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jjaeong · 3 years

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The Heiress, & The Twelve. Act I.

Episode III: From, Eden.

Series: KPOP Girl Group: 이달의 소녀 (LOONA).

Pairing: OT12 & Mafia Heiress Female Reader.

Summary: After the weekend came closing in, the members took Y/N to Eden—a run-down castle in the middle of the woods that served as the hideout of the Twelve—where Haseul met up with them to deliver grave news about a Family from another city stirring a reputation in their own. As if things couldn't get any worse—the members made a mistake of taking their eyes off the Heiress for a moment, leaving Y/N faced with a stranger whom she couldn't identify if they were a friend, or foe.

You stirred awake at the sudden series of knocks that pounded aggressively against your door, making you groan against your pillow before turning to your side, expecting the sight of Heejin laying on her back with her mouth wide open as she slept peacefully next to you—or even Hyunjin sitting in the middle of their supposed-to-be shared bed meditating—only to be met by the complete absence of your two roommates, left with a tidied bed and “Jeon Stitchie” laid down next you instead. The sight was already odd enough as is, knowing that the two had barely given you enough room to breathe by yourself since the start of the week and for them to suddenly break the ongoing pattern had piqued your interest even at your drowsed state.

And how Jeon Stitchie was perfectly tucked under your blanket next to you, laying on his back just like how Heejin always did before Hyunjin walks through the doors—already in her uniform—to pull the blankets off of your sleeping figures with a roaring “Jeon Heejin, Y/L/N Y/N, stand by!” as if her life had depended on it.

You barely had time to reach the door before the lock clicked open—completely catching you off guard—and the door almost hitting you as it swung aggressively to hit the wall beside it, making you stumble back and grab ahold of your closet to stare at the familiar figure with a hand on the door handle that scanned your room with sharp eyes.

“Jiwoo-unnie, did you just—how did you even—you picked the lock on my door!” Jiwoo’s razor-sharp gaze landed on yours, the serious look on her face completely disappearing into a radiant smile that had seemed almost too ecstatic for such an early morning.

But it was Kim Jiwoo, there was never a day since you’ve met her that she was never not beaming.

“And it only took me ten seconds! I usually go for fifteen but I was worried because you didn’t sound like you were breathing—”

“You can hear me breathing from.. Behind my door..?” Jiwoo stared at you, completely puzzled for a moment before she smiled brightly yet again—as if what she said was completely normal, after all.

“Well, we’ll be downstairs once you’re done getting ready. We’re going somewhere really special, so.. Just get to it!” Jiwoo waved her hands dismissively, walking backwards as she continued to face you on the way to leave the room—and when she did, you could faintly hear her start mumbling to herself just before she shut the door behind her.

“Is it just me? I thought everyone can feel if someone’s not as responsive as they’re supposed to be behind a door?”

Standing there, as bewildered as you can get from the sudden events at such an early timeframe—you started to get ready to face the first weekend with the members. As you prepared yourself for the day, your mind recalled the notebook you’ve filled out since Heejin had told you to ask her whenever you had any questions about the family—so you did, staying up every single night with the older girl since then, resulting into Heejin completely dozing off in your bed so she just decided to invite herself over to just sleep in your bed ever since—with only minor details written in the pages about the family. Most of the notes written in them weren’t even about the family itself, but the role of each member in the group—their numbers, colors, animals—it was almost confusing why they had to be categorized in such a way but the more you learnt about them, with Heejin’s insight as well, you learnt just as much as the girl could provide.

But the main idea as to what exactly The Twelve stood for, and how they were hand picked by your Grandfather and raised under the same roof as he did awfully made sense. The reason for why he picked them was to form some sort of decoy system, in which if ever anyone would’ve have had any idea about the future boss of your family—the suspected child would’ve been within the Twelve, which would further conceal your identity and not have you connected with them until the day of his passing. Apparently that wasn’t all, because though the members were raised to play as an impostor—they were heavily trained in numerous trials in order to become full aces as individuals, where each girl can hold their own with almost no effort needed. You remembered how Heejin’s pondering look turned to face your stunned expression, to which the girl couldn’t help but laugh at before pointing back down to where you had stopped writing—stating that there was more to it but you’ll get to it after the class had finished.

And even as you slipped on a pair of jeans and a large sweater, with your eyes stuck on the blue stuffed alien on under your blankets—your mind wandered towards the sudden change in your reality at the unexpected impact of the Twelve girls whom were strategically planned to keep you safe since they were even barely of age.

The thought of taking away the members’ childhood just to cover up for your own, however..

You could almost hear Jiwoo’s furious voice piercing through your dejected state and all the other members trying brush off the emotion that had suddenly seemed to have come over you.

Sighing to yourself, you reached over to grab your phone from the dresser to find the notebook neatly placed on the surface next to it. You didn’t have to guess which one of the two had been the one to place it when you pulled the first page open—finding several pink sticky notes and a few yellow sticky notes that seemed to be arguing points throughout your notes, something that never seemed to have ended even in real life when Heejin would try her best to tell the story in the best way she could only for Hyunjin to completely dismiss it and retell the entire thing in the most suspenseful manner. If you could remember correctly, Jiwoo had called them “2jin” every time they pass by the three of you at the halls—spelling it out for you just before Heejin started to whine and Hyunjin telling the two of them to shut up.

“Y/N! Hurry up!” you heard Jungeun shout from downstairs, making you just grab your phone and walk out of your room to make your way down the stairs. You’ve managed to reach the kitchen just as Jungeun leaned back from the kitchen counter after handing Jinsol some sort of document, a stern expression set on the younger girl’s features before she looked up at you to only frown.

“About time, go eat and then we’ll leave.”

“Where are Heejin and Hyunjin?” you asked just as Jiwoo came skipping past you from the front door, holding a bunch of other documents to place in front of Jungeun and Jinsol with a small smile which stretched into a full beaming one when she watched you silently take the plastic wrapped plate of omelet fried rice that Sooyoung had prepared for you before she left in the morning—not bothering to heat it up in the over because Sooyoung’s cooking was just that good, warm or not.

“Ran some errands for Haseul-unnie, they’re most likely in Eden by now.” Jungeun answered, eyes continuing to scan the documents with Jinsol sipping on her mug as she peered over the girl’s shoulder. However, your eyes caught the sight of the older girl’s eyes lingering every few seconds on Jungeun’s side-profile which also didn’t seem to pass by easily from Jiwoo’s vision as she made eye contact with you, a huge grin set on her lips.

“Eden is your hideout, right? Exclusively The Twelve’s?” the three were left speechless, staring at you as you eyed each one of them from one girl to the other while shoving a spoonful of fried rice into your mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

“Who.. It was Heejin, wasn’t it?” Jinsol was the first to break the silence, to which caught you off guard at how the girl had even found it in herself to speak to you as you thought she despised her the entire time. The girl speaking to you was enough for you to know that it indeed wasn’t anything that had concerned you—her outburst from the first day—but only was her panic settling in. But the initiative wasn’t entirely enough confirmation that she couldn’t dislike you further if you replied with too much enthusiasm, so you only replied with a hum and a nod—shoving another spoonful in your mouth as you swallowed down the mouthful from earlier, “called it, that kid—really..”

“This saves us the trouble of having to explain everything to Y/N on our own though! Can you believe that my animal is a Penguin—Y/N? Oh—and that I became part of The Twelve because one of the goons cornered me while I was on the way home from school? I was so scared! But it was so fun because once I reached Mobius—they told me I was going to be part of something huge! I was nine!” you choked on your fried rice, making Jinsol instinctively hand you the mug in her hand to which you took gratefully, not minding that the contents were just milk as you gulped down the drink slowly.

“I don’t think Heejin told her how we became part of The Twelve though..” Jinsol pieced from your shaken state before she looked back at Jiwoo who just looked at you in confusion.

“Why not? I think my story was fun.”

“Jiwoo-unnie.. No. Just—no.” Jungeun finally fixed the documents in her hands, slipping them into the file folder before looking up at the three of you and breathing in deeply before shooting you a small smile.

“Let’s go? Jinsol-unnie’s driving us today.”

“Ooh! I’m so excited to see the kids—Hyejoo! Yerim! Yeojin!” Jiwoo started chanting as she left the kitchen with Jungeun tailing her with an already tired look on her face. Quickly wrapping the plastic cover over you half-finished meal, you placed it in the fridge before turning to also follow after them when you spotted Jinsol standing by the hallway with her eyes trained on her shoes—keeping her eyes on them as you passed by the dark haired girl with your head hung low, avoiding the downcast expression on the girl’s face as she followed behind you to her car.

Another time, perhaps.

It wasn’t as far as you’ve expected, in full honesty you didn’t expect to have seen a sudden clearing from the city as it connected with a highway that was surrounded by tall trees from the sides—a completely different scene from the usual tall skyscrapers, you were almost certain that you’ve been in most of the places in town but you’ve never been through this part of it at all. But as Jinsol continued to speed through the highway, with Jungeun’s eyes stuck on the scenery by her window and Jiwoo’s wiggling feet as she kept looking through everyone’s windows from her seat like an excited child—Jinsol turned the car off the road and past a clearing that seemed to well placed for it to even stand out as an entry point of some sort. The dark haired girl that had owned the blue muscle car stopped just in front of a tall, rustic black gate that was supported by a two chipped pillars that looked just about as ancient as it could get had you sitting up from your seat to stare out your window—your eyes making eye contact with a small-scale CCTV camera at the end of one of the pillars, something you could’ve easily missed if the lens didn’t move for a split-second for you to find it zooming right back at you.

“It’s Hyejoo, Y/N. I got out of Jungie’s car to do cartwheels for her once—but she opened the gate before I can even step out of the car ever since. She grows up so fast, it’s actually breaking my heart but,” Jiwoo leaned over to your console, scrambling to lower your window and practically get on top of you as you yelped, not having enough time to react when the girl smiled brightly at the camera and waved aggressively to it’s direction, “Son Hyejoo! We’re—” the older girl didn’t even have to speak further as the gates automatically pushed open, making Jinsol automatically drive through them and make Jiwoo stagger in your hold but not before the girl managed to throw a heart at the camera one last time before sitting back down on her seat with a contented smile as you shut your window through your state of shock.

“She’s never letting you even get a few feet closer to her once we get to the house.” Jungeun turned from her seat to tease the girl whom was beaming to herself just before her best friend’s comment, the animated girl’s eye twitched before she leaned over to the girl’s chair to menacingly threaten the girl into repeating what she just had said.

Jinsol pulled over at the front of the establishment—as much as a run-down castle as Heejin had explained to you about—and was the first to get out of the car to walk over to Kahei’s awaiting figure by the beginning of the steps with a bouncy Yerim running over to the dark haired girl to embrace the girl in greeting. You had stepped out of the vehicle to study the area that could almost indeed pass as a deserted location that was unkempt by the owner of the land with leaves on the pathway, the paint from the castle walls chipping off it’s frame, everything looked just as untouched as a hidden landmark that almost looked as if it were thousands of years old. The only thing that showed any signs of recent activity around the area were the light tire tracks on the pavement, warm-toned lights that peeked through the dark blue curtains, the perfectly trimmed bushes that were set around the front of the castle—and the fountain in the middle of the arrangement of bushes that oddly seemed to be clean, as if someone had took great care to not let it become a breeding ground for mosquitos or any other harmful insects.

“Y/N, stop ogling around and get inside. It’s getting cold out!” Jungeun called for you yet again, making you turn to look at the girls whom had seemed to have waited for you by the steps as you stood there next to Jinsol’s car in daze. Your face flushed as the five girls stared at you expectantly, and so you rushed to get meet them at the top of the stairs—with Yerim giggling and Kahei smiling warmly at you and your members before she pushed the doors open, for you to only gape at the thousands of paintings that had decorated the lobby luxuriously.

“It’s pretty cool, right?” a soft-spoken voice cut through the Opera music that had played through the halls, Park Chaewon whom had now seemed to have a faded shade of her mint colored hair from the last week smiled kindly at you. Greeting her members with a smile as well just as the girl with the dark aura who had always seemed to be by her side, Son Hyejoo, didn’t even dare hide the exasperated expression on her features as her eyes set on Jiwoo.

But you could tell she was just teasing when a smile broke through her irritated features as Jiwoo tackled her in her spot—the older girl squealed, squeezing the life out of the supposed “fed up” girl as she was caught in the tightest embrace that the older girl had always given her.

“Let’s get to the meeting hall, Haseul-unnie has an announcement to make.”

“What is it about?” Jinsol asked, turning to Kahei who had furrowed her brows in thought, looking up to your expectant look to only shrug.

“She never mentioned having any announcements until Sooyoungie came..” Chaewon led your group through the hallway, with Jiwoo and Yerim clinging onto Hyejoo's arms in front of you. Jinsol, Jungeun and Kahei followed silently from behind as your eyes scanned what seemed to be a never ending arrangement of paintings that hung on the walls—and to your right revealing an open glass-ceiling garden through the glass doors, a large apple tree rooted in the middle of the field with several sofa chairs by the corners and a few training equipment such as dummies here and there. You couldn't have missed the string lights that circled over the tree and its branches to spread over the ceiling—which had your mind reeling at how cozy the certain part of the castle would look like in the evening.

"Unnie, we're home!" Jiwoo announced just as you entered the meeting hall, finding two figures standing next to each other with a dark blue velvet chair between them as they leaned over several photographs on the black-tinted glass table with golden-painted legs. Haseul stood hunched over the documents with a calculating look on her face, with Sooyoung towering over the images with a distressed expression on her face as Heejin, Hyunjin, and Yeojin sat on their respective seats—all seemed to be arranged on each side of the long table by odds and evens, with the silhouette of their animal representatives delicately embroidered on the back of each chair, their colored gems playing as it's eyes for each one.

Haseul was the first to look up at you, a troubled yet small smile settling on her lips as she leaned back to eye your members whom had eased on their own seats, with you scanning the few chairs that had obviously belonged to a specific member.

"Y/N, this is your seat." Haseul placed a hand on the top of the seat next to her, looking over to Sooyoung who gathered the papers in her hand to flash you an apologetic smile—as if revealing that the announcement that Haseul was about to make would be yet another turning point for you. However, you decided to suck it up by swallowing the hesitation down your throat to make your way towards their end of the table, your eyes glancing over to the two members that would've sat closest to you—Hyunjin, whom had a distant look on her face and Heejin, who kept her eyes locked on the desk without any word—before nearing Haseul who had pulled the chair back for you as Sooyoung started to make her way over to her own chair with her head down.

"The boss has.. Arrived." Haseul dragged slowly once you've stood in front of the chair, your eyes snapping over to your members that had stood up from their seats as Haseul reached hers—seated right next to Heejin—just before the members bowed in sync, panic quickly settling inside of you at the sight of the Twelve suddenly aligned perfectly right in front of your eyes.

"Welcome to Eden, Twelfth Boss of the Y/L/N Family." the members greeted in chorus as you stood there with wide eyes, opening your mouth to say something but when nothing came out—Heejin slightly tilted her head to lock eyes with you, and with an encouraging look, you managed to face the awaiting members with a slightly determined look.

"Thank you, I—Um.. At.. Ease..?" your words seemed to have done its job when the members eased themselves back down on their seats, making you scramble to sit in yours but not before making direct eye contact with Jiwoo that seemed to be stifling a laugh—with Yerim in your view as well, who shot you an encouraging smile. Haseul then stood up from her seat, almost everyone's eyes looking up to the girl—with the exclusion of Hyunjin and Heejin—to listen to what the woman had called the meeting for, Haseul turning to scan all the members as if counting them before she nodded, turning to Sooyoung who had quickly walked over to he leader to hand her the documents from earlier.

"I've called for a meeting today—for this one announcement, something that.. We haven't encountered since the passing of Y/N's parents," Haseul laid out several photographs of young men in black suits, the images seemingly caught around town as a different man was seen holding a picture in hand, asking civilians if they could identify whatever—or whoever—it was they were looking for, "these were taken just three days ago, by our people. The idea was that these mystery men wanted nothing but to simply look for someone in the city but.." Haseul bit the inside of her cheek to eye Heejin carefully, looking up at you before pointing at one specific picture of a slim figure with sharp eyes and blank features.

"This man has been identified to be Jeon Wonwoo of the Lee Family, the same family that is subsidiary to.. The Jeon Family," it didn't take you a minute to figure out that it wasn't entirely coincidental that the last name was from one of your own, but finding Heejin's fists clenched from under the tinted glass was already proof enough of her ties to the mentioned Family, "We've only observed their patterns for the past three days, they've always sent different men each time but—I didn't think they'd send someone high-profile.."

"But we don't know that yet, Unnie! They could just be looking for a runaway member for all we know! Right..?" Yerim countered, looking over to Kahei who had now leaned back against her seat to tilt her head in thought. Haseul stared down at the photographs on the table before looking back to Kahei as well, eyes hesitant as she did.

"Vivi."

"I doubt that they're here for anything other than finding out how exactly we're running the Family without a real boss, they're here for Y/N and her alone. Heejin, however.." Kahei trailed off to glance at the rigid younger girl beside the Leader, her sharp gaze moving to you before she hummed as if she had finally come to a conclusion, "they wouldn't have banished her for them to start looking everywhere after, but the chances of it aren't high—not entirely non-existent as well."

Kahei turned back to stare at you again for a moment before nodding and looking up at Haseul’s calculating gaze, a firm expression set on the eldest girl’s features.

“They’re here for Y/N, but the plan goes with keeping Heejin and Hyunjin at the Mansion with you once they finally decide on a proper visit. Three days at most, they won’t stay here long unless.. They want something else.” your eyes kept moving from one member to another, your thumb brushing against the ring on your finger as you assessed the situation slowly.

“And that something else being..?” the members’ eyes snapped over to troubled look as Haseul slowly settled down on her seat, eyes stuck on the images on the desk with a pained expression as Jungeun tore her eyes away from you to rest her chin on her prepped knuckles on the glass—a pensive look on her face.

“They want to test us.” the members all sat in silence for a moment, avoiding each other’s gaze as they contemplated the sudden strained atmosphere at the announcement. However, the members looked composed as if they knew exactly which steps to take next if ever it had come down to it—but that didn’t entirely seem to reassure them, they’ve decided on what their move would be and now it was the opposing family’s turn.

It was then you realized that your arrival at Eden would be only kept brief for the moment, and after the meeting everyone would return back to their usual posts and continue as planned.

“I have suspicions that tomorrow would be the day their Family would pay us a visit, what I need from the six of you,” Haseul turned to look at Jungeun, Jiwoo, Chaewon, Yerim, Hyejoo, and Yeojin with a wary eyes, “is to double the security. Y/N is our main priority—but you are all suspects of their search as well.”

“Let Heejin stay with you, I can protect Y/N better if—”

“No, if they take Jeon with them.. They wouldn’t think our Heiress is there at all, the more uncertainty the better. You are staying with us, Hyunjin.” Hyunjin clenched her jaw at the finality of Haseul’s decision as the Leader then looked back to meet your distressed expression.

“Y/N, you’ll be left with the six and Jinsol nearby, you’ll be just as safe as you were since their arrival. Your job is to find the closest member you can if things get out of hand—if the members don’t find you first.”

“Worst case scenario..?” you questioned with a small voice as Haseul leaned back on her seat to stare at a dispirited Yeojin in front of her.

“Casualties, mostly civilians. We’ll be notified to evacuate you before anyone else.”

“Okay.” you answered shortly, staring down at the ring in your hand—slightly feeling the burn that had come with the title of your name. The members started to converse with themselves about how exactly they’d approach the situation, who had their schedules aligned with you—and if no one was close enough to you a member or two would lay down their class hours to make sure that you were within their sight. You spaced out for the rest of the meeting, only being snapped out of your daze when it was time for you to leave with Sooyoung as Haseul asked Jinsol to stay for a while longer. Sooyoung had an arm wrapped over your shoulders as soon as you had reached her by the entrance of the hall, your eyes locked with the image of Yeojin standing next to Haseul's chair as she spoke with her older sister.

As Sooyoung pulled out of the drive way with radio playing in the background as you rested your head against the window—something you've always done since Sooyoung had gotten the vehicle from her "part-time job" that had now been revealed to be a Mafia member—you reached over to jab a finger on Sooyoung’s shoulder without even looking at her. The older girl glanced at you from her seat, swatting your hand away before shaking her head and sighing at the realization that you were trying to grab her attention because this was actually the first time it's only been the two of you since the members had appeared in your living room.

"You're annoying." Sooyoung told you when you slipped your shoes off to pull your knees up to your chest, still leaning against your door as you kept your eyes locked on the scenery in front of you—with the comfortable silence taking over the car yet again.

"Since when?" your question broke through the silence, making her straighten on her back to glance at you before facing the road ahead of her. She took a few seconds before comprehending what exactly you meant by the question.

"Nine. I first heard your name when I was nine," Sooyoung started, drumming her fingers lightly against the wheel as she thought carefully at the speech she had planned since the beginning, letting out a heavy breath before continuing, "our parents were close—with my parents serving under your Family, just as my family did before them—but they were really close. It was your Mom that asked my parents to take you in if ever something happened." the older girl could feel your perceptive eyes locked on the side of her face as she kept her own locked on the view of the sun that had slowly set in front of you two.

“And when I reached the age of ten I was initiated into the Twelve, you’ve only been my sister for about four months since then.”

“You just accepted? Just like that?” you asked the older girl who’s lips broke into a small smile.

“It was hard not to say I didn’t want a little sister when you stood there by the boss—with my family and I standing in the middle of fifty-thousand men—looking so lost and completely unaware of where you’d be in a couple of years,” Sooyoung glanced over to you with a pained look on her face, “you were six, Y/N. Do you even remember what the Mansion even looked like?” you pursed your lips before shaking your head, finding it oddly concerning about not having any memories connected to the Family.

“I can vaguely remember their voices—my parents, but other than that.. I just brushed it off thinking that your parents were my own so..”

“Well technically, they are but.. They’re still your parents too, Y/N.” Sooyoung reassured you, something that tugged on your heartstrings before you snorted at the older girl but nodded in reply.

“But, Unnie,” the older girl hummed as you nibbled on your bottom lip in thought, eyeing the view from the windshield to collect your thoughts before looking back at Sooyoung, “I didn’t just.. Take away your childhood, right? The girls—Jiwoo-unnie was from that orphanage, Mobius, I didn’t—”

“Oh, no—Y/N, it’s nothing like that. The Y/L/N Family had been in partnership with their foundation for as long as I can remember, we don’t just take kids from that place. It just serves as an option for those kids who weren’t able to be adopted or—in Jiwoo’s case—if they were was exceptional. She knew what she was getting into, so she had matching last names with Jungeun.”

“But she said she was cornered?” Sooyoung broke into a short laugh, shaking her head before facing you with a full smile.

“She out-smarted fifteen goons on the way home from school, yes that was real. And like I said—she’s exceptional.” you tilted your head at the amused expression that remained on Sooyoung’s face as she turned back to the road ahead of you two. The image of a young Jiwoo swiftly sprinting through several alleys with fifteen goons scrambling to catch up to her was stuck in your mind, making you lean back on your chair with your eyes set on the ceiling of the car as you wondered about how the other girls had come to become a part of the Twelve.

And Sooyoung had just mentioned Jungeun—could it be that she was also from Mobius?

“Y/N,” Sooyoung called for you, making you tear your eyes away from the ceiling to look up at your older sister whom looked back at you with a somber expression on her features—the complete opposite of what she had just looked for only but a few moments ago, “I know there would be a time where you’d start to think that this is your fault—maybe you’ve already thought this through but I just want you to know that it isn’t. The boss—as selfish as his intentions may be—had always treated us more than children he’d pick up to hide his only grandchild, he treated us like an actual member of the family, Y/N. Your Grandfather was a great man, and.. Your parents were, as well.” you tore your eyes away from the older girl for her to only reach over and place a hand on top of your hand, where your ring sat as a reminder of who exactly you were.

“Haseul wasn’t lying about the Family’s values, your Family’s values. The only reason why we’re the strongest out there at this moment is because our people believe in us, they believe in the vision that your name brought and they would do anything to keep it alive. We’ll do everything to keep you alive to carry it on, Y/N,” Sooyoung’s hand tightened around yours as you kept your eyes locked on the window beside you, feeling her burning gaze as the car pulled into a halt by a stop light, “because you’re the only one that can maintain that peace, you’re the only person our people will willingly listen to because you have the blood of the bosses running in your veins. I know you’re a good kid too, Y/N. You’ll become just as great as they were, I just know it.”

“Everything still just—feels so new to me. I don’t know what to tell you, Unnie” you breathed, feeling Sooyoung’s hand loosen for a second before she sighed on her seat to pat your hand gently, pulling them away just as the light turned green. You then basked at the silence that had settled in the car yet again, but it was easily cut short when Sooyoung had reached over to pinch your arm and started to ask you how you’ve been since the members had acquainted themselves with you. The entire car ride consisted of you and Sooyoung catching up with the heavy details and the light ones as well, with the night quickly setting in and for the first time for an entire week you had your room all to yourself—with the bed next to you empty, but Jeon Stitchie still remained laying under the covers next to you.

“Ugh, I’m beat. See you later, Y/N!”

One of your classmates waved over to you as you jogged out of the field to find the nearest vending machine which stood by the entrance of the school. You groaned once you spotted the taped “out of order” sign on the glass, turning to make a beeline for the vending machine by the parking lot by the shed in front of the school—with only the idea of having a cold drink in hand after a strenuous day in PE. Pumping your fists to yourself when you’ve reached the machine, you dug through the pockets of your pants to find just about enough money to shove into the slot and acquire a cold beverage. Twisting the cap open and quickly taking in a few mouthfuls of the cold drink, you sighed to yourself as you stared at the machine in front of you gratefully before looking down at your drink in hand and sitting down on the empty bench next to the machine.

“Hello.”

Hey,

I took a break from writing since it was my brother’s birthday a few days ago, and I’ve experienced a short “writer’s block” which was honestly.. Infuriating. And for that, I am writing again and will be uploading Episode IV shortly because.. I can still see the imagery.

By the way, while I was gone we’ve hit 30..ish plus followers? I’d love to interact with you guys and ask you guys what you think but honestly, it’s just not my thing —interacting with my readers, I mean. The last time I had a writing account was back in 2014 if I remember correctly, and let’s just say a close friend of mine thought that it was alright to share it to everyone we meet lmao.

I’ve realized that the reason I find such things uncomfortable was because writing is something I hold close to me, it’s personal because I created this in my head—and for it to fall into the wrong hands is upsetting. And so I keep these things to myself, but I guess it’s just LOONA’s effect that got me back into this head space. But I love this group so much, it’s hard to keep everything at arms length when these girls make you want to reach out and open yourself up to the world.

Honestly the type of people you could only dream to be surrounded with, right?

Alright, this is Episode III’s author’s note. I guess if I were to start interacting with you all—the first thing I would ask is who’s your bias in this group.

Mine is Aeongie.

Laters,

JJ.

>ovc: loonatheworld (180613)

https://youtu.be/P7THoYMANxc

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araeph · 7 years

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Defiance, Part 8

Summary: Katara never thought she’d take shelter from the Water Tribe in the Fire Nation. Zuko never thought he’d build a life with someone he is only supposed to be seeing for fun. And neither one knows just how close their countries are to self-destruction.

[For Zutara month, Day 8, “Spice”]

Katara prided herself on her swimming skills, but the eelhound certainly would give her a run for her money, even including waterbending. It’s a shame they’re cold-blooded, she thought as her ride zipped across the open water toward the heart of the Fire Nation. Dad would love to speed through the ocean like this!

She clung with her knees, the way she remembered doing as a girl when she was still small enough to ride the penguins. Everything from her waist down was below the water line, but the ocean was so warm here, it would have been enjoyable even if she weren’t inured to the cold. By and by, she sneaked a glance at the Blue Spirit, as he apparently preferred to be called. His attention was fixed on guiding the eelhound, though one hand still lay steady on her waist. They were definitely making good time, but there was no reason for her not to help out a bit.

Bringing her hands out to the sides, she made a scooping motion and plunged them into the water. Every few seconds, she repeated the gesture on either side of her.

A stifled laugh vibrated from the Blue Spirit’s chest. Katara couldn’t blame him; it must look like she was trying to dog paddle her way to the main island.

“Having fun?” he asked.

She splashed him affectionately. “Someone has to.”

“Hey!” He spluttered. “You just had a run-in with pirates, and I narrowly escaped assassination. I’m already overdue back home, and you just lost—” he stopped himself. “I’m sorry.”

“I lost my scroll,” she finished resolutely. “And you know what else? It’s a beautiful sunny day, and I haven’t seen water so blue before, and I’m on the back of a creature I never thought I’d see in my life.” She patted the eelhound, who made a series of soft clicking noises in response. “Just because bad things happen to you doesn’t mean you can’t make a good life. And you are lucky enough to be riding with someone who can cook you the best fried sunfish you’ve ever tasted. Once we get to shore, I’ll get a fire started and then we’ll eat.”

He scoffed. “Yeah, after spending hours fishing. I can’t afford that.”

“Who said anything about hours?” She trailed a handful of dazzling clear drops behind the movement of her hand. “I’m Water Tribe, and there are boatloads of fish in these currents. I wouldn’t be a grown woman if I couldn’t provide a meal for us while we were on the move.” She broke the rhythm of her bending to tuck a hair back from where the breeze had blown it free. “Unless you have to leave right after we make landfall.”

A heavy sigh resonated through him and the arm holding the reins dropped slightly. “Unless you’re the fastest fisher I’ve ever seen, I’m going to have to pass on that.”

Katara turned her head away to hide a smirk. “Sounds like a challenge.”

***

Whatever she had expected the Fire Nation to be, this wasn’t it. Katara had built her dreams on visions of fiery lava spewing forth from volcanoes and a sky choked with ash, the way it had been in her homeland when the Raiders came. This … this was an alien land, but it wasn’t hostile. The sun was sharp and blazed along her skin wherever it touched her, but it was also gentled by the greenery which enclosed the inlet that their tiny sailboat bumped against when they reached the shore.

Katara lifted her face skyward. It was warm out, but also hazy. Water rested, untouched, in the air; water soaked into the clumpy black earth; water dripped from flower to flower in the form of dew and nectar. She was right, too: they’d made good time, and had an hour to spare in order to prepare their dinner.

As soon as his footsteps receded, Katara wrangled the first big fish she saw out of the water—a bright flailing sunfish that startled her with its iridescence. Then she whisked two smaller fish from the waves and dropped them at the eelhound’s feet, whispering to the creature to keep it a secret between them before she secured his harness to a nearby tree.

By the time she’d made it to the clearing he’d picked out, the Blue Spirit had coaxed a fire into life. He held out his hand for the fish, but Katara shook her head and insisted on cleaning it herself.

(“Unless you want your throwing knives to smell?”

“All right, all right!”)

The crackling fire provided more conversation than they did, at first. Between smooth, even strokes of her knife, Katara caught herself stealing looks at his mask, but didn’t know what to say to him. Is this where they parted ways? Thanks for saving me, off I go? There was so much more she wanted to know about him—and about why she had been able to see him, inside and out, with her waterbending under the moon.

Finally he interrupted her thoughts. “What was that?”

“What was what?”

“When you were yelling at me this morning. Look, I know my people have done some awful things to you and yours, but it was just so—out of the blue. Did I offend you or something?”

“Well, look who’s talkative all of a sudden,” she said without looking up. The lack of response told her he was still waiting. “It wasn’t you,” she admitted. “Really. It’s just that I’ve been put in a really difficult position lately, and maybe it wouldn’t have happened except that—you know.”

“Except the Fire Nation attacked.” Taking a heated flat stone from the fire, he held out his hand again and Katara slid the fish onto it gingerly. “I’ve heard it before. And we’re trying to make up for it. But it hasn’t been easy when no one will give us a chance.”

“What do you mean, like when?”

He shrugged. “The Earth Kingdom cities won’t let up on their rice tariffs. If we didn’t provide them with coal and oil, there would be mass starvation by now. The Air Nomads are gone, and no one’s been able to find a way to bring them back. Even the Avatar left us by never being reborn.” There was something wistful in his voice and Katara wondered where it had come from. “The Northern Water Tribe won’t stop hammering us for more reparations, and with no political inroads into the South, we have no way of knowing if they’re even reaching their intended recipients.” He scowled. “Maybe you have something to say about that?”

An ice-cold shiver went up her spine. “What reparations? I’ve never heard anything about them.”

“Well, you probably haven’t,” and she could just tell he was eyeing her sun-faded tunic and leggings, “but I hardly think Chief Arnook missed a dozen ironclads bringing gifts to his harbor. Anyway, even if they’re not getting through to the South, we still owe the Northern Water Tribe, too.”

“I’m not from the north.” She rose up and briskly turned the fish over in the fire. “I’m not even part of the delegation.” Before he could ask, she added, “And no, I’m not ready to talk about it.” She motioned to his mask. “You have secrets, and I have mine. But the thing that brought me here … it’s a Water Tribe thing. Not a Fire Nation problem. So you can rest easy, Blue Spirit. I won’t fight you unless you force me to.”

He nodded, refusing to dismiss her fighting skills as quickly as he’d dismissed her manner of dress. He might be a bit snobbish, but he didn’t discount her because she was a woman. It filled her an odd kind of relief, like a band relaxing around her ribcage.

A rustling sound made her whirl around, but it was only the eelhound, its reins a sodden, destroyed mess dragging behind it. It sidled up to Katara, as if trying to curry favor.

“What—what the—” Katara put her hands on her hips. “I tied your knots good and tight, mister!”

“It’s a female,” said the Blue Spirit. “And it probably just climbed the tree and stripped the branches off until it could slip the lead over the trunk. They’re very intelligent; you’re lucky it likes you.” He paused. “I probably should have warned you about that.”

“Who care? It’s amazing,” said Katara, peering into the topaz eyes of the eelhound. “Can I name her?”

“No!”

***

Katara decided to name the eelhound Click-Click, for the sounds it made when she fed it fish scraps after they’d had their dinner. The Blue Spirit vigorously objected, pointing out that they would have to trade her in for something less flamboyant if they wanted to avoid detection in the Caldera. Since they were having this argument atop said eelhound, Katara got to call it Click-Click a few more times before she reluctantly agreed. Still, she made him promise to give Click-Click a nice home and to see if she could come visit sometime. She smirked at the exasperated sound that followed. It was just so entertaining to tease him.

But when she arrived at Caldera City, she slipped off the saddle without a word, mouth open in awe.

I’ve made it. I’ve really made it!

She knew the Fire Nation was more advanced than the Water Tribe, having seen their ships and perused the marketplace on Ember Island, but she’d never have been able to envision the sheer complexity on her own. The citizens of the Caldera swarmed around her, silk of glaring red and muted burgundy hanging impeccably from their tall, wiry frames. Every so often she caught a gleam of gold in the eyes around her, usually from the men and women who were trailed by a retinue of servants.

Katara wiggled her foot across one of the clean-swept bricks in the road. It fit seamlessly in with its brothers and glared white in the mid-afternoon sun. Gold tipped the points on the rooftops and metal dragons stood guard over the doors with buffed, gleaming handles. Every hat she saw was slightly different, with the exception of what seemed to be a regiment of schoolchildren in uniform. They marched passed her, most barely deigning to look her way, although a few of them were too young or to curious to refrain from turning their heads. Katara was oddly reminded of the flock of penguins that had interrupted her walk on her last night at home.

A whiff of something pungent and sweet caught her off-guard.

“Ahh … ahh-choo!”

Several people stopped to look at her. Katara covered her nose and turned from one highly offended face to the other. She felt her cheeks heat.

“Well, it’s not my fault!” she said. “It’s not as if I ahh ah-CHOO!”

There was the sound of a dozen slippered feet scuttling back. When Katara’s eyes opened again, she felt an odd emptiness to her right. Instinctively, she turned around.

The Blue Spirit was gone! He and the eelhound had vanished as if they’d never been there.

“Hey!” she said indignantly, hands on her hips. “You can’t just ditch me!” Her gaze swung from one bone-white face to the next, seeking the familiarity of the blue mask in a sea of strangeness. “Look, I know you’re here. ANSWER ME!”

More city dwellers began inching away, and Katara had to refrain from sneezing a third time. This time, there was another scent mingling with the first—a sharp, aromatic tang that she couldn’t quite place.

Abruptly, she felt a tug at her elbow. Katara barely caught sight of a scarlet cloak before she was not-so-gently escorted to a side street. She still couldn’t see his face, but his indignant huffs were all she needed to discern the man’s identity.

“I can’t take you anywhere,” the Blue Spirit muttered, now under a hood of red. “I was finding a safe place for the eelhound, like you wanted.”

Another time, she would have taken exception to that; now, her curiosity outweighed her pique at being thought of as an annoyance. “What was that—those strange smells?” She pointed to a building with ornate lattice windows and a heavily embroidered curtain in front of the door. “They were coming from inside there.”

“Cardamom,” said her companion. “And purple pepper, which our ancestors brought over from the Sun Warriors. We use them to season our food.” The Blue Spirit sniffed the air. “Cloves, too. For clearing the air, getting rid of bugs.”

“There are more bugs?” Katara wrinkled her nose. “Back home, we only had a few arctic worms we’d use for bait. But they were difficult to find.”

He snorted. “Get used to it. Mosquito-flies, dung roaches, and spider snakes, not to mention three-tailed scorpions. Which reminds me, make sure to check your shoes before you put them on for the day. The smaller the scorpions are, the nastier, and they love to nest in your boots.”

The hood half-turned in her direction and paused. “Feel like going home yet?”

“Not even a little.” She nudged him. “Not that I’d mind knowing where you’re taking me.”

“Someplace safe. It’s, uh, a little out of the way, though.” Her companion shifted his weight—odd, since he was usually so light on his feet. “Um. How comfortable are you with being not in the most, uh, refined part of town?”

“Okay, look, Spirit. Just because I don’t flaunt the latest fashion—”

“That’s not what I meant!” A pale forearm snaked out to tug the hood down farther. “I meant that the area of town we’re going to isn’t … how do I put this …”

But as they were walking, Katara had taken in the abundance of flashy lanterns, incense and furtive looks of some of the men who hastened through beaded curtain doorways. She knew perfectly well where they were heading. “Isn’t exactly respectable?” she offered with a smirk. “We’re in the red lantern district, aren’t we? At least that’s what they call it in the Earth Kingdom.”

He stiffened and tried to whirl around, but stopped himself halfway through and faced away from her. “How did you know? I, I mean, if you do know, that’s none of my business. I just didn’t think that you, I mean you don’t wear makeup or anything, but you’re certainly beautiful enough … ”

She couldn’t help it; she burst into a fit of laughter.

The billowed cloak only slightly muffled his indignation. “It’s not funny!”

“Oh, yes, it is. And by the way, I was on a pirate ship, Spirit,” she reminded him. “I spent weeks working with lowlifes who visited every pleasure house and seedy tavern that they possibly could.”

He seemed to be tilting his head in contemplation. “But how did you protect yourself? It’s not like you had bodyguards. There are men on these streets who would kidnap you in a heartbeat.”

“I wore a disguise. Kind of like you. It was just some old scraps of fabric, but it protected me.” And other people, too, she added silently. There’d been a mugging or two she’d stopped before the thieves knew what hit them, though she knew all too well how little experience she had in a fight. She’d left the costume on the pirate ship and for a moment wished she hadn’t.

But Katara was enjoying his discomfiture too much to dwell on her past. She pointed to a wheel of stone pomegranates that decorated the doorway of one of the establishments. “Look, seven. That’s how many men they keep on retainer. And the knotted tassels hanging from that window—”

There was a slight choking sound from beneath the hood. “I don’t want to know.”

“Well, then you shouldn’t have brought me to such an interesting place.” She regarded the scarlet hood thoughtfully. “You seem more weirded out than I am.”

“I don’t go here if I can help it. I mean, these days I have, but not to, uh, stay overnight. More to survey—in preparation for—things.” He sighed. “It’s complicated. I have to investigate beforehand, and fun is the last thing on my mind. See, in the position I’m in, I have to be careful. Who I’m with. When I’m with them. What the consequences are. And even if it’s only temporary, I have to know who I’m dealing with.”

“Hmm.” She surveyed the nearly empty street. “It’s kind of missing the point then, don’t you think?”

“Huh?”

She gestured around her. “This. We don’t have anything like this in the Water Tribe; each family keeps to its own. But from what I hear, these establishments are supposed to be for enjoyment and relaxation.”

“So … ”

“So, Spirit, are you having fun doing your little investigations? Is it relaxing, vetting every single person you come across?” The thought irritated her for some reason. “Why don’t you just get to know the person you’re with, and then go for it? Or at least have a genuine good time with them, like friends.”

He started. “Friends? I can’t go looking for friends!”

“Why, is it against some rigid Fire Nation statute?” She pursed her lips, ignoring the thirst that was beginning to build from the heat of the afternoon. “Look, we can make it simple. When was the last time you had fun? Actual, laugh-out-loud fun?”

“I …” he trailed off. “I don’t remember. Maybe you’re better at it than I am.”

That left Katara at a loss. For a while, she simply leaned against a street corner, watching the passersby. A gentle breeze wafted the air, carrying the last remnants of the foreign aromas. Overhead, a hawk circled into the eye of the sun.

“No,” she said softly at last. “I’m not really good at it. At all. My brother is the goofy one. I always feel like I have to be the parent around him. And my mom—” her voice grew shaky. “My mom wouldn’t have wanted him to grow up all serious, so I had to be. I knew what could happen. My dad used to laugh a lot more than he does now, and, well ... Sokka should stay the way he is.”

He drew closer, so their arms were just pressed together. “When was the last time you had fun, Katara? Actual, genuine fun?”

It had been when she was waterbending, but Katara wasn’t willing to admit it. It was a necessity revealing what she was to the pirates, but alone in the Fire Nation, she wasn’t going to take the risk. “Swimming,” she decided to say instead. It was the truth, sort of. “The waters around my tribe will freeze you to death, but we can still swim if we cover ourselves in animal fat and keep it short. Here, I was able to swim all the way to the dock in my clothes! The water is so lovely and clear … ” she made a sigh of contentment.

“You’d like it,” he said, “back on Ember Island. The water stays warm year-round, and if you rent one of the beach houses, you can fall asleep to the sound of the sea. There are plenty of things to do around town, too—it’s not just markets. There are street performers and a theater that my mom used to take us to.”

“Theater?” Katara turned to face him. “What’s that like? Is that where you got your mask?”

He involuntarily put a hand to the shadows that shrouded his face. “I made my mask, I didn’t buy it. You … you’ve never been to the theater before?”

She shook her head wordlessly.

He reached out and took hold of her arm. “There’s one nearby, about five blocks away.” He cleared his throat. “Wait. Wait, I should—” he relinquished his hold and held out a hand instead. “Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, it would be a great honor for you to accompany me to the theater.” He stiffened. “I mean, for me to accompany you! We’d have to go in disguise, but I think it would be really fun and maybe I could steal a mask for you and come back and pay for it later.”

She nodded, hoping that would put an end to the monologue that she could tell was mortifying him more with each passing second. Sadly, it wasn’t enough.

“We, we can stop and get some food so your stomach doesn’t growl like it was doing earlier?”

She gave him a look.

“R…right…” he trailed off. “Sorry. I’ll just—”

Katara reached out and took his still-outstretched hand. “It’s okay, Spirit,” she said. “You’re right, I’m hungry. Just promise me you can take me someplace where I won’t burn the roof of my mouth off.” She felt a smile begin to form. “And I’d be happy to go to the theater with you.”

“Good. That’s--good. I’ll show you to an inn tonight and pick you up tomorrow afternoon.”

He raised his head, and for just a fraction of a second, she caught a glimpse of a pale chin and a bright golden eye before he retreated back into his cloak. Who was this man she was confiding in? Did he have a sordid past? Was he on the run from the law?

She shook off her doubts. He’d had all the opportunity he needed to try and manipulate her, attack her, deceive her … but he hadn’t. And maybe it was just her imagination, but underneath the mysterious blue and white facade, there lay an almost painful awkwardness. He was human, underneath it all.

It works both ways, Katara decided. If he’s trusting me, I will trust him. At least for now.

***

Five minutes later …

“You promised the food wouldn’t be hot!”

“It isn’t!”

#zutara #zutara month 2016 #zk month 2016 #zk month #zutara month

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