R E F L E C T .

starter for @twjinsoul !!

Beast needed a witch. It was extremely important in this moment, considering he could rightfully be described as a beast by just about anyone and he would have no grounds to argue given he had two horns sticking out of his head. As if he didn’t need to deal with this enough when his emotions end up getting the better of him. The worst part about it was that he had no control whatsoever over this. It’s not like he can easily control his emotions, either, but this is different. Even when he’s calm, there’s no getting rid of them. Perhaps stopping at that bakery was a bit of a bad idea, though he never could have predicted this outcome. He just had a craving, not a desire to be shot back in time by many centuries.

So, he found himself with a beanie pulled over his head, then a hoodie on top of that. His pace was fast so that people wouldn’t be able to stare at him long enough, though his fear was slightly irrational. If someone notices his hat protruding, the chances are that they wouldn’t just assume he had grown a set of horns. They would likely think he was wearing something on his head, like something weird or maybe even fashionable, he wasn’t sure. There was too much to keep up with and he simply didn’t have the patience. Constantly, his mind was flooded with other things.

as it stands, breaking this spell is going to be easier said than done.  after all, she’s still not who she says that she is - beneath this spell, and beneath this illusion lies jinsoul, the enchantress.  no one knows that she’s even alive, let alone here in new york city - aside from bigby and her brother, of course.  hades too, only found out about her presence recently.  still, there’s the point of pride though, and asking her brother for help in breaking this spell for now is still enough to turn her off from it.  she’d much rather have someone else, but as it stands, that’s impossible.

so instead, rose decides to suffer with the weariness.

she’s already been awake for an hour, and the spell is going to put her back to sleep in another.  time seems to move both slowly and far too quick when under this spell - she stares at the ceiling and the seconds tick by achingly slow, but rose finds that the time passes far faster than she thought when she’s falling back to sleep.  

rose fully expects this day to be like any other that has passed since she’s fallen under the spell’s enchantment.  but there’s a knock at her door, and her brother has already long since left for the day so there’s no way that he could answer.  rose groans when she pulls her heavy, tired bones out of bed and shuffles her way to the entrance, pulling open the door with her disheveled appearance and dark -ringed eyes.

azazel sits at the table stoically, hands resting against the dark wood in a relaxed manner.

his posture– however, was tense as could be. he doesn’t look up, eyes focused on the swirls of pattern in the ebony furniture, as if it was whispering secrets to him– as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. he ignores everything else: the way that the room darkens even more than when it does with just him sitting in it, the shaking of the light fixtures, the trembling of the floor beneath where azazel’s feet rest. there’s a small frown tuggin down the corners of his lips, just a tad deeper than his normal angry scowl.

after all– he’s not angry at his sister. he knows that she’s furious with him, as much as she is disappointed. but he does not, and he will not regret it. if it came down to it, he would do the same thing all over again.

and he knows that this is the last thing that she wants to hear– even though he’s sure she already knows.

and the shadows are swirling around him manically, they can sense his tension and sense his frustration, they linger over his skin and hover closely around him like a cloak of protection. his voice is quiet, steady, somber as it leaves his lips, hoarse from disuse after not talking or interacting with anyone ( of his own choice ) for ages.

“i had to,” he says firmly, finally lifting the gaze of his obsydian irises to meet hers, lips pursed just slightly– no emotion showing on his face. “i had to,” he repeats, his fingers twitching at the mention of their mother and his voice cracking just barely before he recollects himself. “i couldn’t leave you there. i did…” he licks his lips, frown deepening as his voice softens, “i did what i needed to do.”

all of this, and azazel does not quake before her.  he doesn’t even look ashamed, just tense.

it only serves to further incite her anger, eyes flashing and feet now a foot above the ground.  of all the things that he could do, she never wanted - never expected - him to kill a child just for her sake.  there could have been something, anything - she would have much rather been a slave than to allow her brother to walk around with the crime hanging on his shoulders.  it’ll be a rumour, a dark one that hangs around him for ages - twisted and tarnished until no one knows the true story.

there is never a reason to kill someone else to save another.  that’s something that she truly believes because it was the one thing she was taught above all else.  she thought it was something that azazel, too, understood.  apparently, he didn’t.

she watches his shadows and the way they cling to him to form a shield - as if they’re protecting him from her, like she would hurt him.  jinsoul may be furious but she would never harm a hair on his head.  seeing the sight makes her calm a little, though the rage still sticks hot and thick to her throat.  it makes her voice tight when she speaks, even if the lights stop dimming.  at least she’s lower now to the ground.

“ you didn’t have to.” jinsoul hates the way her voice trembles, hates the way her eyes fill up with tears.  no one will have pity for him but her.  “ there could have been another way.  now you -” she cuts herself off, tearing her eyes away from him, away from his shadows. 

his eyes flicker from the gown – which she had clear distaste for – back to her face. “do you need cloth, miss? i could get some for you. you’d have a selection to choose from –” though charming was getting ahead of himself; just pouncing on every opportunity to help the poor injured woman. some might think it was for the sole purpose of being able to say he was a good person. the truth is, the orphaned prince was just altruistic in nature. after experiencing having nothing to his name and being helped by adults, he just naturally returned the kindness the universe bestowed upon him.

charming almost doesn’t understand why she’s still trying to appear fearsome and vicious. “are you trying to scare me, miss?” his expression softens to something akin to melancholy. “i promise you there is no need to try. i am not going to hurt you.” though he understands, he simply wishes she wouldn’t be so defensive and curt with him. he was only trying to help after all.

“i kneel to whomever needs my assistance,” he insists. “i am not a prince by birthright. merely by circumstance. i was adopted, miss, so trust me when i say i am quite used to having worked with my hands and getting dirty.” he offers a small chuckle, feeling the worry lift from his shoulders. he straightens with a sniffle. “very well, miss. may i have your name?” he takes a moment to turn and beckon marigold over. it takes the sleepy horse a moment to trot over to them but once she reaches them she lowers herself back into a resting position.

charming pets her affectionately, murmuring “good girl” to his mare before reaching into the satchel that was attached to her saddle. “my name is prince charming. my parents – the king and queen who adopted me – chose that name for me,” he says as he pulls out supplies for dressing wounds.

he’s a little shy with asking her to disrobe, especially when they’re still strangers to one another. having her tell him would be simpler. “you needn’t call me prince, miss. right now, i am simply charming.” he laughs, training his boxed smile at the injured girl. he was hoping to get her spirits lifted and have her more relaxed. “get it? it was a joke!”

disbelief strikes her features then - he just seems so desperate.  as if he’s latching onto every last word she says in some kind of effort to save her, when honestly, she doesn’t even want to be saved.  blood is on her hands, even though jinsoul had nothing to do with the circumstances.  she shares just as much of the guilt and the blame.  but this is something that this prince doesn’t need to know; nothing of her circumstance is for him to see.  this goes beyond distaste.  it’s a story that will have him shaking.  “ why are you so -” she finally tears her gaze away from him, glaring down at the cloth that wraps her body.  jinsoul grits her teeth.  “ nice.”

even though the enchantress was trying to struggle and stand just a moment before, she’s given up.  she knows it’s beyond her to even try as much as she may want to run away from this situation entirely.  “ trust me, if you knew who i was you should be scared.” suddenly, the shadows in the woods darken ever so  slightly, the wind picks up and takes her hair with it.  but just as quickly as it starts, it soon stops - energy depleted, and honestly, jinsoul is unwilling to even attempt trying to scare him off anymore.  “ i have had enough experience with kings to know they’re not all good people.  i’ll trust you.” for now, is what’s left unspoken.  after all, she’s sure he knows.

her eyes narrow and jinsoul shakes her head, knowing this is not the usual behaviour of a prince.  but his explanation of his past - which, she also didn’t really ask for - makes sense now, considering his desperation to prove himself and the odd way he carries himself.  “ .. fine.” she mutters quietly, giving in completely.  her shoulders relax ever so slightly, and as she does, the pain from her wounds slowly starts to plague her.  she tries not to let it show on her face as she watches his horse clop over, and as he starts to pull out medicines that she assumes are for first aid.  “ charming .. unsurprising.” she mumbles once more, now awkward that she isn’t quite sure how to act around him.  “ i’m .. jinsoul.” that’s all he really needs to know about her by way of introduction.

she’s a little scared of how much he’ll change when he finds out who she truly is.

the prince thoroughly enjoyed every visit from the enchantress. she came and went as she pleased but he finds that it’s never too long in between visits. it has become a comfort to him. sometimes he has gifts prepared for her. others, he’s just looking forward to her company.

this time he was a bit excited. the castle was abuzz with preparations. his mother always loved planning a good party. although he was never the one interested in taking a wife up until now, he was interested in the concept of a ball to find the woman for him. to think that he could dance with the love of his life and not even know it was something worth being excited over. his parents had even agreed to any and all maidens across the lands willing to travel as eligible to be his wife.

which leads him to his conversation with the enchantress upon her arrivals. “so i’ve pushed back my marriage and coronation long enough. my parents want me to marry. but!–” he says enthusiastically. the prince always had a flair for dramatics and being overly enthusiastic. “the maiden can be from any nation of any class or background. everyone has a fair shot. that’s truly following our kingdom’s philosophies, don’t you think?”

the prince had an array of suits and accessories to try on and see which would be best fit for him at the ball. if he didn’t like any of the choices, he could go over it with the tailor but the tailor wasn’t due for another hour. “you are coming, right?”

honestly, something is about to happen.  jinsoul just doesn’t know what.

by the time she arrives at the castle, the enchantress finally understands the feeling of dread.  her eyes stare blankly at charming on his announcement, given gaily in all of his excitement.  but try as she might, she can’t muster the same excitement.  after all, she once gave him a gift - that he would find his happy ever after, with the girl of his dreams.  when she gave him that gift, she hadn’t expected to want to be that girl.  the more time that she spends with charming, it’s quite apparent that she isn’t.

but still, jinsoul has stood by his side regardless of the feelings of hopelessness sprouting in her.  he never seemed too keen on the idea of getting married all that quickly, so the sudden announcement almost feels too sudden - though, considering his age, it’s not sudden at all.  it’s honestly quite late.  “ i see.” she finally says quietly, still not quite matching his enthusiasm.  her face is a carefully controlled mask, though the lights in the castle still flicker with the changing of her mood - she wonders, still, if he’s ever realized that they do that when she’s unhappy.

her eyes cast over the formal wear for the ball, and his invitation sticks like a knife in her belly.  she can’t help but laugh, shortly, and bring her stare back at him.  “ what’s the point? if i was the love of your life, you’d have said so by now.  you’re not good at keeping secrets.”  she turns her back on him, turning instead to face the suits laid out before them, touching each fabric with her fingers.  the lights flicker.  “ you’ll find the love of your life regardless.  i promised you that.”

@twjinsoul

Never in his life did Changgu ever feel such a strong sense of hate. One of the worst parts about it was that it was directed at no one other than himself. His appearance was so incredibly horrible that he couldn’t bear to look at himself, covering most mirrors so he could have as little reminders as possible. As much as he wanted to loathe the one that did this to him, he couldn’t. He might have resented her a little and wondered why she could damn someone like this with such a clear conscience, but that’s practically as far as it went. Who would love him now? Did he have any redeeming qualities? Surely, that’s what this was all about. He was meant to be humbled and to discover the good inside of him, but currently, that felt impossible.

to be fair, this prince acted exactly like one without apology.  he’s absolutely nothing like charming, that’s for sure.  still, if it became her job to test the royal children, then jinsoul should have at least shown a little mercy.  he should have been just like everyone else.  she blames it on the fact that he got under her skin, but maybe - that’s not quite the full story.  maybe, she was already suffering a heartbreak from something else.

she wouldn’t apologize, but she did want to help to make this right.  the thing about the enchantress is, those she curses - she doesn’t leave to the wolves.  no, she has always guided the ones who have done wrong and this prince is no different.  it just so happens that she feels she has to help him .. more.  to help at easing her conscience.  so by the time the enchantress arrives at the cursed castle, she doesn’t quite expect a friendly welcome - after all, it is her fault that the entire household became the way it did.  

he doesn’t look at her.  she’s not surprised, but it does twist the knife a little.  “ that’s not why i’m here.” she says dully, irritation starting to spark.  now she remembers why she cursed him in the first place.  “ you keep having those thoughts, you’re bound to live them, though.  you have to love in order to be loved, prince.”  jinsoul sucks in a breath, tries to rein in her annoyance.

Welcome to The Wolf’s very first meme! As per the voting that took place over on our twitter, here is a sentence starter prompt list provided by phantomemes.  These can be used as drabbles, but for bonus points try to make them starters! It’ll help get something going between muses who haven’t had a chance to interact yet or just get some creative juices flowing for anyone who has some more in depth plots together that they want to explore.  Feel free to make these canon or au, but just remember your rp karma: if you receive, be sure to send and don’t be shy!

a starter for @twjinsoul ; a long time ago, in the homelands, before she meets beast.

“ BEAUTY! “

the way her sisters always somehow managed to yell her name in unison amazed her, after their mother’s death her sisters had just gotten even more cruel by the day. she wasn’t sure how it was possible. espedcially after their father had lost his livelyhood and had to move away, her sisters never did any of the housework.

“you missed a spot.”

the elder sister pointed to her shoe, there was speck of dust there. it had obviously gotten on there after their walk to the town and back.

“did i really? i am sorry sister,” she took the blame for it, she couldn’t bother her father with these trivial things after all.

“you also forgot to buy bread!”

confused she looked into the bag, she was sure she had bought it, the conversation she had with the baker was still fresh in her mind. he was trying to introduce her to his son, beauty glanced up and noticed behind them. a trail of breadcrumbs and around her sister’s mouth there was also evidence.

beauty sighed inwardly, “i will have to run back to town and buy bread then.” 

her sisters chuckled in amusement, “yes you do that, we’ll take the rest of the food home~”

for a moment beauty thought, her sisters were actually doing her a favor but after they had parted ways. out of reach of beauty’s ears they were gloating because now father would think, they had done something good and not beauty. that their younger sister was being lazy. that simple thought made her sisters smile from ear to ear.

once back in town she walked straight to the baker, smiling at the man, “it seems i forgot the bread earlier,” she chuckled and the male tilted his head, “dear you didn’t you took it with you…” it was a known fact in the town how beauty’s sisters treated her, “that is odd,” beauty replied, opening up her wallet, “we’ll either way i’d like another bread if you please, how much do you want?”

the baker was kind, he gave it to beauty, cheaper than he had charged earlier and she noticed, smiling at the older man, “you don’t have to.” but he insisted, telling her to hurry along. while she walked through town it seemed that everyone was greeting her, looking at her, admiring her beauty and good nature. they were sure, whoever got to marry her one day would be such a lucky man.

on her way out, she stumbled upon a person begging for money or food, she was sure they wouldn’t mind either. after a small chat with the female, beauty decided to break of parts of the bread and give it to the other. hoping that would help them along.

she would have to say that was all the baker had left, then not eat bread until her brothers return. 

but the enchantress has another reason to traverse this particular town in the form of a cat.  there’s still guilt that lingers somewhere in her for the man she cursed to live as a beast for an indefinite amount of time - and though it doesn’t seem that she’d be kindhearted enough to help turn him back, after learning more about him, she has all the desires to at least try.  it leads her on her search to at least find a maiden who has the kindest heart - who would not care whether or not outward appearances are of one that seems a little .. beastly.

so far though, she’s often felt dismay.  everyone seems to be far too focused on themselves, or the people around them far too much.  too gossipy, too narcissistic, too judgmental - her tail swishes and hangs over the wall of the well she’s perched herself on in the middle of the town square.

there’s only one girl that’s caught her attention, once, and she lost sight of her in the crowd.  she’s hoping to find her again, because of all these people in this provincial town, it would be beauty that sees through to the heart of a beast.

as luck would have it, though, the very girl comes running through the market if only to stop by the bakery - where the enchantress had lost sight of her this morning.  hadn’t she already stopped by for her bread? curious, the cat stands and stretches her back, trotting over to the bakery and sitting at the window, watching the girl pay for bread once more and then presumably, head home once more.  this time, though, jinsoul is not intent on losing her so she follows her in the crowd, weaving beneath legs and watching her tear off a piece of the bread and give to someone who needed it.

yes, this girl is good.

he sees the look of contempt in her eyes. this was the look of a woman scorned at the world and universe for its happenings. the woman doesn’t trust him for good reason, he assumes. so the prince puts up his hands, backing away some to unarm himself entirely: taking off his scabbard that held his long sword and the smaller one strapped to his thigh that held his dagger. he placed them both on the ground and moved away from them. “i mean you no harm, miss.”

her words are venom at him. charming knew better than to take them to heart. she was hurt, in need. much like a frightened forest animal when injured. distrusting, cautious, fickle; charming had to be calculated with his words and actions. startling her enough that she feels as though she needs to retreat can prove fatal to her. charming simply wanted her to rest.

“please don’t rise to your feet, miss, you’ll bleed all over your gown.” at the mention of his mare he turns to look at marigold. the off-white horse was staring, possibly measuring the threat level of her rider interacting with the stranger. though she quickly grew bored and lowered herself to rest. “marigold is alright. she doesn’t find you frightening.” charming turned to the woman. her skin looked pale and smooth. her hair was long. was she from his kingdom or another, he wondered.

charming crouches down, all the while keeping his hands visible and his movements slow. he lowers himself to his knees in front of her. his tailor is going to be livid when he returns and sees he soiled yet another pair of white trousers. though admittedly, why do they still give him white when they know he can’t keep anything white clean? disregarding how easily his royal garb will be stained, he stays there on his knees.

“please, miss, don’t be stubborn. you will bleed out here alone.” he didn’t mean for the desperation to reach his tone nor did he expect his eyes to gloss over a bit (effectively starting to shade his nose pink) in his worry for the woman who was clearly more injured than she wanted to admit. “please, let me help you.”

her eyes narrow still at the way he disarms himself - clearly, he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.  weapons such as these don’t scare her, it’s the person behind them that does -.  still, though, for him to go such lengths to prove himself a kind soul almost baffles the enchantress to her core.  not a single man outside her family has ever treated her kind.  what is it about him that’s so different?

lips purse and remain in a thin line as she allows herself to crumple back to the forest floor, almost as if she’s indignant.  “ i don’t care about the gown.” she mutters, turning her eyes away from him.  “ i’d rather see it burned than keep wearing it but i don’t have anything else -”  it’s true, though.  this is a gown that she was forced into by the king who took her from her home, made to wear because it pleased him and his court - not because she thought it was pretty.  and though she’s an enchantress, she still can’t conjure clothes out of thin air.  she’d at least need a spool of thread for that.

and she almost wants to laugh at that.  “ perhaps she should second guess herself.” the words are short, and with any hope, they’d alarm him.  “ you’d do well not to judge people by the way they look, sir.  i am terribly frightening if i want to be.”  when i can be is the thought she doesn’t add on, knowing all too well that her energy is far too drained to even give an ounce of her power besides focusing it on slowing the infection of her wounds.

but he’s a stubborn one, it seems.  she sighs, turning her head and staring at him hard.  he’s far too close for comfort, but there’s a kind of desperation lingering in his eyes and worry in his voice of the like she’d never thought she’d hear from a stranger on his way to god knows where.  with that kind of expression, it’s too hard for her to tell him she wanted to die out here alone.  at least it would be peaceful.  at least there’d be no man trying to control all the things that she could do.

today seemed like a beautiful day as any for him to travel, the crown prince decided. the sun was beaming down healthily by high noon. birds were chirping and villagers were practically singing with glee. he decided to take his mare, a gorgeous stallion the colour of honeysuckle that he raised since she was just a young filly. her name was marigold.

he wished good ‘morrow to all of his servants and gave an affectionate kiss upon the hand to the maiden who readied his lunch basket for him. he left her blushing as he strode out to the gates and rode through the castle town then the market square and off into the forest. leaving his kingdom was always an experience. travelling between lands in the homelands was like entering an entirely new world.

perhaps he would pay a visit to a nearby town or kingdom. the crowned prince learned a lot from visiting other places. he sometimes brought back values he could insert into his own life or in the way he would manage his kingdom. a good king is worldly. a good king leads his people to prosperity. taehyung wanted nothing more than to be a good king.

his mare grew tired so he let her drink in a nearby creek, just ways off from a clearing. he walked out, making sure to be in sight of marigold. a beautiful clearing such as this would make a perfect location for lunch. he set his basket down, taking in the nature around him. birds flew overhead, twigs and leaves in their beaks to fasten nests to create families. bunnies swiftly moved between bushes in the clearing.

to his surprise, there was a strange lump in the distance of his position. he moved closer slowly, trying to identify what it could be. with a few steps it looks like a person on the ground. after that he took off running, falling to his knees immediately at the woman’s side.

“my good maiden, are you injured? dehydrated? where are you from? do you need any assistance?” the prince asked hurriedly, looking her over for any injuries. “what happened?”

there are no good people in this world.

she's almost certain that she’ll be left in the woods, alone and bleeding - a sacrifice of the elements, forgotten and scorned.  and if she’s honest, she would have been fine with that because with a whisper to the wind, she would have left a curse on the world - stained it black with her malice and contempt.  there are no good people in this world, and if she dies here, she vows she won’t be the victim.

there’s only one regret in her, and it’s the apology she won’t be able to utter to her brother who did the unthinkable to save her, all for naught.  maybe he’ll know, though, when she doesn’t return home after all he’s done to save her.  maybe he’ll recognize her apologies as the wind breathes upon his cheek.  but her curse is caught in her throat at the sound of breaking twigs and rustling leaves, a rushing man falling to her side like the world is trying to tell her it’s not all bad.  like the world is telling her not to give it up, not yet.

but the enchantress doesn’t believe.

and how could she? suspicion makes her narrow her eyes, curling tighter into a defensive ball only to wince when her wounds scream in protest.  the blonde grimaces, but casts her eyes aside at the worry in his words.  for all she knows, he could be feigning the worry.  she knows far too many good actors.

“ it’s nothing that concerns you.” she mutters, making a feeble attempt to drag herself up shakily to her feet.  she hates that she feels a sense of shame at the blood on her torn gown, the cuts on her feet from running barefoot for far too long in the brush and the thick of the wood.  “ go back to your mare.  she’ll be spooked if she sees you talking to a ghost.”