BEWARE THE EVIL EYE!

benny’s readings always made jonas on edge, though, it didn’t stop him from asking for one whenever he felt something in his life felt askew or off kilter. he sat on the metaphorical edge of his seat as the latest card came into view, and a certain amount of color drained from his face. death. he didn’t know enough about card readings to know better; death only meant one thing, didn’t it? if it wasn’t about to happen to him, then surely it would happen to someone around him. right. right? perhaps it might bode well if he would stop taking things so literal.

“ but it could also mean literal death, ” he said, the infliction of his voice not even bothering to raise in question. her assurances did little to ease his mind, and little to wipe the rather pathetic expression from his features. when she told him of the tower card, his brows only furrowed. “ why would the tower mean something worse than death? how does that work? ”

        “i guess it could also mean literal death, if you think about it...” benny brushed off the concern nonchalantly, chuckling under her breath. if anyone was fun to read for, it was usually jonas because she knew she was in for a show at the sight of even the most benign card. part of her maybe felt a little bit bad for letting him get so worked up, but not nearly enough to stop. “just don’t dwell on it to much, i told you you’re not going to die, have i been wrong before?” no. the answer was no.

        “i dunno how it works, the tower just... tends to have a worse affect on people?” she shrugged and drew the last card, flipping it with a soft snap. “the chariot.” she paused to look over him, eyes narrowing slightly. “do you have something going on with you lately, or what? two major arcana seems like maybe get ready.” another brief pause and she licked her lips, turning all the cards to him, a nail pressed into the chariot. “this one’s good though, it means whatever’s gonna happen, you’ll come out on top, just keep working hard, keep on your grind or whatever-- oh, and stop worrying about shit.”

lurching forward to hurry after his partner in demon-hunting, dabin glances back over his shoulder at the last remnants of civilization before turning back around to stare into the encroaching darkness of the forest. he’s never been one for hiking despite having one right across the street from his apartment back home. if anyone hadn’t noticed, he was as twiggy as they came, and he’s pretty sure he’s going to end up twisting his ankle. “i don’t know where exactly, but i’m sure we’ll know when we get there. sudden drops in temperature, weird symbols on the trees… that sort of thing.” he’s sure he’ll lose it if there’s so much as a path marker in the wrong place.

the blue hour only lasts for about twenty minutes, and what’s left of the sun’s light is rapidly seeping away, leaving night to settle around them. he pulls out his phone to use as a flashlight, keeping it on the trail ahead of them and trying to ignore the shadows that seem to creep alongside the pair. “s-so,” he starts, cursing the way his voice cracks and betrays his real feelings about this whole situation, “how exactly are we going to contact… them? a wedgie board?” he’s pretty sure that’s what it’s called. expert demon hunter on the case.

        benny’s footfalls are quiet, as to not disturb whatever might be around her, but she’s also remarkably careful. a snapped twig, even her own doing, could give her a heart attack. her fingers, pinched around dabin’s sleeve, are nearly white as she heads forward, but her expression is unreadable. i’m not afraid, she’s thinking it as loud as she can because just maybe some demons can read her thoughts. really. i’m not fucking scared. but dabin’s voice cracks and her fingers twitch for something more substantial than cotton because, as hard as she tries to push it back, her stomach is dropping.

        “ouija board. i’ve got one but it’s risky.... i heard demons can use ‘em to possess you or something,” she said, steeling herself, holding her voice steady as they continued. her other hand remained slightly in front of her, waiting for the inevitable drop in temperature. for some reason beyond her, she trusted that he knew what he was talking about. “i figured i’d pull out my cards, but i don’t want,” her voice dropped to a near whisper, “demon stink on them.” she glanced back at him quickly, offering a slightly devious smile before continuing in the direction his light was faced, “hope you’re willing to get possessed... for science.”

location: the head of a walking trail near the yujaen. time: right after sunset, the blue hour. with: @yjbenny·.

dabin’s watched enough horror movies to know that this excursion of theirs will go one of two ways.

a) dabin and benny will end up on the front page of every local news outlet, covering the tragic death of two young housemates in the middle of the woods, though an admittedly strange detail would be the plethora of occult-related objects found with them. the authorities will never find any evidence to make a case, but anyone with a brain would know immediately that it had been ghosts.

or b), dabin and benny will get lost and spend a night stumbling through the woods before eventually finding their way back to the yujaen on some stroke of dumb luck, and that’ll be that.

either way, the crinkle of the disposable water bottle in dabin’s white-knuckled grip is the telltale sign that he’s expecting their outcome to be option one. not that he’d ever let benny in on that particular detail. he looks over at his companion now, the true blue of the sky above the trees looking a little ominous. “so? you ready for this or what?”

        benny’s the opposite, having seen next to no horror movies (no, she’s not scared) but something in her gut tells her that she’s going to end up chopped up into little bits while someone steals her face-- or something like that. maybe it’s the slight breeze or how loose her sweater hangs around her shoulders, but she’s got goosebumps raised along her entire body. “are you ready for this? you’re the walking target.” her tone was steady despite the anxiety rising in her stomach.

        shouldering her bag, she rocking on her heels, stalling for a moment before flashing a wide smile up at him, batting her eyes, “i’m the scariest thing out here, let’s go.” she pinched the fabric at his wrist, starting off with quick footsteps. it was to keep from being lost. safer to stay close. of course. “do you know where we should set up?”

        despite being a local, she hadn’t been out on the trails in over a decade, both her and her family losing interest in hiking or group activities before they’d even really started. much to her relief, there were at least a few signs that might keep them alive more than a couple hours, because while she had some snacks, she wasn’t sure how far gummies and water would get them.

          IMPROMPTU readings for residents were always something that caught benny off-guard; she was nearly always surprised that they knew who she was, moreso than just the ‘fake-goth’ as one of them had dubbed her not long ago. this particular reading was... interesting, to say the least. she could see their demeanor change as the latest card was pulled and she couldn’t help the small grin that spread across her lips: death. now, she knew this was a significant card, and she was beyond used to the frightened reactions, so she tried to jump in before she got one.

𝐘𝐔𝐉𝐀𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐊 #𝟐: 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑒𝑠𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠 ☾

        ROOMMATES were supposed to get along, right? benny had seen them come and go, had her fair share of laughs and late night talks with them, but the only problem was that it was never her own roommate. it wasn’t that she didn’t know yumin, she just... well, didn’t know her. they’d exchanged few words, maybe seen each other sleeping, but there was no bond whatsoever. she didn’t know what yumin’s deal was, but she wasn’t entirely complaining about basically having a room to herself when she happened to be home. something about the quiet, though, was a bit unsettling at times, far off from the picture perfect rooming scenarios she’d once dreamed of.

        IT was a particularly slow day and benny had resigned herself to solving the mystery of her disappearing roomie, waiting patiently in bed only to perk up at every set of footsteps that went by. some were heavy, obviously not the petite brunette’s steps she’d come to know. on occasion they’d be in the room at the same time but upon yumin’s approach, benny often pretended to be asleep or listening to music. she’d nearly reached her limit, limbs itching for relief as she tried to steel herself and hold her resolve, then, as if by some grace, she heard the familiar patter of steps. the door barely opened and before the poor girl was even in the room, benny shot upright, mouth open.

        “WHAT do you even do all day?”

usually sangjun’s in one of two moods — tired or irritated. but today didn’t seem to be like that day for him, he’d finally gotten a day off from work.. not having to be anywhere or do anything today which causes him to be in a strangely good mood. however, even though his mood was decent, that didn’t mean he could just ignore the hunger that’d been annoying him for a few hours now any longer than he already had, so without much contemplation, he’s headed towards the kitchen in search of some kind of meal. maybe he’d just get a few snacks and then just order takeout later, who really knew? he didn’t have a set schedule today and he planned on keeping it that way.

before the blonde can even make it to the kitchen, he hears the dragging of feet, sighs coming from whoever else was in the room and it causes his brows to knit together ever-so-slightly. the second he rounds the corner, though, he can’t help but to give her a slight roll of his eyes. “let me guess, that’s not yours?” he asked, pointing to the peach with a chuckle, brow raising. “also you’re literally the one staring at me, benny.” sangjun quips back, gently pushing around her to get to the fridge for himself, opening it before rummaging through it’s contents with a laugh. “there’s so much in here and you resorted to a peach? what? don’t cook for yourself or something??”

        “i was just looking, not staring. you walked in here, not me,” benny scrunched her nose up and feigned a disgusting expression before shaking her head. “cook in the main kitchen? where anyone could just walk up on me and steal what i’m making? hardly.” she straightened up and took another big bite, sighing through her nose, “plus, cooking really isn’t my strong suit anyway, s’not that important to me.” of course it was important but her mother and father had never passed on the necessary skills needed, she could barely even cook noodles without the result being a congealed chunk of paste that she had to drown in sauce to get down. if she could cook, though? then, it would be game over. what a dream.

        for the most part, everyone here has exceeded expectations when it comes to basic decency. while it may be labelled as basic, zihao has met a fair share of people who lacked it completely, which used to make him wonder if he had set the bar too high. in this case, it seems as though he could have raised it just a bit more, though that would have left room for disappointment, which he’s familiar enough with as is. the sight of the girl biting into a peach that he swore another resident had bought just recently is one of the first offenses he’s managed to catch, but it could have been much worse. if this is as bad as it gets here, then he’s content ; so long as it’s not his stuff being taken, of course. “ hello, ” he says, dragging out every letter. he becomes visibly distracted as he makes his way towards the refrigerator, opening the handle and searching for the container of food he had left for himself the day prior. “ does the thievery give it a little extra kick? ” zihao asks, referring to the peach, still nonchalant as ever. “ fuck, now i want a peach. to be a good person and buy my own or not. hm. ”

        “AH,” a small grin spread across benny’s lips as she glanced at the snack (and then the peach), “you know, it tastes a little bit sweeter, for sure.” letting her hands fall to the counter, she leaned down, eyes never leaving his frame as he picked at his food (his own, assuming). she wasn’t expecting company in the kitchen, though she’d gladly take this. rather, she’d been expecting someone to come in with a hunger only fruit could satiate and catch her in the act.

        “I’D say take one, but then again, i hardly thinking eating some sad sack’s peach makes you a bad person.” she pursed her lips beneath, then took another bite, examining the spot she’d been eating from. “i’ll split it if you can find a knife; it’s even more minor then, right?” her moral compass might’ve been slightly skewed but she was always willing to make a new friend (or rope someone into her antics, if circumstances allowed). that wasn’t to say he looked like a troublemaker or anything, but he didn’t outright call her out, so it seemed like a shot worth shooting. 

( ... )

she went past the girl and opened the fridge, taking a peach for herself. she padded back to the door, turning back and giving the peach a big bite just to spite the girl. jiyeon knows that she was being too mean, but again, it was two am and she was kind of half-asleep. she’d probably say sorry tomorrow, if the girl sought her out to apologize first.

        "OH?” the first thing out of benny’s mouth was a laugh, much before she could stop herself, and took another bite, weighing the options. on the one hand, she was minding her own business, but on the other, it seemed apparent that this was the owner of her snack. she chewed slowly and listened as the girl try and insult her, but she was’t quite phased. “shockingly, they do. it’s kinda wild, actually.” with a wink, she took another bite, mirroring the girl as she snapped. “you seem grouchy, i’ll leave you a couple bucks to replace it. i sleepwalked down here, anyway.”