eyes  brightening  as  a  lightbulb  switches  in  her  head,  "  you  know  what-  i  say  let's  just  ditch  the  rest  of  the  shift,  surely  we  deserve  it.  "  millie  suggests,  walking  arm  in  arm  with  her,  back  to  the  dressing  rooms.  "  let's  go  to  that  24-hour  ramen  place  or  something,  get  drunk  and  pass  out  somewhere.  "  anywhere  but  there,  that  was  the  gameplan  for  the  rest  of  the  night,  especially  after  that  traumatizing  encounter.  

❛ maybe we should walk actually .. burn the calories off before we eat them ! ❜ cheeky expression ‘pon features as she listened to the hustle and bustle of the nightlife . enjoyed it if she was being perfectly honest . but there were dangers of the job . ❛ hey , mills .. ❜ gaze flickering towards her bestie , genuine concern in her eyes , ❛ are you sure you're okay with what just happened in there ? we can contact the police if so —- ❜

 in  the  midst  of  it  all,  just  as  her  body  moved  through  the  motions  of  the  routine,  millie  felt  it.  that  creeping,  sinister  energy  curling  in  the  pit  of  her  stomach.  her  gut  didn't  lie.  he  was  there.  all  she  needed  now  was  adrianas  signal.  "  fuck,  i  really  don't  wanna  deal  with  him,  "  she  muttered  under  her  breath,  her  back  conveniently  turned  to  the  crowd  as  part  of  the  choreography,  exhaling  a  long,  exasperated  sigh.

❛ stop being a fucking weirdo ! ❜ poison lacing her tone as she shoved him —- no care for anyone surrounding her ; she was locked in . as the bouncers arrived and pulled her back , she scoffed . ❛ how about doing your jobs better and stop letting old men film the dancers ?! ❜ she spat . one of them taking the initiative to escort him out with a firm ban while the other dragged her by her upper arm toward the stages exit .

       almost  a  surreal  feeling  to  be  out  and  about,  not  a  single  care  in  the  world  about  her  annoyingly  protective  older  brother  —-  and  safe,  nari  had  this  power  to  make  her  feel  so  secure  whenever  in  her  presence.  yapping  out  there,  about  basically  nothing  and  then  about  a  story  why  her  brother  had  become  so  stupidly  overprotective  of  her  ;  it  wasn't  even  miyeon  being  the  reason  behind  his  reasonings.  lips  lock  and  there's  a  skip  in  her  heart  beat  but  not  one  second  is  hesitated  in  returning  the  kiss,  nimble  fingers  even  reaching  forward  and  running  tips  along  the  churn  of  nari's  cheek  ;  head  angling  for  the  kiss  to  naturally  deepen  —-  mind  feeling  slightly  woozy  after  a  while  and  she  leans  back,  an  almost  dizzy  state  of  mind.   "  woah  ...  hold  on—-  "   two  fingers  press  at  her  temple,  an  overwhelming  headache  closing  in  on  her.

༊⋆｡˚                       hadn’t ever expected their kiss to deepen in such a way —- knew miyeons brother would not like it in the slightest but she was past caring now . he would have to deal with it . they deserved to be happy and the fae had been holding out for femme for so long . just as tongue glided along lower lip , gentle moan emanating like an echo within the wind , she noted the others delirious state . panicking at her motions , she shifted and placed a hand against her forehead to check for her temperature . ❛ what’s wrong ? you’re burning up ! ❜ quickly turned her head to the drinks before back to her bestie and wondered —- they’d stupidly left their drinks on the bar when they went to the bathroom but nari hadn’t sipped any since . no ? surely not ?! taking a hold of others visage in gentle hands , she tried to capture her gaze , ❛ mimi .. are you okay ?! ❜

            why  did  she  sign  up  for  this  again  ?

stepping out into the illumination of the club scene —- flashing lights & the bass reverberating through her very soul , she smirked softly before interlacing her fingers with millie . knew they’d have to split to opposing sides of the bar eventually but she’d become her lifeline in this . ❛ i’m on a higher platform tonight , ❜ she shouted over the music , ❛ i’ll keep an eye out and signal you ! ❜

no, it definitely wasn't a problem. mavis liked that she was jealous. it had been entirely her intention, just to see and test the waters. really, she just wanted to know how they'd react. "and if i was doing it on purpose, what then? would you still be mad at me?"

༊⋆｡˚                       was she just toying with her at this point ? kairi wasn’t often one to get angry but the wave that pulled over her was too much to ignore . ❛ so , you were .. ? ❜ jaw locked , eyes glaring at femme . deft fingers playing with her sleeves , ❛ —- and why would you do that ? ❜

"you did it?" ezra wasn't sure what she had thought had happened but she hadn't expected to receive the full confession from the other so quickly. "you want my help to deal with this? shit, i know i offered but i didn't..."

༊⋆｡˚                       didn’t quite know what reaction she’d been expecting but it certainly wasn’t that —- ❛ don’t you .. ❜ words got lost in her throat , the immediate panic now stirring within . why had she been so trusting . ❛ y’know what .. forget it ! ❜ walls begin to close around her heart once more .

“ whoa– ” he could feel the tension rising between them. her mouth might be saying one thing, but her posture, the look in her eyes, her body language spoke differently. a glint of mischief and a lot of newfound confidence, he leaned in even closer until his lips were just an inch away for her ear. voice low, hushed. “ i can help with that, sweetheart. ” rarely went so far but something about her was just so … magnetic. alluring.

༊⋆｡˚                       had never been one to truly let another in but perhaps her alluring charm was creating a vicious circle back to her . the butterflies erupting in her stomach at his damned words . why was she melting under him —- his lips against the shell of her ear emanating a breathy moan from betwixt pout . was this karma from all times she’d done it to others ?! ❛ and how would you help ? ❜ his scent ; his dizzying , intoxicating scent . she was going to faint . the hunger ripping through her as fangs began to pull from gums as she moved her face toward the curve of his neck —- the pinnacle point like a hypnotising echo of her senses , ❛ hmm —- ? ❜

"I don't know yet. Probably to a hospital or find someone you can drink from." She would let her legs decide. Visiting a hospital could be easier. She would be in and out of there. No one would notice her. She's about to turn on her heels, ready to head out, but her words stop her. "Hunt?" The vampire repeats, baffled by the words. Has the day finally come? Is Yiren serious? "I wouldn't call it hunting..." She's not that brutal. She doesn't chase people to fill her needs.

༊⋆｡˚                       felt another flurry of guilt eat at her . ❛ you're preying on innocent beings .. of course it's hunting . ❜ it's why she couldn't bring herself to do it , even after two damned decades . wasn’t exactly meaning naeun in general , femme was one of the best people she knew . it was the principle of all vampires . had always struggled with it . ❛ i just .. i guess i can’t get past my moral compass . ❜

       they  stood  in  silence  for  a  few  moments,  finding  himself  regain  composure  and  a  huge  weight  seemingly  having  left  his  shoulders  —-  anxiety  gone  from  him  for  now.   "  rubes  ?  "   starts  off  subtly,  thumb  tracing  circles  at  the  back  of  femme's  hand.   "  thanks  for  being  here,  and  for  allowing  me  to  depend  on  you  like  this.  "

aching lump in her throat as she wiped the tears with the back of hand and took tentative steps toward the gates of the graveyard . turning back to the male , she pursed her lips together to try and stop the new flow of tears from streaming . ❛ how are you feeling ? ❜ gestured for them to go back to hers —- she knew full well she had the ingredients for the cookies . ❛ let’s bake and reminisce and all the good times ! ❜

                      sucks in a sharp breath when she dares to grip hold of his arm and tug him towards the shop window she's clearly been gawking at until he arrived . ❛ you've gotta be kiddin' me . ❜ scoffs out in annoyance , head shaking side to side in disbelief as nose practically smooshes up against the glass . ❛ come here . ❜ a warning as he grips hold of her by the front of her shirt , pulling ruby towards his own frame as other hand comes up to harshly flick against her forehead . ❛ have you lost your mind ? you need to pay my boss back is what you need . ❜

༊⋆｡˚                       as his fingers gripped her shirt , she gasped —- he’d never been physical with her ; sure , he had been super grumpy but she’d almost gotten used to that at this point . but for him to seem genuinely angry ? or —- perhaps she’d just been blind . winced as he flicked her forehead ; that hurt more than she cared to admit . ❛ your boss ? ❜ blinked in confusion , ❛ —- i thought it was your money ? ❜ okay , so maybe she hadn’t read the entirety of the contract through t h o r o u g h l y .. now she was beginning to panic , ❛ w - what does he do to people who don’t pay ? ❜

minjee welcomes the hug and wraps her arms around the other in a much needed embrace. it had been so long since she'd seen lola. since she'd seen that bright smile. something tugs in her heart and she feels almost light headed. she'll blame it on the beaming sun. surely it was the cause. she steps back from the embrace, gentle laugh leaving lips. "oh, don't cry now! you'll get me started." she drops a hand to give the other a reassuring squeeze. "yeah? i'd like that. i'm actually not very busy right now . . . if you have time?" words come out more of a question than the florist means to.

༊⋆｡˚                       giggles escape her like an echoing wave —- oh , the warmth she felt right now ! ❛ we don’t need to both be blubbering messes ! ❜ ever the tease , another squeeze for good measure before linking arms with femme almost immediately . ❛ don’t have to ask me twice .. ❜ she spoke in a sing song tone , practically yanking her . ❛ there’s this gorgeous lil bistro diner but it sells the best cocktails ! ❜ a hidden gem that she was sure to share with old friend .

her research had only taken her so far. between that of ghost, poltergeist and ghouls. maybe this was her first encounter with the latter. a ghoul who ripped through human flesh, disposing of the corpse at their feet like an animal. yet there was no ripping. no skin torn open like a last meal. the only noticeable injury was the exposed throat, now pooled with dark crimson. "jesus fuck!" val calls out once more, dropping to her knees to aid the stranger. she checks first for a pulse on the opposite side of his neck. there was none. panic settles into her dark eyes as she reaches clumsily for his wrist to check once more. no, no, no. this couldn't be happening. "oh shit. shit, fuck. he's dead, dude!"

༊⋆｡˚                       the pure shock soon set in —- her own panic coming to the surface as she took a couple of steps back ; her own back flat against wall . had to steady her breaths not to have a full blown panic attack . how had she let this happen ?! how had she lost so much control . her friends screaming only made her tremble even more so . ❛ d - dead ? ❜ had been so indulgent ‘pon bloodlust , she hadn’t even known when to stop . her only consolation was that she knew he was a bad guy but even that didn’t mean he should have met his demise in such a gruesome and brutal manner . ❛ no —- no ! he can’t be ! ❜