love wins.

inspiration and clutter blog for tuwam.

[intuwam]

Courts:

Autumn: Seoyun, Seojun

Summer: Jules, June

Spring: Haneul, Miyoung, Guard

Winter: Ahyeon, Kihyun, Noori, Daniel

I think, summer and winter courts, because of their power, have features that can easily be masked in the human world but for spring and autumn courts it’s a lot harder, each court holds festivals and dances that are related to that. That's why, spring and autumn court fae are more likely to hold dances and celebrate within in the veil of the human world, easier for people to get trapped and entranced, winter and summer court fae, are more likely to blend in the human world but less likely to venture out. Their dances are reserved for high fae and their court only. I think summer and winter fae might see themselves as the true fae, more regal and the autumn and spring fae might be seen as more animalistic, some even going far to say they’re the deformed ones.  

Seoyun.

Seoyun and Seojun probably retain some of the same features but all in all they might be opposites of one another. They both have the same eyes, white with a single circle or film in it, seoyun’s are more on the browner side than her brother, think the color of wood and oak trees. I think she does retain some of the broadness in her shoulders as well because in autumn things are strong and grow out, but she still has feminity to it, it’s seoyun for crying out loud she’s always been rather imposing but still feminine. While seojun’s veins are gray and silver hers are brown and silver, her skin tone isn’t as warm as his though, it’s a little more on the pale side, which makes the brown and silver stand out more. While Seojun’s got antler fixtures that extend from his eyebrows, I think seoyun has these fixtures extending beyond her shoulder-blades. They start from her clavicle and just branch out and down, almost exactly like branches and her ears point and are darker in the way a female deer’s would. Her wings are silver and brown, with speckles of light blue. Her wings definitely have more of the texture and structure of wood and branches but like her brother, aren’t used for much flying because of how thin they hold against the wind. I don’t think a lot of royal autumn faes fly with their wings, they’re more grounded so their wings tend to be heavier and thicker.

Haneul.

My son. So spring is strange because it has the coldness of winter but the hopeful rain and then warmth to bring summer.  Anyway, still going with the concept that the autumn and fall courts are quirky and beautiful with distinct changes in the anatomy. Haneul I’m almost positive has fair skin, it’s not too warm actually but it’s got traces of green, silver and blue in his veins, most specifically near the corners of his eyes, in the human world it probably just looks like heavy eye bags like he doesn’t get sleep, but in the fae world they shine. Same with his eyes, they’re probably clear but have specks of pinks, green and blue in them, it might cause someone to get dizzy if they stare too much. His hair’s teal and green, really shaggy and full, but not too long it stops at his shoulders. His hands are probably the most distinctive feature, on his knuckles flowers and ferns can sprout depending on his mood or depending later on, on the state of the court. They bloom flowers and sprout when he’s good, when he’s not anything bloomed will wilt and wilted weeds will start falling from his hair. Way back in the day, before his time, the old spring court royalty could sprout new fae from the buds that grew on their skin. I wanna say royal fae are the only ones who can produce life/elements from their body, the members of their court are just born with the variations on them. Haneul’s wings, aren’t big at all actually, opposite of the autumn court, but they help to flit around a little bit, they’re not heavy and really don’t extend past his shoulder blades much, but they get the job done. They're a softer color, silver and teal.  

Most spring court fae have a little bit of teal in their veins, and it almost makes them look like they have a cold, but the brightness and warmth in their skin can help to alleviate that, I also hc that as the seasons get closer to summer they start to look duller, because they’ve spent all their energy helping things grow and bloom, and when its just pulling from winter, they look their brightest and liveliest. Spring fae also are on the shy side, they prefer to tend to the lands, flitting about with forest animals and such, and are mischievous, prefer hiding in brush and fields than the other fae.  

Guard.

Ah yes. Haneul’s favorite person. So the spring court guard are tricky, they’re not built as the winter guard but they’re not as thin as the summer guard. They are quick, but excellent at masking themselves and blending in their environments. Their weapon of choice are long range as they prefer to attack from the brush, much like autumn court, autumn court has more brawn in them however.

Haneul’s guard wears the colors pink and teal and black, this particular fae has more colors of blue in his veins than anything else, but his skin is noticeably warmer toned than that of their prince. His ferns grown from his wrists and are quick to sharpen when he thinks there is danger around them. His wings droop, long below his shoulders and are black and dark blue in color. His most noticeable feature is the green of his eyes that match the ferns in his wrist and his stature, a little more built than the others.  

June.

MY BOY.

OH BOY THE SUMMER COURT. Obnoxiously bright and stressful for all those around them. I hc that way back when, in old days, the summer high court was downright painful to look at up close because they literally shone, like the sun. But now their skin just has a glow to it. It's also quite terrifying if the court isn’t doing well, the fae look dull, dead. Anyway june my boy.

So June, god the boy is the epitome of the summer court, one look at him and you know he’s the summer court, the only difference is that most summer court boys have smaller frames, their diets aren’t like the south, fruits, veggies, beans etc. The southern winter court, prides on rices, potatoes and meats. Anyway broad shouldered bright eyed junebug.  

His eyes are a clear brown, they look dark until you get closer and they look like the shine, in the way that hazel eyes do, nothing crazy really. The film that falls over it is just to prevent it from boring into others, most summer court fae have this so that when looking at other fae, it doesn’t feel like staring into a mirror. Anyway yes brown hair, full and pretty long, usually in a ponytail bc its hot. Most summer court fae pride themselves in their hair bc it grows so full and can be sold as if it’s spun gold. High court fae rarely cut their hair, unless for special occasions. Im doing all these hc and im supposed to be writing about june. Anyway. Anyway, no matter the color of their hair, in summer court light it’ll always shine like gold.  

I think because the summer and winter fae are a lot to look at regardless, their wings can be a little on the tamer side, but they look more how you’d expect wings to look, they’re big and they’re flowy, typically burdened with the flowers that grow on them, june’s wings are big and bold in a way a butterfly’s wings are, a mixture of orange and brown but they don’t have flowers on them. The most notable thing for june is that the flowers for him grow around his eyes, little petals that shed, when they feel like it.

Jules.

OH yeah.  

So, basing off of all the headcanons I wrote about the summer court just now.

Jules is a little scary looking, in the sense that her skin is more tan and has that golden sheen to it, her hair is pale yellow and has silver in it that’s strong on the eyes, super long and goes down her back, always has to be pulled up in some kind of do. Her eyes, are the same color as her hair, that pale yellow with silver flecks in it, almost impossible to look at for too long. Her wings are just as bold as june’s big and because of her frame they tend to overtake her a lot, they’re orange and green, much brighter than his and the flowers that flowers that grow in her hair often help her to tie it up and arrange it. She's got more of the lithe frame that more summer fae have and both her wrists and the bones across her her clavicle are adorned by flower petals that grow and bloom, and annoy her on a constant basis. Summer royal court are always high and regal looking and jules is no exception, her brother holds some of the more wilder aspects of summer, where she holds the shine and beauty of it.  

BOY OH BOY THE WINTER COURT.

Here we go lads.

So yeah, okay okay okay it’s so easy to say that the winter court look dead, but they DONT, in fact they are direct foils to their summer couterparts, stll as hauntingly beautiful, in the way that countries that have more snow than summer are still so beautiful even in their cold and life still exists. Still, the conditions are harsher and the fae here show it as such. While sumemr court fae might shine some form of golden, bright or yellow, in reverance for their sun, winter court migth shine the colder, darker colors of night, they can be variations of crystal colors, midnight blues and even whites and blacks. Their wings are smaller but they’re strong, they have to be thick to last winter and cold but they don’t need to fly about much so they’re relatively useless in the way autumn wings are. I also think they have simpler, cleaner cut looks, and drape themselves in garment to stay warm when need be, but they’re quite used to the cold. Summer court probably has lighter clothing, or – none if they want, more flowy, extravagance in their hair and wings.

Noori.

but her skin is midnight blue, like cobalt, like the night sky and it shines a diamond glitter when the moonlight hits her, she’s probably also very cold to the touch I would assume. It can either be cold that its burning or cold that its soothing to a burn it depends on who she feels. her eyes are a crystal white and coupled with how dark she is, its quite the contrast, as there’s nothing in them no flecks, no specks, just white. her hair is white and a pale pink, and the most noticeable feature is the crystals protruding from beneath her eyes, almost like frozen tears, like they started as lashes and blossomed into more taking over her cheeks and going across her nose. the crystals are a mixture of blue, green, white and purple and they glow with every emotion. I think the one thing about the winter court is that depending on where you live and how you get your spoils your frame is either really lean or very built to last the winters, noori is one whose frame is a bit smaller. Her wings are just like her hair, white, but they hang pretty low as well, and are littered with the same crystals the cover underneath her eyes. They are a bit bigger than her frame, so they hang because her body cannot support them as well.

Kihyun.

Like brother like sister, they're not related but you know. kihyun’s most striking thing is definitely his wings. They're not large but they protrude out in the way spikes are, they’re black and bright blue and they make a statement. Despite his smaller frame, his wings make up most of his height and his frame. I think his skin is pretty fair, he’s not pale or anything but he’s got rather noticeable flecks of black all over his body, they look like freckles almost or kind of like charcoal bits. His eyes are black. That's all. And his hair is a lot shorter, it’s in an undercut style and is pale blue, the color of his wings. The most noticeable thing about him would be the wings honestly. In the same way that his wings protrude out like spikes, the freckles on his skin have tendency to spike out, almost like porcupine, but they’re harder, tough like cave crystals, and they hurt like fuck if they stab, and they hurt like hell if he snaps or pulls them out.  

Daniel.  

Danny boy.

So daniel is quite interesting, he was previously a member of the winter court and a feared member. He is well built, but more on the leaner side than some of the guard. Basically, he’s fit but he’s got the bulk in his arms to land the blows, the speed to move faster than other court guards might expect of a winter guard fae. He's taller, and his wings aren’t as extravagant, they’re dark blue, almost a deep green and they’re thick like wood, without much to show for the decoration inside. They extend more horizontal, than they extend vertically and he tends to fold them in to his back more often than not. Daniel's not as fair, he’s got much more noticeable tinges of blue in his veins, enough that his skin can sometimes take on that sheen, and his eyes do the same, they’re deep blue, almost black but not quite. For him, the icicles protrude from his elbows and his calves, main reasons why he’s such a feared member of the guard, he would sneak up and strike with a quickness before the enemy could realize he had weapons attached to his body. These icicles protrude from the ends of deep blue tattoos that ride up his arms to the tips of his shoulders.  

Ahyeon.

Lets start with this beauty right here.

Ahyeon! God I know the most piercing thing about ahyeon is her wings. I want them to be big and imposing, I want her unable to hide them, I want people to see them and fear that its her. Im kidding, but her position as well as kihyun’s means they need to hold their ground wherever they go and that when people see them, they know its them. Anyway ahyeon’s wings are white with black wires in between them and the pattern is noticeably commented upon. They're quite strong but they’re also quite heavy for her. Ahyeon's hair typically stays short, at her shoulders but the wires that thread through her wings also thread around the back of her head and around the back of her neck so they make it seem as if she’s got more hair than she does. Ahyeon's fair skinned, but her eyes follow the same swirl pattern as her wings, it can be a bit off-putting. The main point is that they’re white but the iris is the black swirl instead of the darker circle of a pupil. Because of the heaviness of her wings, they tend to fall low, almost drooping unless she needs them to stand proud. Sometimes, more often than not, those same wires will collect ice on them, and in the snowier seasons for the winter court they’ll hang around her wings like icicles or like she’s covered in snow. Closer inspection would reveal those thorn like wires cover around her body.

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam

’your royal highness.’

sinyoung looked up from the stash of letters on his desk with tired eyes when the familiar voice of the lord chancellor spoke.

“please.” he gestured towards the vacant seat across from him, eyes absent-mindedly studying one of the reports that recounted the increasing danger near the border. news of the recent and unexpected massacre of the general’s family had swept swiftly across court and left behind a wave of simmering anger and disbelief. sinyoung himself still didn’t know how to feel about it.

‘sire, if i may. the king sends me.’

those words warranted his attention; they always would. his calm gaze settled on the lord chancellor and he wasn’t surprised to find him returning the look with the same level-headed approach.

he was a lean man with an unusually high-bridged nose and brown skin gleaming in the late autumn sun. despite his humble beginnings — or maybe precisely because of them — he kept to himself and out of everyone’s way, preferring his botany studies to the company of men and women. his peculiar way of being alongside the king’s obvious favour still incited slander and caused for curious mouths to speak when they had better keep quiet. but then, this was the way of the court and those who did not fall into line were bound to fall out of favour sooner or later.

sinyoung studied the man before him, who settled into the chair with ease and grace as though he’d never done anything else in his life but charm highborn nobles, and came to the conclusion that he, too, was waiting for the other’s luck to run out.

“i am aware my father requested my presence for today’s council session. however, i had more pressing matters to attend to,” the prince said, reading between the lines. it was insulting for the lord chancellor to be sent to the crown prince to scold him at the king’s insistence and even more insulting still for sinyoung to have to sit through that as though he was a good-for-nothing. one could argue he understood his responsibilities better than most and he saw no point in accepting the mistreatment he received in silence and with a bowed head.

but that was his cross to bear ever since he’d risen to the occasion. god had never intended him to be the crown-prince, to rule his father’s kingdom when the time came and there were still those lingering at court who didn’t fail to remind him of the circumstances surrounding his rise to power. it was forbidden, of course, to speak of the banished former crown prince but he’d made headlines just recently. sinyoung’s eyes fell on the untouched report on his desk and he sighed.

when hwan had left, sinyoung didn’t have time for thoughts that came in the shape of words. his head was blessedly empty of politics when duty called but he’d known for a while that war was coming, could see it in the hard lines of his father’s face. he’d always assumed that before its end, his older brother would be placed on the throne, the crown resting comfortably on his head.

now, the destiny of many rested on his shoulders instead. and coincidentally, perhaps even hwan’s life as well. his face went hard with subtle fury and sinyoung did his best to banish these cruel thoughts to the back of his mind; they had no place here, in his private study.

‘pardon, your highness. this is not what the king has sent me for. word has reached us about your missing fiancée.’

sinyoung looked away, his stomach churning as he studied the door. he’d expected the worst when he’d been informed of the sunken ship, the missing guards and soldiers. she’s dead.

‘we have received valuable information that leads us to believe she and her maid have been captured by pirates.’

his eyes didn’t reveal the surprise he felt or his disgust and anger at yet another group of criminals making life more difficult for his people when he faced the lord chancellor squarely. but what his eyes didn’t betray, the rest of his face gave away far too easily: his mouth was a long, tired line. the older male sat still like a statue, eyes firmly glued to his soon-to-be sovereign’s features as if looking for something deeper.

there was something about this man that had unsettled him before when he’d been just a lowly scholar, always watching like there was a time and place for all that needed to be said. he’d always looked like a man withholding information, playing with it. what wound up in his hands would be tainted forever after it left his grasp and sinyoung could feel himself shudder, the invisible rope around his neck tightening. after the king had taken notice of him, he’d become even more of a foreign figure.

“so what’s being done to get her back? have we received any demands?”

the lord chancellor shoke his head, looking sorrowful. sinyoung couldn’t help but wonder why his father insisted on keeping this man close, on sharing his secrets with him. everytime they crossed paths, the prince felt a hot, prickling urge to dismiss him from his service and to remove his duplicitous presence from court but he didn’t dare to utter a word. if the queen hadn’t succeeded in doing so, sinyoung didn’t even need to try.

‘not yet, unfortunately. his majesty, the king, requests your presence in his chambers to further discuss this issue. he has…. concerns.’ the lord chancellor’s voice lowered on the last word and sinyoung began to understand that there was more to this than a simple group of desperate criminals hoping to gain some coin for a precious princess.

he remembered the reports about his brother’s ship speeding across the sea just in time to reach neutral waters; now it nosed in among the fleet of merchant ships docked in the bay of a bustling place of trade known for its affiliation with pirates, flying the former queen’s colors of purple and blue. it was an obvious slight to sinyoung and his mother, to crown-prince and queen. it didn’t take much to make an educated guess that only someone like hwan would muster up the nerve and courage to be that bold. but the kidnapping of a royal, foreign-born princess and the attempt at extortion was a crime that could very well justify the cruelest of penalties.

could his brother… would he?

he stared moodily into the fireplace. no fire had been lit there for months, but the smell of cinders remained. he played with his ring, a thick band that looked as though set with a shining ruby stone that had a particular purpose: what appeared to be a stone was in fact a vial that contained a numbing serum. sinyoung had never asked, but he suspected that the serum could also kill.

he wiggled the ring. “lord chancellor,” he said quietly. “i trust my fiancée’s family hasn’t heard of such unfortunate news?”

the other bowed his head, a strange spark in his eyes catching sinyoung’s interest.

‘not until the reports concerning the kidnapper’s identity can be confirmed, sire.’

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam

‘is your brother intelligent?’

hwan gave the ship’s third-in-command an impatient look. out of them all daniel would have been the only one to receive a chance at glimpsing the current crown prince in person despite his status as a pirate. the question seemed pointless to hwan so he gave no answer, which daniel seemed to sense. ‘your father must want something more. does he know?’

hwan’s eyes narrowed but he kept his gaze pinned to the opened windows that revealed the sea. green and dazzling, like his mother’s emerald. he remembered the day he’d traded it away, and wished he’d kept it. he thought that every one should have one precious thing to hold with his whole heart, to know to be incontrovertibly his own but it’d been the choice between what was gone and what could be in that moment and hwan decided to choose his future.

a future that now was his reality. his ship had slipped between an arrangement of islands and dropped anchor to the east of one island large enough to hide the ship from view of any vessel that might come from the capital. his crew was waiting for orders while they went about their business under jongho’s supervision.

hwan realized the sky was darkening. he silently thanked his luck they wouldn’t run into a storm with prisoners onboard; losing them to the fickleness of mother nature would sabotage the entire mission and leave them empty-handed and looking like fools. fortunately they now had solid ground beneath their feet and the opportunity to replenish their supplies.

and while this short break posed a risk in terms of pirate hunters and the king’s guard being well on their way to find the missing princess, they’d agreed it was a calculated risk they could deal with should the need to do so arise. their first priority was to see to the wellbeing of the crew. in the meantime, hwan could busy himself with arranging the next step of their plan.

or rather, that was what his mind was supposed to have been focusing on for today. but daniel’s quiet presence beside him was consistently lurking in the back of hwan’s mind and reminding him of other things yet to be said out loud. the other man wouldn’t linger close by unless he had reason to do so — he, too, appreciated a break like everyone else. his finest moments were those surrounded by the rest of the crew and playing a tune to which the men could sing.

he met his eyes across the maps spread out in front of them. “something’s on your mind.”

daniel shifted his weight, but didn’t speak. hwan knew him well enough to believe it was out of respect rather than courtesy; if he wanted to, daniel could pick people and their intentions apart with ease but he never seemed inclined to do so, preferring to keep to his corner and to carry out his duty. he didn’t go above and beyond but then he didn’t have to — usually at least.

‘it smells like rain.’ he spoke at last, his voice firm. his face contorted and hwan, briefly, could see the extremity of what he felt, must have felt for longer than words could say. his own gaze fell back to the map in his hands, the coordinates he’d scribbled down. “hm. a storm’s coming.”

‘rain brings water.’

he didn’t miss the undercurrent in these words, the silent but heavy implications pulling him into a direction he couldn’t name and didn’t want to care for. it was a battle he regularly fought with himself but necessity warranted extreme measures at certain times. he’d found his peace with it.

but the suspicion took its final shape and pierced through him like the tip of an arrow, sharp and out for blood, when he realized the depth of the insinuation. hwan wondered how long daniel had been pondering yeonjun’s punishment at jongho’s hands, the brutality of it. he’d seen the disgust and terror, the way the rest of the crew recoiled from their quartermaster for days on end after that. the way yeonjun still quivered each time jongho’s eyes found and rested on him.

“if you’ve something to say, say it.”

the silence expanded for a moment. then —

‘he could have killed him.’ “he could have if he’d wanted to.”

something flashed in daniel’s eyes and hwan knew instantly what was bound to follow.

‘the boy’s worst crime was trying to help so how was that punishment justified by any means?’

“jongho is in charge of the supplies. as such, that makes him responsible for our lives in the same way that kihyun is when the situation calls for it,” hwan told him, his voice steady and even. he didn’t feel the need to lecture daniel on the importance of hierarchy, or to berate him for not stepping in earlier to deliver what he considered to be justified punishment himself. some part of him guessed that this was partly why daniel couldn’t let go, why it kept bothering him; he could’ve done something to prevent it. he’d chosen to hand it over to their quartermaster the moment jongho seized control of the situation.

hwan didn’t see the point in drawing this conversation out because there was nothing to discuss. a choice had been made and they’d have to live with its consequences. daniel’s jaw seemingly tightened but he kept silent.

“i trust him with my life, and he trusts me with his.” he studied the other man, surprise tinging his expression. a touch of something else lingering on his features before he continued. “that’s rare. i won’t have it questioned by someone who should know better.”

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam

jihae wasn’t thinking of yeonjun. she wasn’t.

she was thinking of how slowly the hunting was going, of the harvest soon to come in the southern isles and whether or not her younger siblings had enough to eat.

she wasn’t thinking of yeonjun or the wheezing of his lungs that made it difficult to sleep at night for the past few days. but not thinking was like lifting slabs of rock, and she was so distracted by the strain of it that she didn’t hear kihyun curse out the rotten herbs in his bag, or notice how the sweat was beginning to drip off her forehead in exhaustion.

“what is it?” she rubbed her eyes when a bag of something she couldn’t identify was tossed at her feet. looking up to meet kihyun’s stern gaze, she couldn’t fight the urge to shrink into herself — he seemed furious in a subdued way, in ways her and the rest of the crew hardly ever saw. the most she saw of the surgeon consisted of him slapping some ointment on some infections or wounds while barking orders to everyone else.

he was a difficult man but not without his reasons which were commonly known among the group and so he was respected for it as well. therefore jihae could tolerate him far better than she could some other members of the crew but since her opinions didn’t matter, she kept quiet and did her duty with quick hands as was expected of her.

or to be more precise, which was expected of jihan. she’d gone and stolen her elder brother’s name the summer before last when news of his sunken ship and unexpected death had reached her as the second eldest that was responsible for the wellbeing of their family. under the guise of a different identity, she’d gained a spot on hwan’s crew nearly a year ago after she’d seen no other way to help put food in her siblings’ mouths while ensuring they could lead respectable lives once they were old enough to care for themselves.

her brother always insisted that she’d never put their duelling lessons to good use but if he could see her now, she’d like to think he’d be proud of her. that and the fact that she was the fastest climber among all the men led to her occupying the crow’s nest when they were navigating treacherous waters. but right now they were on land and kihyun was in a foul mood and jihae didn’t know what to do if she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of conflict because she couldn’t think quick enough on her feet.

‘what’s it look like?’

“like the herbs are rotting?”

she felt preposterously dumb before the words even managed to leave her mouth. the corner of kihyun’s mouth quirked up dangerously in a way that left her unsure whether he was fighting the urge to laugh or lash out at her.

‘so you think you’re funny? let’s watch how funny you think it’s going to be when i’ll call you in for duty the next time we need to take off someone’s limbs.’

she’d gone pale just imagining the horrifying scene. jihae had been enlisted to help clean up the surgeon’s cabin once, after kihyun had attempted to rescue another man’s life by taking off his arm in the wake of a rather bloody run-in with a crew on the lookout for their captain. it hadn’t worked and the man in question had succumbed to his injuries before the end of the surgery but the thick, ironclad scent of blood still lingered in her nose each and every time someone brought up that memory to her. she felt herself shiver.

“i — that wasn’t what i meant. what do you need me to do?”

the other man studied the crumpled leather bag at her feet, his eyes gleaming before he pursed his lips. ‘you’re the mate yeonjun brought on board. i remember you.’

her eyes darkened but she remained silent. it didn’t seem like he required her to speak but that he was telling her something else entirely. i remember you.

that was a reminder. one didn’t care to remember those who held no importance and to him, she was another of the crew mates. someone in a support position that the crew could very well do without — needless to say the same didn’t apply to him. jihae smelled the stink of her skin, felt the grit beneath her bare feet. she was sore and tired from last night’s shift but as the silence drew on, she pressed tentative fingers to her bruised cheek. she’d slipped three nights ago on her way down. kihyun had taken a look at the purple bruise and dismissed her without so much as ointment.

she was starting to understand.

her face may very well look like a rotten fruit but yeonjun was alive thanks to the fact that the others had seen to it that he receive lighter duties, not the ones he’d be usually responsible for. the captain seemed dismissive of these slight changes and their quartermaster remained silent about them as though there was nothing to be said. her stomach shifted uncertainly at the memory and she felt the sweat burning her eyes.

the men looked out for each other in that way if they felt they had to and now was her part to play because kihyun couldn’t guarantee proper treatment now that his last resources were starting to give up on him. jihae felt ashamed to acknowledge it took her this long to realize the look kihyun had been giving her wasn’t one of disapproval but rather of evaluation.

“what do you need me to gather?”

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam

hwan had forgotten.

he had thought that he remembered only too well the lines of her face; the restless quality to how she would stand still. the way she looked fully into his eyes as if each glance was an irrevocable choice. an emotion clamped down on his heart.

it squeezed him into a silence, long and loaded, but she said nothing while she waited, only his name, as if his name were not a name but a question. or perhaps that wasn’t how she had said it and he was wrong, and he’d heard a question simply because the sound of her speaking his name made him wish that she was his answer.

he sagged in his chair. his knotted hair was lined white with salt and fell forward and into his face. he rubbed his eyes like someone woken too early before glancing up at her and wondering where the hell everyone else was. and how long she’d been waiting for him to wake up.

the wind swirled her hair into her face and he caught sight of something he couldn’t place, had no name for. her expression was a mixture of incredulity and amusement, a touch of worry. relief, that he was safe. and a very different emotion: simmering beneath the surface. he knew from that look what this conversation was going to be about, knew why she was here and not somewhere else and waiting in patience, thinking through all the things she needed to say. piracy wasn’t a kind life but she’d always managed to make it suit her in ways he couldn’t even begin to understand.

hwan could smell the sea on her skin, stronger now: salty and sharp.

hoyeon looked like she didn’t want to look at him but she continued to with a stillness that didn’t seem familiar and which he did not recognize. her boots were high and hooked, of fine leather. he quietly wondered what merchant ship she’d buried to lay her hands on them.

he saw her scrutinizing him for a moment, his own jaw going tight. but hoyeon only gave him an easy smile which surprised him before sitting down beside him in the sand. she didn’t even look at the logbook and seemed entirely disinterested in the curious glances thrown their way by the growing size of people close by. hwan vaguely recalled that he needed to talk to jongho, to decide on the next step but that he hadn’t seen the other male since he’d taken a group of men to look for food.

“i hear you’ve been busy.”

hoyeon’s laugh was robbed of breath. it was short, unbelieving and entirely unappreciative of his attempt at defusing the situation. something was tugging inside him in this moment; it yanked at his soul. tell her, that part of him said. she needs to know.

‘shouldn’t i be telling you that?’

hwan said nothing for a moment, only gazed at her with the pensiveness of someone considering a question not so easily answered. hoyeon didn’t seem to like that expression, seemed to bristle against what she already knew but she waited for him to find the right words with a tilt of her head.

he grinned. “that depends on your sense of adventure.”

‘yes,’ she said slowly, mirroring his grin. ‘that’s what i thought you’d say.’

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam

“how’s the princess?” hwan narrows his eyes when jongho tosses him a quick look over the maps spread out across the table in front of them that easily translates to you don’t really wish to know, do you?

and he’d be right. he really doesn’t. more than anything, it’s the lessons he received as a youth that are so deeply ingrained in his mind reminding him of how politics work. it’s the basis that sets the rules for life at court, the maneuvering and the scheming he thought he’s left behind years ago. to be faced with it once more is unsettling and reminds him of responsibilities long abandoned     though whether he’s called prince or captain, it’s all the same to him.

‘she’s about as happy as you’d expect, given her situation.’ jongho sounds bored, like he’d much rather converse about anything but the brat of a girl they’d brought on board. her maid seems to be more sensible, having made no trouble whatsoever since their capture while her precious princess insisted on screaming her throat raw and nearly getting herself strangled when one of the pirates watching over the duo had been annoyed enough to shove a cord into her mouth to keep from making more noise and waking those who slept in hammocks downstairs.

the story spread like wildfire among the rest of the crew and was, admittedly, amusing enough to warrant even a chuckle from jongho who otherwise didn’t seem inclined to offer much of an opinion about the whole situation.

‘i never met your brother but i think the king might be punishing him with a fiancée like her.’

the irritation is rather evident in the other man’s voice and elicits a snicker from the captain whose hands are busy playing with an ornamented dagger. it looks like a peculiar thing with the face of what hwan assumes to be some foreign deity he doesn’t care to identify carved into its handle, its eyes replaced by two rubies and gleaming in the dappled sunlight streaming in through the opened windows of his cabin. the sound of the waves gently crashing against the ship are in stark contrast to the shouting going on upstairs where daniel can be heard verbally whipping another crewmate for accidentally spilling precious freshwater.

hwan’s gaze lingers on the blue water outside; he hears the sounds of the sea and his mind wanders to the ruthless calculus of his father’s plans. “daniel is going to bite his head off,” he remarks offhandedly, wishing to prompt for jongho to investigate.

of course, the latter does no such thing. ‘daniel can handle the crew. don’t gloss over my question.’

“you didn’t ask one.” he gives a winning grin, fully aware it isn’t enough to bring jongho off his course. if the second-in-command wishes to know something, he’s going to get his answers one way or another; it’s something that hwan both admires and abhors about his friend.

a peaceful life can only be led if you know no more than absolutely necessary. but maybe that’s a fragment of the horrors hwan experienced at court which is shaping his opinions and less of an indication about jongho’s abilities. or his character.

his smile fades, but the easygoing façade doesn’t drop entirely. he’s spent a long time crafting and perfecting his appearances but if there’s someone who can read between the lines, it’s got to be his quartermaster. his fingers run along the dagger’s blade absent-mindedly, his gaze focused on the strange inscription that they have yet to translate.

‘her capture was easy.’ jongho sounds calm, one hand tugging at one of the maps that roughly cover the size of her home country. the princess is from a small kingdom but one rich in minerals and natural resources; those would be desperately needed to build a stronger fleet and to maintain them, things that his own lands would never be able to do without another’s help. they excel at smithery, at producing weapons en masse but without ships and vessels to carry them across the sea to build alliances, that leaves their country in a precarious, political spot.

he hears the meaning lingering between jongho’s words, the unspoken warning. he might be preparing to wage war with you and our kind.

hwan’s thought about it as well, much more than he wants to admit to. there’s a hefty sum to be accorded to the one who brings him before his father, dead or alive. not to mention the dozens of men aboard this ship who’ve taken part in more than one slaughter or capture of a merchant vessel. and now they’ve got a royal onboard who is supposed to become the new queen consort.

his father doesn’t take these kinds of slights very well if history is anything to go by.

“if that was the case, i should be honored by his interest in me.” his voice drips with irony when he speaks, but a sliver of unyieldingness reflects his resentment of the man in question. “for all we know, he might just want to see them married to ensure this supposedly very important alliance. and maybe to lay hands on her dowry and then to shut her up in a convent after she’s given my brother a heir or two.”

as he’s known for doing, he almost adds but then swallows the bitter remark. his mother’s fate has no place in this conversation and he no interest in reopening old wounds.

‘do you believe the prince would let that happen?’ jongho sounds distinctively curious, like he does whenever they maneuver new places and his attention is fixated on the crew readjusting to a new scenery, new challenges. he sounds like a man waiting to be shown an advantage.

hwan falls silent, and contemplates the thought for a moment. with his lower lip between his teeth, he comes to the conclusion that his father would be callous enough to condemn a young girl to a life of eternal misery but somehow even then, he has a difficult time feeling any pity for that dragon of a princess. his brother, on the other hand — he couldn’t tell.

he doesn’t know what he’d do. last he’s heard, he’s grown up to be the honorable type, the kind of man who’d marry whoever he was told and father his heirs and keep a mistress or two on the side for his own pleasure. who would rule a kingdom the way his ministers would advise him to, who would avoid war and send diplomats and try to maintain a newly-attained, frail peace.

still, even that kind of man doesn’t take well to his honor and ego being bruised. it leaves him looking like a fool in the eyes of the other nations and, perhaps most important of all — their father, the king.

the king is a man forged in fire and blood, who’s seen and lived through war and come out to tell tales of it. but his brother? rumours can be scattered for specific purposes and somehow, he doesn’t fully trust what he’s been hearing about the new crown-prince so far.

“feel free to ask him next time you meet him,” he deflects, unwilling to give an answer to a question he’s thought about too many times now. the further he escapes the constrictions of his old life, the more they seem to haunt him. “all i know is that the king has always been interested in advantageous matches for his offspring. his bastards were all married off to influential military families near the border.”

‘ah. touchy subject?’

“please. the border is infested with bandits and throat-cutters. that’s his way of sending them to places where they can trouble the royal family the least.”

‘so an early death neatly packaged in a wealthy lifestyle,’ jongho surmises with flashing eyes before turning to hwan with a raised eyebrow. ‘so let me get this straight. you were excluded from the line of succession on the grounds of piracy when the king wreaks the same kind of havoc upon others only to seize the newly-orphaned fortune afterwards?’

his mouth twists. “sounds about as charming as his future daughter-in-law, hm?”

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam

“stop!” the princess tried recoiling out of the guard’s grip but it only tightened around her arm as her face drained of its color in shock at the harsh treatment. behind her trailed another guard who dragged in her maid; in contrast to her superior, she seemed almost small and entirely out of place next to all the other people in the room. her dress wasn’t torn like the princess’ and she didn’t wear any jewellery beside a headband encrusted with diamonds that one of the men had gleefully tucked away when they noticed her not putting up any sort of fight.

hwan saw a flicker of anger flash across her face when her eyes lifted to meet his before she controlled it. he found himself strangely impressed by the challenge in them before his attention returned to the princess who was openly fuming. “do no touch me. i warn you.”

at some point between their capture and this meeting in his cabin, the women must have figured out just who exactly he was. reputations didn’t come easily but piracy afforded one a special kind of treatment once sunken vessels and murdered merchants could be traced back to one’s name, particularly for a former prince. but perhaps it was exactly thanks to that tiny detail that the young royal across from him managed to work up the nerve to be brash once more.

she knew, she must have known that she was across her future brother-in-law because how else could her shift in attitude be explained? she considered herself to be in safe hands, notwithstanding all circumstantial evidence pointing to the opposite for the simple reason that in her small world, there can be no other explanation as to why her own father would allow her to marry into a family that had produced a pirate?

this was her conclusion, the fact that her future husband and his brother could not be so different enough for the latter to kidnap and possibly harm her. as if a sentiment such as safety could ever peacefully co-exist with a pirate’s thirst for adventures but she wouldn’t believe it, couldn’t know that. how naive. if it wasn’t so terribly innocent and if the stakes weren’t so high, he’d almost like nothing better than to prove her wrong.

but time was of the essence here and he didn’t want to waste any more of it. “so glad to see you could make it.”

“you filthy —”

“ah,” hwan raised his index fingers up to his lips. “there’s no need for insults, is there? after all we’re almost family.”

he grinned and his clean-lined, almost poetic face became irresistible. he’d heard about it once or twice, in stories told in taverns or by old washerwomen, how beauty always wound up being the killer of all suspicions. the princess was a fool for believing he wouldn’t harm her if need be but he wagered on it, on her inability to believe she could truly be harmed.

he noticed she was breathing fast; her hands were still shackled behind her back to keep from lunging at another of his crew as she’d done the moment she’d been captured. for someone whose hands were soft since they’d never seen a day’s work, she was surprisingly crafty when it came to terrorising the ship’s company. the maid beside her remained still as stone, her face hard and her jaw clenched, teeth gritting together so strongly he thought it must’ve been painful.

“when i get out of here, the king is going to have your head for this insolence.”

‘funny you’d mention it. he’s been trying for a while.’ beside him, jongho spoke up for the first time since the two women were brought into the cabin. his posture was languid, implying he didn’t care to be part of this interrogation but the tone of his voice was different from the one he used on deck, becoming silky and smooth. it reminded hwan of a snake about to strike and filled him with dread; he knew who the man was but in moments such as this one he became unrecognizable.

jongho’s eyes turned on him and briefly met his. dark, cold, like steel and onyx. he stood with his hands behind his back, his brows low over his eyes; standing tall, imposing. his role to play, the contradiction to hwan’s calm and collected personality. the grand game, one of the many, twisted things played at court for fun. the captain didn’t take any amusement from this but it served its purpose well enough and was better than the alternative.

“i am the future queen consort. you will bitterly regret the day you laid hands on me.” if she didn’t look so pitiful with the slices in her bodice and the previously extravagant gown having been torn into badly enough to reveal her undergarments, he’d laugh out loud at her behaviour. saving face was the least important thing she could be doing at this moment in time but he figured he’d let her have this so long as it kept her from redirecting her fury at her guards.

empty words were no threat to them.

“queens can be replaced.” his heart seized in his chest but hwan waved a hand around dismissively, unwilling to let those old memories plague him. this was the wrong moment for him to contemplate anything other than to get a feel for how to go about this ransom; and besides, they didn’t need this kid onboard for longer than absolutely necessary. “don’t you know what happened to the king’s last consort?”

the maid looked at him at that, eyes scanning his face back and forth, up and down as if imprinting his features and appearance to memory. she inclined her head a little, seemingly a wordless indication for the princess to remain silent who dutifully followed the prompt despite the glare she sent his way. the corners of hwan’s lips quirked up, almost apologetically, before he shrugged his shoulders. “just a small warning. i’d hate to see you follow down the same path. my father isn’t a forgiving man, you see.”

“the king has done well replacing you as the crown-prince. what a shame you are to your country,” the royal spit harshly, her cheeks regaining some of their color. hwan brushed the words off with a wide grin, his open palms coming to rest on the table in front of him. “and yet you are in my custody. maybe i’ll make you a pirate queen instead, hm?”

he could see her physically recoil at the prospect as her mouth snapped shut in shock. the sudden silence satisfied him endlessly but did not last for long. jongho shot him a brief look he couldn’t quite ascertain before the other male deliberately focused his attention on the maid. alarmed at his sudden change in expression, the princess tried drawing his attention by fighting against the handcuffs but it seemed to be of no use as the guard behind her roughly wrestled her into obedience.

hwan watched in silent fascination how the maid did not even flinch let alone allow herself to show some sort of reaction save for the flash in her eyes as jongho came to a halt in front of her. long fingers grabbed her jaw with the pirate making a spectacle of inspecting her before tossing a sly look at hwan over his shoulder. ‘my captain, if you’ll allow. we’ve uses for the princess — we don’t for the maid.’

his face was still. he was an expert at making himself unreadable and yet appearing approachable. nothing about him changed. not a tuft of his hair or a shift in expression but he knew where this was going, understood jongho’s somewhat crude approach. they weren’t going to touch the women but they could leave them with an impression that would still instill fear in them. that would make the process of the ransom go by smoother.

still, his stomach curled in uncertainty. these were the kind of games his father played, the reason why he’d left court. hwan disliked the fact they resorted to the same tactics now but his conscience had no place here. “toss the princess back in the cell,” he ordered, catching the grin that settled on jongho’s face from the corner of his eye.

“and tie the maid up on deck. see what a few hours in the sun will do to loosen her tongue.”

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam​​​​​​ ; shadowhunters!au.

“so,” minjun interjects. “what’s going on?”

seoyun turns on her heel, stiffening at the interruption. she gives him a swift up-and-down look and comes to the conclusion that he looks well enough to be out of bed before offering a subtle nod of her head. “kwon minjun. it’s been a long time.”

minjun notices how she inspects him when she speaks with the same interest the silent brother regarded him with when studying his injuries. it doesn’t surprise him in the slightest; last he’s heard, she was his sister’s second-in-command. aside from that, her family’s name has retained its significance even through the winter solstice massacre some three decades prior. a lot of other, old shadowhunter families weren’t quite so lucky and some were completely obliterated. naturally, he’s not surprised to find someone as wily as herself involved in the logistics of running an institute.

his sister would need the help, too.

seoyun’s calculating gaze does inspire something less straightforward within the man and so he schools his expression into something carefully neutral though makes a point out of looking fraught, shaking his head. “i’m very sorry to have caused so much trouble. i hope you relayed my sincerest apologies to my sister?”

seoyun’s jaw tenses, making the scar running alongside the side of her face look even more prominent when her gaze falls away. he’s heard rumours about a particular nasty encounter with a warlock who left his mark on the shadowhunter’s face as a means to humble her. it doesn’t seem to have achieved the desired outcome if the haughty and dismissive expression on her face is anything to go by.

“you may very well tell her yourself. i’m no messenger.” every word out of her mouth has the impact of fact, like something carved into stone with unbreachable confidence.

“walking a fine line there, aren’t you? don’t you relay my sister’s wishes to the rest of the institute? in my book, that makes you just that.” he gestures around the halls with a lopsided smile, fully aware that his words are intended to rub salt in a wound that will never quite close. a lot is to be said when it comes to the ahn family but the most important thing is that they’re involved everywhere — with no proof at all. which is a talent in and of itself. he wonders how mina got around to trusting someone like ahn seoyun in the first place.

‘barely out of bed and you’re already harassing my second-in-command?’ mina’s words echo thoughtfully through the halls as she descends from a nearby flight of stairs, one hand resting on the marble banister. her cool gaze steadfastly examines her brother until what she sees seems to satisfy her enough to turn her attention back to seoyun with a quirk of her brow. ‘have you delivered the report?’

“yes. the clave is reviewing our findings as we speak.” seoyun doesn’t sound pleased, but she doesn’t sound angry either; it’s more like a wary consideration. “daniel may get a chance at officially investigating things sooner than anticipated.”

‘any word on the silent brother’s request for a warlock to be permitted into the institute?‘

seoyun narrows her eyes and tosses a meaningful glance in minjun’s general direction who has been soundlessly watching the interaction before him unfold. upon noticing her unwarranted attention, he quirks his lips. “please, don’t mind me. mina, i am glad to see you. i was hoping to catch a word with you in private about my… situation.”

“delicate as it is,” seoyun chimes in, clearly disapproving of the interruption. her lips thin unappreciatively before she turns her gaze back on the man in question. “should you not be resting in bed and waiting to be assigned quarters?”

“i don’t remember asking for your input. i’m very well capable of handling myself.”

“that’s funny, coming from someone who spent the last three days in the infirmary,” seoyun remarks with clipped voice and a raise of one brow. mina’s face is a visage of steel, locked on minjun as if expecting something. she looks tense with thought but then, minjun isn’t entirely sure if he’s reading her correctly. mina’s always been something of an outsider in her own family — as the only girl among three brothers, he supposes it’s not that difficult to understand why. so she’s carved out her own place, made a home and a name for herself in this institute. anything to get away from their parents who still hold considerable sway in alicante… who else could have gotten her the appointment as head of this institute?

seoyun gives the both of them a shrewd look, akin to a hawk noticing movement in the grass. “he’s not involved in our business. i see no reason to change that.”

minjun’s dark eyes narrow, displeasure radiating from his entire frame. whether it’s a trick of the light or not, seoyun seems strangely pleased as if she knows something he doesn’t.  “we’re both shadowhunters. any business pertaining to that doesn’t get to exclude me.”

beside him, mina nods her head. ‘you are to speak freely. he’s done nothing to warrant your suspicion.’

“other than to show up unannounced on our doorstep with wounds all over? i don’t think so. we can continue this conversation later,” she snaps, before turning to slip through a small door into the gardens. mina’s eyes follow her ruefully before she heaves a sigh. the silence lingers for a moment before she turns and begins to walk. minjun follows obediently, clearly understanding the prompt to take the conversation to a place that’s more private. silence tethers them both until mina pauses in a dark alcove. minjun comes to a halt behind her, looking remorseful but before he can open his mouth to say something, she holds up a hand.

‘you are right. every shadowhunter should know what’s happening. in fact, there is no way we can uncover what is going on if we do not trust each other.’ she sounds insistent, as if she’s trying to get a point across. minjun crosses his arms, his left shoulder twitching uncomfortably when he moves. the silent brother did say he would experience the remnants of the attack for a few more days. apparently, even healing runes can only do so much.

“considering she’s your right hand woman, i’d expect less disobedience and more common sense. i don’t usually make a habit out of antagonizing my siblings and their confidants but i hope you can understand my situation.”

for her part, a small smile curves mina’s lips when she raises a single finger after she’s given him a long searching look. ‘of course. it’s why i’ll give you a full hour.’

“a full hour for what?”

‘to make yourself presentable. then i’ll announce your presence to the rest of the institute. it’ll help to avoid rumours, there’s nothing we need less than that at present.’

the hint of a frown adorns his features for the split of a second before his expression shutters. “so is there anyone else here i should know about? before my cluelessness gives away the reason for my sudden appearance.”

mina appears to take his meaning, although she doesn’t look pleased about it. ‘as long as you’re on your best behaviour, they’ll blame that on your recent encounter with the demon that put you into the infirmary.’

“seems likely.” that isn’t his whole motive for stalling such a public disclosure, but it serves well enough for now. “in this case, i better get to it. am i wrong for assuming you may assign me my quarters?”

his sister shakes her head. ‘kae will see to it that you’ll be given a room. at this time of the day, he should be with the recruits training for combat.’

kae. yeah, he remembers him. minjun nods, thanks his sister for the information and tries to suppress the annoyance from forming in his stomach like a knot when he begins to make his way towards the training rooms.

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam​​​​​​​ ; shadowhunters!au.

‘thank you for your time.’

“oh, not at all.” soonyi shakes her turbaned head, the golden earrings dimly reflecting in the afternoon sunlight while she looks around the place, curiosity etched plainly onto her features. it’s rare to be called into a meeting with a nephilim, rarer still to be invited and she’s admittedly far too intrigued to pass on such an opportunity. and besides, what’s life without a little risk every once in a while?

the room looks deserted, for all intents and purposes. the white-draped furnishings, the dust that sent her into a coughing fit the moment the shadowhunter closed the door behind them. even the half-destroyed blinds that are hanging from the windows are threatening to fall off at any given moment. if she were one of the children of the night, she might’ve found some appeal in these lodgings but she’s really quite comfortable in her big and beautiful studio apartment, thank you very much. she’s never understood how someone would enjoy tasteless accommodations but maybe that’s a human thing. mundanes are difficult enough to navigate as is, best not to read too much into their ignorant behaviour.

“word has it nephilim are being kidnapped,” she says, a lilt to her voice as she intertwines her fingers and looks around with all the patience in the world. she can sense the other’s subtle gaze, examining her. not the first time she’s being evaluated by a shadowhunter — not that they have any right to do so but sorceresses and warlocks don’t get to be particularly picky when it comes to those they surround themselves with. if they did, they’d have no clients to entertain. “my deepest condolences. i’m sure the silent city is aching under the weight of all these bones.”

she’s sure she sees the shadowhunter shoot her a look of hot rage from the corners of her eyes but then it’s gone in an instant. her purple painted lips pull apart to reveal a flash of white, the smile every bit as confident as the stoic attitude of the other. but whereas she’s scintillating, he’s about to turn into stone. if it weren’t for his blinking and silent examination of her, she’d have assumed this meeting was over before it even started. a nostalgic expression catches on her features and quickly replaces the flourish of her movements but it vanishes just as swiftly when she straightens her shoulders and cranes her neck.

“such manners you have. won’t even offer a girl something to sit on, will you?”

‘hm. i would but you’re not just a girl, are you?’

“details,” she replies sharply, a hint of dismissiveness in her tone as she waves a hand. “that’s why your folk never get around to anything. you’re too hung up on the small things.”

‘on the contrary.’ his voice doesn’t waver and she’s surprised to find a steeliness in them she hasn’t considered before. his lips pull apart to reveal a confident smile before he lowers his head just the slightest bit and gestures towards a table and two chairs at the window behind her. ‘this is exactly why we surpass all expectations.’

soonyi doesn’t miss the trace of malice in his eyes when he says that. her mouth thins out angrily but she doesn’t speak, instead allows herself to settle into the chair. it’s uncomfortable, the wood creaking unsteadily underneath her weight at which she takes silent offense; immortality has its perks and a sorceress has any and all means at her disposal to take care of her appearance. besides, she’s been dieting the past two months.

he remains standing. maybe it’s to accentuate the differences in their position; a symbolic gesture, if you will, to drive his point home. she’s not sure whether to consider him foolhardy or arrogant or both when her top lip curls back like she’s tasted something foul. “how long is this going to take? i’ve a reputation to lose if someone catches me with a shadowhunter.”

‘of course,’ he inclines his head politely like she hasn’t just gravely insulted his honor. a strange bunch they are; in her tenure as sorcess, she’s never come across a shadowhunter who wasn’t completely perturbed. one way or another, they’re all slightly unpleasant contemporaries. he just seems to reaffirm that belief. ‘i’ll make it quick. i’m investigating what’s happening and there’s something i need your help with.’

“come again? investigating what exactly, pray tell?” she glances at him sideways. a muscle over her brow twitches, a subtle tell of her anger. “you realize your kind aren’t very popular? they’ve enemies in many places. the accords don’t change that, even if you want to pretend otherwise.”

‘look, you can despise them for all i care. that is of no concern to me.’ the sunlight isn’t kind to his face. even a few translucent scars seem to reflect as he stares down on her. his voice is reserved, but there’s dislike in his eyes, a trace of disdain when he speaks. ‘what does concern me is my brothers and sisters in arms going missing. i’m told warlocks and sorceresses can track people and i need your help to search for someone.’

soonyi considers this for a moment and then shakes her head. “it’s not that simple.”

‘oh, but it is.’ he leans forward, his eyes not leaving her face. his self-satisfied expression doesn’t register at first but soonyi eventually finds herself staring at him in bewilderment, a hard lump lodged in the back of her throat. “you should ask the silent brothers for help.”

‘they come and go at their own discretion. so far, they haven’t taken an interest.’

“but i should? what’s it to me? the clave can send operatives if they want to see this problem solved. pass the information on to them and let them handle it.”

his eyes dart away for the split of a second. it’s enough for soonyi to work with.

“the clave aren’t taking an interest either.” she’s surprised, blinking a couple of times to let this new detail settle in. it’s uncommon for the clave to not take an interest since they’re quite literally making a living out of involving themselves everywhere. the downworld has suffered a great deal at their hands so she sees how this can be deeply distressing to the other shadowhunters. particularly those affected by the recent string of disappearances.

“this,” she says leisurely, a sweet smile forming, “is interesting.”

and for good measure, she can’t help but add, “i didn’t know the clave had abandoned you.”

she sees the seizure of anger that momentarily twists the shadowhunter’s features; then it’s gone, and his face is smooth again. she marvels at the quickness with which he shelves his emotions. they must get training like this at their beloved institutes, how else can you be so emotionally repressed? it’s a talent, really. “i’ll do it. but it’ll cost you.”

he doesn’t respond at first. his fierce gaze pierces her for a moment, possibly to surmise her motive behind the swift change of allegiance. warlocks don’t need to work for anyone and if they do, it’s usually for the good payment. that’s commonly known among the supernatural but now, soonyi can’t help but fully take advantage of the misgivings his kind have about hers. it’s a delight, truly, to be able to have a bargaining chip again after she’s previously lost her footing in the conversation.

“fair enough,” he complies far too easily for her taste, despite the words being spoken through gritted teeth. his tone is almost languid, but she doesn’t miss the hungry threat of violence lingering in them. it’s like a promise of what he’ll do if she doesn’t hold up her end of the bargain. soonyi gets the distinct impression there’s more to this than he’s letting on.

his hand disappears in his pocket to pull something out before opening again to reveal a glimmering, smooth gray stone. soonyi’s eyes widen, her mouth forming a silent oh in surprise.

‘a witchlight,’ he confirms almost gloatingly. the sorceress has to resist the urge to kick him into oblivion and snatch the stone from his grasp for closer inspection. her fingers are gripping the material covering the chair she’s sitting on, her knuckles white. if he’s willing to bargain with something shadowhunters get only once in their lifetime, it must be personal.

whatever it is, soonyi’s not stupid enough to rescind her aid if it gets her that fascinating little thing. but before she can think of all the ways this would help her in her practice of magic, the shadowhunter’s hand closes around the stone with a blank expression. ‘if you want this, you’ll have to swear you’re going to do what i’ll ask of you.’

her brows knit together at the implications in his words, her face hardening in disgust. “you want me to swear an oath? how expedient for you. already planning on making me your scapegoat when things go wrong, huh? i’m afraid we’ll find ourselves at an impassé here.” she glares at him menacingly.

‘they can’t,’ he replies bitterly. ‘none of this can go wrong.’

her heart soars before she catches it, drawing herself back down to earth. so her suspicions are correct — this is deeply personal. the earlier threat in his voice is real enough to warrant caution but that isn’t going to stand in her way. still, irritation rankles her, tight and unforgiving at the fact she isn’t given a choice. but what’s life without a little risk every once in a while, right?

“we have a deal.”

she’s going to prepare the spell for that dreaded oath and she’ll find a loophole for — safety precautions. if something’s going to happen, she swears on lilith’s name she’s going to take him down with her.

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam​​​​​​​​ ; shadowhunters!au.

lexie looks at minjae, a steady, measured look and contemplates in silence how siblings can look so similar but be so different. somehow, she thinks she shouldn’t be surprised at the fact that he has more siblings than just mina but the thought never really occurred to her before.

in fact, it’s actually quite strange to imagine a younger version of minjae hanging to his older siblings’ words and trying to keep up with them and their youthful eagerness in exploring the world. or maybe that’s just her trying to project her own childhood memories onto him: it’s what she’s done with her older brother, after all — act like a chain because she was so attached to him when their parents first allowed her to train beside him. she was so scared of a blade then and he jokingly called her an abomination for resisting her true nature.

she cried back then out of anger and shame, but now the mere memory of it makes her want to weep out of frustration and fear.

minjae’s brother seems older than mina. he could be in the same age group as her own she surmises, but that’s just speculation. according to seoyoung, there’s a second brother too who’s apparently a big deal in alicante. she’s never been to the city of glass so this new development is a little difficult to wrap her head around. minjae doesn’t seem pleased either way and she wonders why when she notices how tensely he eats his dinner.

(yes, yeonhee insisted she come. seoyoung seemed very happy to have her at their table, too.)

“you never said you had brothers.”

‘cause it’s any of your business?’ he spits back, a hard edge to his voice.

she closes her mouth with a snap. she’s noticed early on how he’s got a strange way of handling things, not at all like the rest of the institute’s members. sure, some still throw the occasional glare her way to express their distaste for her continuous presence but they all seem to hide their emotions very well. lexie has become determined to do it the same way, to let nobody disrupt her for fear of — rejection. when you train to become a protector, a defender, you can’t really afford emotional outbursts. you have to keep them in check in the same way you would need to memorize runes in order to inscribe them on your skin.

it’s part of this life and it’s an advantage only very few ever fully master. and despite knowing all this and knowing better, minjae’s words still sting. another reminder this isn’t her place and she’s just a guest here, nothing more.

“sorry, i didn’t mean to pry.”

he pushes his hair back, releasing a quiet exhale. for a moment it seems like he wants to say something but then his jaw clamps shut and he looks elsewhere, lips pressed together tightly. the discomfort is written clearly over his face but lexie isn’t looking; she’s focusing on the bow kae handed her earlier to try and figure out how to handle different weapons. at her old institute, they never made her tackle weapons she didn’t choose. she’s fondest of her daggers and that was a decision she made on purpose. everyone else respected it and nobody questioned it.

this place is different. it challenges its people and that takes a while to get used to.

‘you’re really bad with the bow, you know.’

“kae is making me do this,” she replies curtly, as if that’s all the explanation he needs. minjae shrugs his shoulders, apparently uninterested in the finer details of her excruciation but when she steals a glance at him, she sees his expression shut and locked like a door. moments like these make it hard to believe he’d ever look at someone in another way.

“seoyoung is good at this, isn’t she?” ‘she is.’ 

“you think she’d help me if i asked?” he eyes her. ‘if you ask nicely.’

that gives her pause, the bow in her hands lowering slightly when she turns to look at him. he needs a haircut and she has half a mind to tell him as much but something stops her. his hair curls the way vines do when they get too long. they lend him a youthful appearance that doesn’t quite match the scars on his hands and arms and throat or the runes carved into his skin. she wonders if that how she looks, too — just as foreign, as indecipherable. the idea makes her feel uneasy.

she looks back on the bow in her hands, fights to keep the anxiety from showing on her face and leaves for the infirmary. minjae doesn’t say another word.

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam​​​​ ; (shadowhunters!au) alexandra ft. yeonhee

she breathes in the gentle but intoxicating scent of the flowers around her, tea and sugar lingering on the back of her tongue. it’s a reprieve, albeit a short one she knows will not last.

the lull before the storm can come in many shapes or forms, so her father used to say. lexie closes her eyes and for a minute, she is fine with the sunlight kissing her skin and every flower in the institute’s garden, each one dutifully attended by seoyun and a few of the younger recruits in their leisure time. one of them is nearby and silently spreading dark soil over a flower bed as she looks on in contemplation.

she dozes, daydreams and devises any number of plans in case she happens to need them in the future. it’s become a fallback for her, when she has to pass the time.

‘there you are. i was beginning to think you’d forgotten breakfast.’ the words break through her reverie with ease whilst carrying the hint of a smile. meeting her eyes when lexie turns her head to locate the owner of the voice is yeonhee, her face indeed brightened by a warm and cordial smile.

lexie feels welcomed without a word; it’s difficult to shake the notion of being an intruder at times, stepping into the inner circle of a group she’s only part of in name. it hasn’t been long since her own days as a recruit, trained in combat and healing to serve a greater good. she looks back to the shadowhunter, the one kneeling in the dirt and caring for his plants and she can’t help but quietly ponder the meaning of a life spent in servitude.

“i haven’t,” she responds, the smile wavering. the chimes that carry through the entire institute make it impossible to forget any meal, but she appreciates yeonhee for her words regardless. she knows there’s more to it, there usually is but that doesn’t mean kindness should be dismissed. and so far, yeonhee has offered her nothing but. “you look lovely, by the way. i don’t think i’ve seen you without your working dress in the infirmary before.”

yeonhee’s blouse is a resplendent shade of blue, mirroring a bright and clear sky. they highlight some of the very few runes she’s allowed to carry as an apprentice and have the dark ink standing out against her skin. lexie’s eye is briefly drawn before she falls quiet with contemplation again, paying no mind to her surroundings or the conversation at hand.

as a matter of fact, at present she would like nothing more than to fetch her favorite dagger and allow the polished, blackened steel to slice through the air. the familiar feeling of the hilt in her hands, the inscription with her family’s name in it. it isn’t much, but so far away from home, it’s everything she’s got. heartache is by no means a foreign concept to her — it hasn’t been in months — but the quiet harmony of this moment feels wrong. everything about this feels so wrong.

‘thank you.’ yeonhee doesn’t make to move, her stance firm. a warrior indeed, if lexie’s studies on her family line are anything to go by. ‘we missed you at dinner yesterday.’

there it is. are you starving yourself? why aren’t you eating with the rest of us? she frames it like a question as though it’s her place to be concerned. she breathes in, finds the mix of scents veering on nauseating when the waft of fertilizer reaches her nose and leans forward in an effort to keep her stomach from turning upside down. yeonhee looks on in concern, her hands gently reaching out to hold her shoulders to stabilize her.

it takes a moment but when she feels a little less like her stomach’s contents are going to be spilled, she speaks up again. “i’m sorry, i just don’t handle the spicy food very well. i don’t want to offend anyone at the meals. they’re irritable enough as is.”

and they have every reason to be. with shadowhunters disappearing one by one for no apparent reason and no bodies ever turning up, worries have been starting to seep their way into everyone’s hearts. it leaves little faith to discover what’s going on although recent development has been made, involving the parabatai bond between minsoo, another shadowhunter at this institute, and his parabatai who’s supposedly also gone missing a few weeks earlier. the clave seems unwilling to get truly involved yet last she’s heard.

there are no words to describe lexie’s outrage at their lack of action, their idleness that may very well cost the lives of good fellow fighters. it’s a death none of them deserve, but then it’s what’s drilled into every shadowhunter the moment they come to understand: you live and you die in service of the greater good.

she thinks it’s a joke but she can’t say that if she doesn’t want to make enemies of the people here. not of people like yeonhee who currently looks at her in concern like she’s discovered something so deeply personal, she cannot in good conscience leave her by herself now. lexie smiles in response, this time around a touch more genuine. “i hope you’re not offended. people have been giving me dirty looks since i spit out the curry.”

yeonhee’s jaw tenses, but she only shakes her head. ‘i didn’t notice. we can ask the kitchen to prepare less spicy dishes, though? i’m sure they can accommodate you somehow.’

admittedly, they probably could if she were to ask. however, lexie is adamantly against it since she can already envision way too many people giving her smug smiles when they notice her taste buds can’t even handle a little spice. some of them might take it as a sign that her nerves are just as weak and she really can’t have that in this place before mina gets the idea to send her back to the canadian institute. no, for the time being, she’d rather hide her weaknesses and misgivings and pretend like everything’s fine. maybe it will be, too.

she stops the suggestion with a wave of her hand, the smile on her face already beginning to crack. lexie knows she isn’t doing too well when it comes to finding out anything about her brother’s disappearance but she has also sorely underestimated the effect that all of the recent circumstances have had on her: first, her brother mysteriously vanishing while on vacation, then her begging her parents to basically move across half the continent under the guise of wanting to know more about her roots. it’s the combination of all that which is beginning to take a toll on her and there’s no one to share these concerns with.

“i’m fine, please don’t tell anyone about this? i don’t want to cause trouble.”

conflict tightens yeonhee’s face, her eyes falling away from lexie’s. for a moment, she wonders what the other’s thinking of her and if it’s something she’d like to know. in her heart, yeonhee seems like the kind of girl who wants to do the right thing.

still, lexie can’t help but feel a rush of relief when the girl nods and promises not to utter a single word of this to anyone.

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam​​​​​ ; mermaid!au. a small interlude for hyuck ft. areum.

the hour is late, but that suits his purposes. darkness brings wandering thoughts and lowers people’s guards, particularly after the festival of the first wheat harvest that year. most of the houses in the plaza are still decorated to that end with garlands and flowers and for a moment, even hyuck can’t help but marvel at the beauty that’s illuminated by the streetlights.

the merchants have been rumoured to plan acquiring an additional plantation outside the city gates to increase their sugar trade. hyuck’s not entirely sure whether or not he wants to see more people find their way to this city but their presence certainly brings more trade and thus more revenue to the district. which, as a whole, doesn’t mean much except that the merchants are getting richer each day while the common folk get poorer. it’s the same equation repeated a hundred times over.

by the time he reaches the small house facing the harbor, he’s not so sure he wants to do this anymore. a faint light under the door implies someone still awake inside and while his fingers are itching to knock against the wooden door, his conscience still hesitates.

maybe if it’s soonyoung that’ll open the door, he’ll excuse his interruption as an honest mistake. pretend he’s been having one too many glasses of ale. he knows soonyoung, knows the older man will overlook that minor transgression. it’s in his nature to be good and trusting and — hyuck admires that. because it’s so unrelentingly true to his character and the man he’s presented himself to be to the world.

which is why he hopes soonyoung won’t open the door when he finally overcomes his hesitation. at first, there is no answer. he hears the faint shuffle of movement, curiosity stirring and holds his breath. light footsteps approach the door slowly, and he takes a step back before it swings open.

soonyoung’s wife stands in the doorway with a light green robe over a white cotton gown, her midriff swelling underneath the material and revealing the state of her pregnancy. her hair is down, spilling like a wave over both shoulders. for a second, her familiar beauty disarms him though he’s remembered this is the first time he’s truly ever been in her presence. most of the time, it’s just tales that were told about how quickly soonyoung fell for her. his tongue stills as surprise plays across her face. ‘lee donghyuck? what are you doing here at such a late hour?’

there’s an undeniable thread of confusion lacing her words. the dim glow of the candle in her hands casts shadows across her features and upon closer inspection, hyuck’s sure he sees his suspicions confirmed. this can’t be a coincidence.

“i’m sorry to trouble you so late,” he says, but refrains from meeting her eyes. a hint of embarrassment colors his face but it’s late and she thankfully doesn’t seem to notice. instead, her stunned silence leaves him searching for words as though hoping to fill the silence. she manages to recover first, her brows knitted together. ‘my husband is at sea, as i’m sure you know.’

which is code for this is inappropriate. and she’d be right, considering she’s literally with child. but that doesn’t mean he’s about to give in. “i wanted to ask about the cove.”

‘the cove?’ she repeats, a little incredulous. ‘you do realize the time, do you not?’

he holds his tongue but searches her face in silence and areum releases an airy chuckle, though it sounds dry and empty instead. her left shoulder leans against the doorframe heavily, the candle in her right hand lowered just the slightest bit. her face is dipped into darkness when she speaks again. ‘that’s not what you came to ask me.’

“it’s not,” he murmurs in confirmation and although he can’t see it, he can feel the woman’s glare like a razor pressed right against his cheek.

for a moment, areum hesitates. then she moves to open the door with a creak and holds out the candle into the dark hallway. ‘that’s not a conversation to have on the streets. come in.’

[intuwam]

urianius​:

@tuwam​​​​​​ ; shadowhunters!au.

“so,” minjun interjects. “what’s going on?”

seoyun turns on her heel, stiffening at the interruption. she gives him a swift up-and-down look and comes to the conclusion that he looks well enough to be out of bed before offering a subtle nod of her head. “kwon minjun. it’s been a long time.”

minjun notices how she inspects him when she speaks with the same interest the silent brother regarded him with when studying his injuries. it doesn’t surprise him in the slightest; last he’s heard, she was his sister’s second-in-command. aside from that, her family’s name has retained its significance even through the winter solstice massacre some three decades prior. a lot of other, old shadowhunter families weren’t quite so lucky and some were completely obliterated. naturally, he’s not surprised to find someone as wily as herself involved in the logistics of running an institute.

his sister would need the help, too.

seoyun’s calculating gaze does inspire something less straightforward within the man and so he schools his expression into something carefully neutral though makes a point out of looking fraught, shaking his head. “i’m very sorry to have caused so much trouble. i hope you relayed my sincerest apologies to my sister?”

seoyun’s jaw tenses, making the scar running alongside the side of her face look even more prominent when her gaze falls away. he’s heard rumours about a particular nasty encounter with a warlock who left his mark on the shadowhunter’s face as a means to humble her. it doesn’t seem to have achieved the desired outcome if the haughty and dismissive expression on her face is anything to go by.

“you may very well tell her yourself. i’m no messenger.” every word out of her mouth has the impact of fact, like something carved into stone with unbreachable confidence.

“walking a fine line there, aren’t you? don’t you relay my sister’s wishes to the rest of the institute? in my book, that makes you just that.” he gestures around the halls with a lopsided smile, fully aware that his words are intended to rub salt in a wound that will never quite close. a lot is to be said when it comes to the ahn family but the most important thing is that they’re involved everywhere — with no proof at all. which is a talent in and of itself. he wonders how mina got around to trusting someone like ahn seoyun in the first place.

‘barely out of bed and you’re already harassing my second-in-command?’ mina’s words echo thoughtfully through the halls as she descends from a nearby flight of stairs, one hand resting on the marble banister. her cool gaze steadfastly examines her brother until what she sees seems to satisfy her enough to turn her attention back to seoyun with a quirk of her brow. ‘have you delivered the report?’

“yes. the clave is reviewing our findings as we speak.” seoyun doesn’t sound pleased, but she doesn’t sound angry either; it’s more like a wary consideration. “daniel may get a chance at officially investigating things sooner than anticipated.”

‘any word on the silent brother’s request for a warlock to be permitted into the institute?‘

seoyun narrows her eyes and tosses a meaningful glance in minjun’s general direction who has been soundlessly watching the interaction before him unfold. upon noticing her unwarranted attention, he quirks his lips. “please, don’t mind me. mina, i am glad to see you. i was hoping to catch a word with you in private about my… situation.”

“delicate as it is,” seoyun chimes in, clearly disapproving of the interruption. her lips thin unappreciatively before she turns her gaze back on the man in question. “should you not be resting in bed and waiting to be assigned quarters?”

“i don’t remember asking for your input. i’m very well capable of handling myself.”

“that’s funny, coming from someone who spent the last three days in the infirmary,” seoyun remarks with clipped voice and a raise of one brow. mina’s face is a visage of steel, locked on minjun as if expecting something. she looks tense with thought but then, minjun isn’t entirely sure if he’s reading her correctly. mina’s always been something of an outsider in her own family — as the only girl among three brothers, he supposes it’s not that difficult to understand why. so she’s carved out her own place, made a home and a name for herself in this institute. anything to get away from their parents who still hold considerable sway in alicante… who else could have gotten her the appointment as head of this institute?

seoyun gives the both of them a shrewd look, akin to a hawk noticing movement in the grass. “he’s not involved in our business. i see no reason to change that.”

minjun’s dark eyes narrow, displeasure radiating from his entire frame. whether it’s a trick of the light or not, seoyun seems strangely pleased as if she knows something he doesn’t.  “we’re both shadowhunters. any business pertaining to that doesn’t get to exclude me.”

beside him, mina nods her head. ‘you are to speak freely. he’s done nothing to warrant your suspicion.’

“other than to show up unannounced on our doorstep with wounds all over? i don’t think so. we can continue this conversation later,” she snaps, before turning to slip through a small door into the gardens. mina’s eyes follow her ruefully before she heaves a sigh. the silence lingers for a moment before she turns and begins to walk. minjun follows obediently, clearly understanding the prompt to take the conversation to a place that’s more private. silence tethers them both until mina pauses in a dark alcove. minjun comes to a halt behind her, looking remorseful but before he can open his mouth to say something, she holds up a hand.

‘you are right. every shadowhunter should know what’s happening. in fact, there is no way we can uncover what is going on if we do not trust each other.’ she sounds insistent, as if she’s trying to get a point across. minjun crosses his arms, his left shoulder twitching uncomfortably when he moves. the silent brother did say he would experience the remnants of the attack for a few more days. apparently, even healing runes can only do so much.

“considering she’s your right hand woman, i’d expect less disobedience and more common sense. i don’t usually make a habit out of antagonizing my siblings and their confidants but i hope you can understand my situation.”

for her part, a small smile curves mina’s lips when she raises a single finger after she’s given him a long searching look. ‘of course. it’s why i’ll give you a full hour.’

“a full hour for what?”

‘to make yourself presentable. then i’ll announce your presence to the rest of the institute. it’ll help to avoid rumours, there’s nothing we need less than that at present.’

the hint of a frown adorns his features for the split of a second before his expression shutters. “so is there anyone else here i should know about? before my cluelessness gives away the reason for my sudden appearance.”

mina appears to take his meaning, although she doesn’t look pleased about it. ‘as long as you’re on your best behaviour, they’ll blame that on your recent encounter with the demon that put you into the infirmary.’

“seems likely.” that isn’t his whole motive for stalling such a public disclosure, but it serves well enough for now. “in this case, i better get to it. am i wrong for assuming you may assign me my quarters?”

his sister shakes her head. ‘kae will see to it that you’ll be given a room. at this time of the day, he should be with the recruits training for combat.’

kae. yeah, he remembers him. minjun nods, thanks his sister for the information and tries to suppress the annoyance from forming in his stomach like a knot when he begins to make his way towards the training rooms.

[itadori-san]

[intuwam]

hanieverse​:

aphrodite’s rival.

[vernons]

[intuwam]

vernons​:

christmas in august #2

[idlevr]

a date with minnie 💭

please like or reblog if you save

[intuwam]

idlevr​:

a date with minnie 💭

please like or reblog if you save

[femadols]

[intuwam]

femadols​:

marcellasne_