no idea what to do when it comes to fishing, but he did in fact do some research on it before making this appointment. Seokjin at first believed that this fishing trip was going to be boring and dumb, but he’s managed to hype himself and be excited. Seokjin had paid for the extra fees, since he doesn’t believe owning a fishing rod was a good expense to have made, but at least he bought himself the-

Oh yeah. The bucket hat.

As he wanders around,Seokjin tries not to be too put off by the odd smell of the water. This is brand new to him, of course. He’s visited the coast before, but not of his own choice. He tries to jog his memory about when or if he’d visited this place, but it yields no results. Seokjin huffs. Whatever.

Ji Hye clicked her tongue and prepared her words…but she released a frustrated sigh since she was lacking a name; it almost seemed impolite to her that he could address her by the moniker she was given at birth, and yet Ji Hye was unable to treat him to the same courtesy. To make matters worse, if she called him by an incorrect name, she might find herself dealing with an offended patient. There had to be a solution, and still the suggestions her mind conjured did nothing to dull her frustration…nevertheless, Ji had to be patient; once he shifted, she would know. If only her father had saved her the trouble and explained things over the phone.

( @obsjihye​ )

Being a fussy person has always been in Seokjin’s nature, though he knows when he needs to suck it up in certain moments and take what’s given to him. He hates needles, he doesn’t like seeing anything that could threaten to harm his skin, and only has a pierced ear from a drunken night that his younger self decided needed some change. The aches in his body, though not as severe as it was when he’d hurried all the way here for help, still reminds him that he isn’t in as top of a shape to complain like he truly wants.

Seokjin is somewhat fussy, so what? At least he isn’t being a brat and refusing treatment in the first place. He knows that it’s best to just take it. He was the one who bit onto his pride (and need to survive of course) to come all the way over here, after all. It’d be stupid to keep continuing to whine.

He tries to pick his body up again, and there’s such an odd pulling sensation at his side that he winces, a small hiss escaping his throat. Seokjin knows that, as a man of common decency, he should at least cover up the lower half of his body, which is what he does. Handed a sheet or towel of some sort, he squeezes his eyes shut when he covers himself up. Even the motion makes a sharp sting shoot through his shoulder. Still, Seokjin takes the moment to bow his head and say his thanks to the man who had saved his life.

Seokjin knows better than to side eye the people who save you, that is, unless they ask for favors. As of late, it seems like Seokjin is the one asking for favors instead.

Though his body still aches and he feels as if he’d been picked up and tossed onto the pavement repeatedly, he finds the will to sit up. He has an image to protect after all, and if he lets others know just how badly he had gotten thrashed, Seokjin fears he might go out of business forever. At least now he’s covered up and not sad and naked all at once. He’d prefer to be one or another, separately, at different occurrences in his life. “Thank you,” he says out loud, but doesn’t define who it’s for in particular. Maybe it’s just to the universe. His throat burns so badly, hoarse and scratchy.

...“I’m here now~” he grins as he steps up to Seokjin. There’s a playful gleam in his eyes as Jinhwan proceeds to compliment him, pressing a hand to his shoulder lightly. “You’ve picked out some truly fine dining for us, I hope? You look quite nice at least, Jinnie.”

( @jinhwanxobs​ ) Patience is a virtue, so says many people who try to convince themselves that it’s actually a true statement, but Seokjin knows better than to lie to himself like that. He just accepts that being impatient is part of his nature, and if the way he checks his phone and rolls his eyes from time to time says anything about it, then it’s simply a fact of life that everyone must accept at this point. He doesn’t bother to respond to his friend’s texts, at least not for now. He knows that it was himself, after all, who decided to send out this last minute invitation. Seokjin would rather not bite off more than he could chew, especially when it comes to teasing Jinhwan.

He doesn’t want to accidentally hurt his own feelings or anything.

When Jinhwan arrives, Seokjin shoves his hands into his pockets and whistles. “Well well well. Someone looks all dolled up. Come around here often, handsome?” He asks, easily deflecting the compliment that the other sent his way. It’s not that he’s flirting with Jinhwan; Seokjin simply plays around like this with the other: cheesy pet names and cringey coos included. “But really, thanks for coming. This place has been on my ‘must visit’ list for about a month. I just couldn’t help the temptation.”

Besides the teasing tone that his voice carries, Seokjin smiles, happily and carefree, as he wraps an arm around the other’s shoulders, and gives them a good pat. “It would’ve been really desperate if I came here to drink all alone. Now we can look like losers together.” He pulls away from the awkward side hug only after giving his friend one last squeeze, for good measure. In this kind of world, he doesn’t know when he’ll get another hug out of Jinhwan anyways. 

. . .It reminded her of a patient she had been treating lately…he came to Ji Hye’s own pseudo-clinic more than once and filled with bruises; sometimes they were mild ailments and other times they weren’t. When Ji considered the similarities, she became aware of the familiarity she had sensed in his voice; it didn’t seem plausible that the two would be one and the same…but he’d never divulged his particular species, had he? The young witch was tired, and her mind cloudy…she had to shake her head to banish the thoughts; the last thing she should be doing was jumping to conclusions.

. . .“No, not yet.” Ji Hye slowed her ministrations and looked over her shoulder, knitted brows speaking louder than her sealed lips. She motioned to the creature’s side, confused as to why the gauze should wait ― her father was the expert, but there was no reason as to why they should delay or skip the crucial step. The young witch was going to voice her opinion when her father’s voice filled the room again, “it’s not smart to wrap him in bandages now, ttal, when he shifts into his human form again, the bandages will become misplaced.”

. . . “Alright, you poor thing…you shouldn’t hurt so much after this…” She grabbed the mortar bowl, and swished around it’s contents, inspecting the elixir before kneeling near the beasts’ head. Ji expected him to ingest half of the elixir…but only half; she needed to apply the other half to the wound that her father was treating. “I know you’re in a lot of pain…but can you lift your head for me?”

. . . She took one deep breath and uttered a small apology before twisting the limp arm and pushing it back in its respective socket.