i'm flo, he/him────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────
- kpop stan
ald1, skz, enha(ot6), are my ults
- autistic, kpop demon hunters is my special interest :v
- bi, male preference
>18────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
Polytrix Omegaverse AU where Rumi is a global popstar, and Mira and Zoey are a singing duo that’s not as big as Rumi in popularity but have fanbases in modeling (Mira) and streaming/music producing (Zoey). So they’re all constantly in the news and all over social media.
Point of Order - ZoeMira (mated alpha pair) are Rumi’s exes (Rumi’s an omega btw), and she can’t leave them alone and vice-versa. The three of them are constantly trending simply because Rumi keeps getting spotted going to and leaving from their home when everyone knows damn-well they’re supposed to be blocked.
Mira and Zoey are absolutely no help at all, as they’ll post pictures and stuff to their social media where Rumi isn’t pictured but her stuff is clear and purposely visible in the background while Zoey and/or Mira is smirking at the camera like the smug little shits they are.
Rumi has been on the omegaverse equivalent of puberty blockers since she was 10, younger than normal presentation age (12-15), but it was the age her mother presented, so Celine wanted to be careful.
It's not malicious, but they have no idea how being half Demon will affect her presentation and instincts, heats and ruts could endanger her, and a unique scent makes it harder for Celine to protect her in disaster
To literally everyone, she's a beta, but the reality is she never presented.
She's a bit of an odd "beta" as she doesn't have the peacemaker tendencies, never releases calming pheromones, not really good at socializing(not seen by the public, only Celine and her girls), struggles with filling in the gaps between Mira and Zoey
Not to mention, she has lingering pup behaviors. Clinginess to packmother, basically always wanting to play with playmates(sparring, jam sessions, ect ect), deferring to people older than her, and the kind of stubbornness you only see in a petulant pup, talks about instincts and dynamics always have her looking lost.. it's not obvious but the trained eye can tell.
Her scent alone is a mystery. Beta's are supposed to have a scent, weaker than an Alpha's or Omega's, but it's supposed to be there ans rumi has a scent it just smells like the concept of nothing, kinda like purified water. It's like if you took a pups scent and ripped away the smell of babypowder that distinguishes them as kids.
Canon has her telling the truth to Zoemira the truth, how she isn't a beta. She's technically nothing. The girls ask if she wants to keep it they way, be adynamic? Or if she wants to go off the blockers and present?
In my mind, being unpresented is a point of distress for Rumi. One more thing othering her, she wants to present, to know herself fully.
Cue Rumi simulationously gokng through two different puberty's. Presentation and demon puberty, her girlfriends are there for her though it all
Oblivious Alpha Rumi x Down bad and stressed as fuck Omega Zoemira.
Rumi doesn't fucking notices that her care about her band(mates) is not good leader behavior, IS COURTING behavior.
Rumi orders their favorite food, waits until they take a bite before digging it and will give them her portion if they want more, she makes sure their favorite snacks are never out of stock, check every question in interviews beforehand, check contracts, give them clothes and blankets with her scent regularly for their heats and swap clothes, she had scheduled cuddle times. She stays close to them when a fan is getting too touchy, letting them deal with it but ready to attack at the minimal sign of discomfort or ask for help. She had growled at annoying paparazzi and annoying alpha male idols.
She just acts as a gentle alpha courting and protecting her beloved omegas.
Zoe and Mira answer the courting as traditional they can do it , because of course Rumi will be old fashioned like that, but instead their actions are dismissed with "Aw so nice of you".
They follow the rules courting to the T and she just doesn't fucking notices.
She is just being a good leader, she says, I am the alpha of course i have to take care of you, she says, we are a pack of course we love each other, she says.
Premovie there was an interview, Zoey's stomach hurt but she didn't want to stop the interview she was visible uncomfortable, what did Rumi do? Stop the interview? No
She picked her Maknae up and sat with her in her lap, caressing her back and putting Zoey close to her neck so she could have comfort to calm down. Rumi doesn't even blink or stop talking, she continues like having her maknae in her lap in the middle of an interview is something common for an idol group.
Zoey is red and dying, Mira has her head in her hands, the host jaw is on the floor, the whole room is silent.
Rumi continues talking but she slightly tilts her head and takes a quick look around, she ends focusing on Mira hiding her face and goes "oh she must have headache" so she puts her fucking hand on Mira's thigh because sadly she can't have both girls in her lap, she needs to train more this unacceptable.
She nods and finishes her answer and the Host picks herself enough to continue.
Zoey is dying, Mira is dying, the fans are dying but are really invested.
After the reveal, they thought that maybe that was keeping her from taking the final step, stoping from becoming official, stopping her from sharing their heat and her rut.
Maybe now they can be proper mates maybe the patterns were holding Rumi back and they're right... but not like they think.
Rumi is a lot more touchy feely like skin to skin touchy feely.
Scheduled cuddles piles and scent marking? No, Everyday cuddle piles and surprise scent marking.
Rumi is clingy as hell, for years she had to listen to her demon side whine about "to properly mark her pack with her scent she needed to touch skin to skin, she needed to stay close to them" now she is free to let her demon side run wild without fear of her patterns being revealed.
During heats ZoeMira waits for any signals of sexual desire from Rumi, but she is happy just giving them massages and cooking for them, she is at their beck and call.
Not gonna lie is very flattering, having the #1 bachelor Alpha under their command... the power is intoxicating.
But even so!
Mira has been in love with this alpha idiot since the day that her parents came for her during their traine days, they just wanted to marry her off to a new business partner fifteen years her senior. Rumi stood beside her since the car arrived and stayed quiet letting Mira fight her personal demons until her shitty dad slapped her and she froze all training gone from her mind memories of pain and punishment flooding back, she come back when she hear Rumi beastial growl, Rumi went full feral on his ass and only stopped when Celine tore her away.
Zoey fell in love in the first month bc Rumi's behavior was everything she ever dreamed and more, she was kind, gentle, she listened to her rambles and while it was scheduled her scenting never felt forced. She never laughs at her or treated her like an idiot when her adh brain was making things harder, she never acted as knothead when her emotion makes Zoey lose control of her scent.
They showed their interest but Rumi doesn't get it, they followed the protocol bc they thought that was rumi wanted but it wasn't working, all the attempts are dismissed as "friendly behavior" or "pack behavior"
They are this 🤏 close to walking to her room fully naked.
Then one day the third sunlight sister comes to visit and suddenly Rumi's behavior makes sense.
Zoe and Mira are stunned seeing hardass strict alpha Celine became a lovesick puppy in the presence of her packmate.
She devotes her whole being in taking care of Kim.
She is cooking Kimmie favorites, she is lavishing her with love and affection so openly, scenting her every chance she can.
Kim sitting: "God, my feet hurt"
Celine without second thought drops everything she was holding and kneels to massage her: "I told you, heels are unnecessary..." Proceeds to nag her but her voice is so soft.
Zoey can't keep her mouth shut bc her ship is sailing:"Are you mated?"
Celine rolling her eyes: "of course not! She is my pack mate obviously I have to take care of her!"
Celine says proudly and Rumi just nods like that makes sense. Poppy just sighs with a tired but amused smile and looks at them.
Suddenly Zoey gets a flashback of all the Sunlight sisters interviews, shows and events and lights are shining upon her.
Everything makes sense, it's like looking at a mirror.
Oblivious gentle puppy alpha Rumi is just copying her mom's behavior.
Her also oblivious gentle puppy alpha mom behavior.
Idea: only demons have A/B/O dynamics. Humans don't. So after the events of cannon Rumi starts going trough omegavers puberty. And, because there are no other demons there, she just starts presenting as an alpha.
She doesn't know what the fuck these feelings are. But she knows she likes it when Zoey and Mira smell like her. She starts senting them with out even knowing what she's doing. And she also likes to smell like them, but they don't have nearly as strong a sent as she does, so like, she'll just wear their clothes.
Imagen Rumi getting territorial. Over the places she frequents, and her girls. Like if she smells a demon in her territory, she get's absolutely pissed. Eventually demons start to recognize the territory as hers and stop emerging there. If some one starts flirting with her girls, or even if fans start to get too pushy, well it takes every ounce of media training she has not to snap at them.
You know how nesting is both an omega trait and can be an autistic trait? Imagen Rumi seeing Zoey's "nest" made out of a bunce of plushies and blankets and wanting to absolutely ravage her.
Then Celine sees how Rumi is acting around Mira and Zoey, not only the senting, but like the other alpha-y traits. That night, there is a package addressed to Rumi in the mail. Rumi recognizes the hand writing as Celine's, but opens it anyway. Inside is a letter, and a hand written, hand bound book. The letter is from Celine, and reads: "I found this with your mothers things. I hoped you'd never need it, but it looks like things have changed."
Rumi opens the book and doesn't recognize the hand writing, but inside is a note. "If you are reading this, it mean I wasn't hear to explain things to you. Hopefully this will help. Love, [what ever you head cannon his name to be], your father."
The book goes on to explain all the omegavers things. The secondary genders, heat and rut, scenting. Literally everything Rumi has been experiencing is explained by this one book. It's also how she figures out she's an alpha.
(The book becomes one of her most prized possessions, not because of how useful it is, but because it's all she has of her father)
Because humans don't have A/B/O dynamics, this effectively makes the relationship A/B/B. But they make it work.
I've seen some stuff exploring the idea and its so sad to me.
...like Rumi being affected in ways no one wanted or expected(except for Celine) and Rumi has literally no one to guide her through it except for pages in a book or nothing at all depending on the AU.
Of course Mira and Zoey are there but it's a learning experience for them too, they can't really do anything to help except for taking it all in stride.
Also! More of this outside of demon heat/rut smut slop please!
I have a fix I'm kinda working, not really, that explores this. Rumis an omega but Celine doesn't know that. She thinks its just a kid thing, which ends up spilling over into them being weird af to Huntr/x.
Your sick? Well obviously someone has to cuddle you all day!
We can smell your emotions? That's probably just a honmoon thing!(and it is, its just the honmoons way of protecting rumi)
Mira burst into Celines home frantic to ask her if shes seen rumi and why she hasn't been answering her phone.( after Rumi had beeing acting really weird the night before and they're still not sure what her meaning a demon MEANS)
Celine is cooking in the kitchen with rumi on her back, purring loudly. "She is feeling a bit under the weather."
The purring also does not register as a demon thing, at first Celine thinks its a baby, that rumi just never grew out of.
Omega!Rumi suffering from slight retroactive jealousy. She doesn’t say anything about it because she doesn’t want to come off a certain way but it’s there.
Omega Rumi feeling insecure about Mira and Zoey's past relationships with others and each other (without her being involved yet).
She's not upset that Mira and Zoey got together before her; they've been very clear that their feelings for each other and her have always existed, but it took a while for them to get to a point where they could acknowledge that, so of course they dated others in the past.
Except Rumi hasn't. Not really. She's been on a date or two, but it never goes anywhere. She'd been too paranoid about her patterns, and her devotion to Mira and Zoey always got in the way- even when she was certain her feelings were unrequited.
She'd definitely feel a bit 'behind' as a result. There's always a pit in her stomach whenever they talk about past relationships and/or lovers, and she's completely ashamed of it.
It's something that takes a while for Mira and Zoey to pick up on, and that's only after Rumi has a badly hidden panic attack on a game show that has Mira and Zoey being partnered with another omega from a different group that's briefly had flings with both of them early on in their career. Rumi knows for certain that it was physical (they had a smaller dorm with thinner walls back then), which drives her up the wall with jealousy, because she doesn't know how to 'compete' with that since it's still so early on into their relationship.
She's so upset that she doesn't even realize that the Idols she's been paired with are being extremely flirtatious with her, which is making ZoeMira tweak the fuck out.
It's one of the reasons Polytrix becomes an 'open secret' within their fandom, since none of them are able to be normal in any capacity about each other, and 'subtle' is simply an unknown concept to them.
But what if we play with an AU where the girls from our universe Huntrix meets with the omegaverse version of themselves ? Bonus points Rumi and Mira have no clue what omegaverse even is .
Omega Rumi: I hate that I have to hide what I am from my pack mates.
Regular Rumi: Holy shit, me too.
~~~~~~~
Alpha Mira: Yeah, I protect our pack as the dominant alpha, and Zoey and Rumi are my mates. We also sleep together like every night now.
Regular Mira: Sounds fucking sick, but what is an alpha? Don't tell me we're werewolves too.
~~~~~~~~
Alpha Zoey: Yeah so we're an alpha and Mira tops the absolute hell out of us. BUT- Rumi gets all hot and bothered when she watches and then we get to top the fuck out of Rumi so it evens out.
Regular Zoey: 'tears-of-joy-in-her-eyes' This is the greatest day of my life.
Imagine an ABO world where mating bonds are more than a marriage- more than a relationship- it’s a bond that cannot be broken. It literally changes a person physically- their scent mimics their partner’s and vice versa.
In Polytrix’s case, Mira and Zoey, as alphas, mated and found their scents combining- creating a new scent that drove Rumi absolutely insane. In this case, their scent changes to complement each other while also luring in Rumi- the omega they want and love more than anything else.
Rumi’s feeling really guilty that she’s “intruding” on their relationship; she’s so weak for their scent now, and she can’t stop looking at them as full-grown, proven alphas.
Rumi knows she’s always loved them- it’s in her nature as a Hunter, they were destined to be together one way or another.
But Zoey and Mira are dating- she shouldn’t want this.
Meanwhile, Zoey and Mira’s scents are literally telling on them; it’s signaling how much they want Rumi, but Rumi’s not thinking about that- she doesn’t even consider the implications about why their scent would change to be alluring for her.
Oblivious, guilt-ridden, self-sacrificing Rumi strikes again. Luckily, ZoeMira’s gonna get their girl in this one and they don’t hesitate to clarify their feelings once they realize Rumi’s not picking up on the hints (bombs) they’re dropping.
The idea of omegas being territorial and picky about their heats and who gets to spend it with them.
Case in point- Rumi nearly mauling another alpha trying to get close to her after giving him multiple warnings to stop while she’s in pre-heat, but immediately melting and turning into a lovergirl rivaling Mira’s levels when her alphas show up to the studio they’re at.
Zoey and Mira eat it up too- another omega tries to flirt with them while they’re in pre-rut, and Rumi’s all over them before they can politely turn down their advances and Rumi’s (only) glaring at the omega while smugly wrapping herself up in their arms (she’ll always give her fellow omegas more grace- ie she won’t maul them like she does audacious alphas- but don’t push her).
Like they may be polyamorous, but this triangle is CLOSED.
*TW: Alcoholism, addiction, weightloss, and suicidal ideation. Proceed with caution*
After the idol awards, Rumi and Celine don’t talk for two weeks.
Neither of them reach out, and that all changes when Rumi decides to call. But it goes straight to voicemail. She tries a few more times but receives nothing. Her texts won’t even deliver.
So, the three of them get on a plane to Jeju.
When they arrive at Celine’s home, they are shocked to see the whole house a complete and total disaster. Takeout containers everywhere, bottles upon bottles of alcohol, and trash everywhere. It’s not anything they are used to, Celine usually keeps her spaces incredibly neat.
When Rumi looks in the living room, she freezes.
Celine is sitting on the couch, an empty wine bottle on the table in front of her. A glass is in her hand, eyes bloodshot red, and she looks like she’s lost 20 pounds.
Up on the tv screen, Rumi sees her younger self. It appears to be a home video. The audio crackles in, and she listens.
“Come on, my sweet girl. You can do it.”
Little Rumi stands up, unsteady on her feet. Her face is focused, tiny brow furrowed. She hesitantly takes a step, before tumbling down.
A loud cry pierces the air. Celine places the camera down, but it still faces Rumi, who’s face is now red with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Oh my little hunter. It’s ok. You’re alright.”
Celine brings Rumi into her arms, rubbing her back and kissing her forehead. “I know that was scary, sweetheart. But you’re ok. I got you.”
Rumi buries her head into Celine’s shoulder, cries quieting.
The video goes on for another ten minutes, Celine clearly forgetting to turn it off. The ten minutes are filled with Celine comforting and soothing Rumi, until the little girl is all smiles again.
The video cuts, the screen going black for a moment before Celine emotionlessly presses play on another video.
In this one, Rumi is older, maybe five or six years old.
“Ok, today’s a big day. My little hunter lost her first tooth!” Celine exclaims, holding up a plastic baggy. The tooth is barely visible with in it.
“Hey! I’m not little!” Rumi exclaims. Celine laughs. She grabs a shrieking Rumi, and the next two minutes show Rumi getting attacked with playful kisses and tickles, until she’s completely breathless and teary eyed.
Celine looks up, finally noticing Rumi, Mira, and Zoey. They are standing there in shock. But Celine seems completely indifferent to them being there.
“Oh great. Now all three of you are showing up.” She says, standing up and grabbing a glass of whiskey from the kitchen.
“Celine? What do you mean by that?” Rumi asks, rushing to follow her.
“I know I failed you Rumi. I know I fucked up and don’t deserve to live after what I put you through. I don’t need Mira and Zoey to tell me that as well.”
Rumi is thoroughly confused. Celine hasn’t talked to any of them in weeks.
Why does Celine think she said that to her?
“Rumi, I think she’s been having drunken hallucinations.” Zoey murmurs. Her own father had been an alcoholic before his death.
“Of me?” Rumi asks. Zoey nods. Celine doesn’t pay any attention, going back to the couch and putting on another video.
Just how long has Celine been drinking herself to death?
(Support me on Kofi-https://ko-fi.com/lesbianandstressing)
In the vein of Huntr/x being insanely terrifying to match the work out of… imagine all the content creators who try to debunk, mimic, or figure out Huntr/x’s ‘tricks’. Those poor suckers. Like, you know the media is catching the girls doing wild things all the time.
“Huntr/x lyricist Choi Zoey caught on film out swimming a boat to save a turtle. Aw, that’s cute. But I’m here today to Debunk this article. I’ve found the exact model of boat and figured out from the size of the wake how fast it was going. My friend, Carmen, who is an Olympic gold medalist in swimming will be started at Zoey’s recorded position while I’ll be driving the boat.” But there’s actual video of Zoey’s entire swim in which she’s actually faster than the boat.
“Today we’re taking apart a rather unique sort of magic trick. During Huntr/x’s latest sold out concert in Seoul they seemingly dived in from a plane without parachutes and ‘killed’ a few ‘demon’s in the crowd. Huntr/x, as always, is incredibly tight lipped about how they perform their stunts. We don’t even know who those ‘demon’ stunt actors are. So well we can’t tell you how they did it, we can tell you how we could do it.” 15 minutes later. “No. This. It’s impossible? I can’t do it. It can’t be done! A human’s bones would snap at that amount of force. HOW DID THEY DO IT?!?”
”Now I know a lot of people are talking about Mira’s escape over the fence and down the stairs to avoid the paparazzi. And to get this out of the way first, yes, we stan the legend on this channel. The Queen should have flipped them the bird and no one deserves to be stalked so persistently they have to do this to get away. That being said, I nearly cried when I saw that perfect display of control and grace. So I’ve brought you out here today to show you exactly how amazing this was and how extremely difficult it is so you don’t do it at home. Remember I’m a trained professional with fifteen years of parkour experience, safety gear, and a fully inflated fall cushion at the bottom in case I make a mistake. For everyone who’s thinking ‘but Mira from Huntr/x did it and she’s ‘just’ an idol’ Firstly, fuck you. You obviously have no idea the sheer physical effort those girls put into just one song. Secondly, fine. Go die. I’m not liable for your dumbass suicidal decisions. Okay, now, let’s talk about leverage and grip strength for this first part-”
”In this seven hour long docu-essay I’ll discuss what, exactly, kind of cryptid Rumi might be. Starting with mermaid because, well, duh.”
I was rereading “my lies all collided (i don't know why i didn't trust you)” by @arendellesfirstwinter as one does and I had continuation plot line of sorts? (For the actual factual author of the fic that I tagged, I simply tagged you so others could follow your account if they liked the linked fic. I have no other intentions than giving credit where it is due and rambling for funsies below).
For the below text you could probably follow along without reading the fic I linked but for perfect comprehension you’ll have to read the fic I linked. Without further ado:
After all the blubbering, sobbing, wailing etc had passed Zoemira start making a joined effort to widen Rumi’s social network. Which Rumi will of course take the wrong way (“Are Mira and Zoey sick of me?” etc) because it seems a little out of left field and it kind of is a little out of left field.
Zoemira would love nothing more than to cling to Rumi and never leave her side (the definition of codependent in the Merriam-Webster dictionary e.d. 2025 bears Zoey and Mira facing each other like that one Spider-Man meme lmao).
But after hearing Rumi confess that she asked Celine for the assist BECAUSE she felt like there was nothing left (read: she had nothing left) to live for without Zoemira was scary and upsetting.
Scary because what if (Honmoon forbid) something happened to Zoemira? Upsetting because Rumi’s so great? How is it that she doesn’t have anyone else besides Zoey and Mira? Zoey’s got her online friends she games with and Mira’s got her modeling friends but Rumi really only has Huntrix?? This simply won’t do. It also conveniently doubles as a plot to get Rumi to work less. Two birds meet your one stone.
Hijinks, a bit of a shenanigans, and angst will thus ensue.
I wanna talk about the dynamic between Mira and Celine.
Trigger warning for mentions of Rumi's canon suicidal behavior.
I think a lot of people imagine it to have taken a while for teen Mira to warm up to Celine because of her childhood and family troubles and I agree with this point.
I also think that many writers characterize Mira as very quick to completely blow up on Celine when they find out about Rumi's request that night and her overall instilled values.
But let's talk about how Mira's efficient detachment from Celine could actually be a facade for how distraught she actually is.
As previously mentioned it took a long time for Mjra to trust and respect Celine. When she did it was well earned and a deeper level of respect than I think most people have for anyone in general
So they idea that Mira had waited and waited for this person to betray her trust, and then finally accepted them as safe, only to find out years down the line that she'd taught your best friend (love of your life) to hate themselves? Ya that broke Mira
Because now her trust was unfounded. Now she knows she was wrong. And more importantly, that she can't trust herself to know when someone is safe or not.
Mira doesn't share this with Rumi or Zoey. She blows up on Celine and cuts her out of her life where she can, but now she's skeptical of everyone.
Does Bobby actually love her like a daughter?
Do the fans think she's worthy like Zoey and Rumi?
And worst of all, she struggles to trust even the ones she loves the most
Are they really ok with her not always being the stoic protector?
Are they only with her so they don't hurt her feelings?
Does Zoey have a notebook about all the bad things about Mira
Has Rumi actually forgiven her for pulling her weapon on her?
post-canon polytrix is so funny to me because i'm just constantly imagining rumi saying the most concerning thoughts known to man and zoey + mira just have to Look At Her and go "?? how did you even make it this far. girl."
new systems for communication get put in place and zoey + mira are trying REALLY hard to not make things a big deal for rumi, who is notoriously flighty and skittish and easily embarrassed and feels nothing but shame and is EXCEEDINGLY stubborn and WILL in fact shut the fuck up and never talk about a problem again if she feels she's being mocked, so a lot of it is just:
r: i used to dream about celine killing me when i was a kid. normal?
m: [through gritted teeth] Not Normal
it's also a lot of:
r: i habitually and obsessively checked and counted my patterns every day until like last week. Would You Have Done That. If You Had Them.
z: [with 50 tabs about OCD open on her phone] hm no i don't think i would have babe. thanks for telling me though!
it gets to a point where rumi will walk into a room where zoey + mira are and she'll stand there for a while, clearly contemplating, before going "i have thoughts about you guys brutally murdering me. thoughts? opinions? feelings? Normal Or Not Normal?" and mira is busy miserably biting back wails of anguish while zoey nervously laughs and goes "ohhhh that one's probably Not Normal rumi!"
rumi loves this game (zoey and mira do not love this game) because it lets her express what she's feeling without having to actually like. really talk about it. and plus the answers mira and zoey give her are short and to the point, Normal or Not Normal, and so that helps with her putting together how very Not Normal her entire life has been
she stops loving this game when zoey and mira start asking Her things back. like:
m: do you think it's normal or not normal to have expected us to hurt you
r: [sweating, eyeing the nearest window] Norm. Norm...al?
z: [staring progressively harder] haha that's soooo interesting. Why Do You Think That.
r: Anyways. normal or not normal you love me you love me and you wouldn't make me answer that question. if you make me answer that question you hate me. do you hate me. normal or not normal. Please God Don't Make Me Answer That Question
pre kpdh rumi voiced her repressed emotions via playing guitar in her room and she played a LOT . the excess practicing + already being musically inclined basically made her a prodigy…?
also she likes using fingerstyle and post kpdh she uses her claws
AU - The tonics from Healer Han end up making Rumi worse. They don’t mess with her voice but they do push her demon form to the surface causing a terrifying and confusing morning for her when she walks into the kitchen in front of Mira and Zoey without realizing she looks like a regular demon.
Rumi walked in and paused in the entrance to the kitchen to do a yawn and stretch combo. She didn't realize when she did so that her hoodie rose enough to reveal patterns across her stomach, not that the sight of those would matter because yawning exposed fangs in her mouth and nails that were too pointy to be fake on her hands. Not to mention the patterns all over her face or the slight purple tinge to her skin. Mira nearly spat out her coffee and Zoey's spoon fell out of her hand and back into her cereal bowl.
The pair watched the demon who looks like Rumi in stunned silence. The sheer audacity had them flabbergasted. This demon showed no fear nor malice toward them: she just gave them a casual wave and a soft "morning!" before moving to grab a glass of juice from the fridge. Like she lived there.
"Uh...what are you doing?" Mira asked, nowhere near as hostile as she probably should be but she was still too fucking confused to be aggressive.
The demon smiled in a way Rumi does all the time, minus the fangs. "Getting apple juice," she replied with way too much familiarity, holding up the glass as proof. This demon certainly did her research. Demon Rumi then finally seemed to notice them staring at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she wondered with a nervous laugh.
Zoey didn't say anything, which was the first true alarm bell for Rumi. The maknae merely pointed, directing Rumi's attention to the large mirrored accent wall behind the island. And her heart dropped.
"Oh no," the demon in the mirror replied with her voice, moved with her intentions to bring a clawed hand to her patterned cheek, breaths increasing into panic just as Rumi's were. "No nono nononono." The more her distress rose, the worse it got. The patterns all over her skin started to glow an angry hot pink. (They actually felt hot, too.) Her skin started to take on a darker shade of purple, the claws and fangs grew from something that could be written off as a trick of the light to actual claws and fangs. Her left eye - which she only now realized had somehow turned a sickly yellow overnight - started to glow like it had been set ablaze.
Behind her in the mirror, Mira and Zoey summoned their weapons.
She always knew the possibility existed that they would attack her if they knew the truth about her demon heritage—that was the whole reason she’d kept it a secret—but it was one thing to strongly believe something will happen and to actually see it play out in front of you.
And those weapons looked a lot more terrifying when they were pointed directly at her.
“Where’s Rumi?” Mira demanded, “Why are you wearing her clothes?!”
Behind her, Rumi’s tail flickered and curled around one of her legs. Her mind was still going a mile a minute trying to figure out how she was a demon and why she was a demon all of a sudden. She didn’t remember doing anything that would have caused this, at least nothing was coming to mind.
Even with her mind working in overdrive, Rumi managed to get out, “I-I am Rumi. This—It’s all just—I’m not a real—“
“Okay. This has gone from kind of impressive to weird to just sad.” Zoey said, “You tried, you failed big time, just accept it so we can go on with our morning.”
“But I am Rumi! I swear! I don’t know why my patterns grew or why I look like this but I swear I’m Rumi!”
“Now, it’s just getting annoying. Where is Rumi?!” Mira lifted her gok-do and fired it straight at Rumi, “Where is she, demon?!”
Rumi's brain short-circuited. Instincts and years of training screamed at her to move. But her shock and disbelief that Mira would actually do that kept her feet rooted to the ground. In that moment every emotion possible circulated through her soul, her mind unable to make a decision until something deeply primal put its foot down.
And she vanished in a puff of pink smoke.
The gok-do slammed into the mirror wall, exploding glass in every direction.
At first, Rumi wasn't sure where she was. Her brain was still firing too fast, her heart beating so quickly and her breaths coming so short she was dizzy and lightheaded. But as she blinked and got her bearings, she realized this place was familiar.
The garden rows that she used to run up and down as a child stretched before her, lined with plants with summer harvests waiting to be collected. And there, at the end of the row she stood in, was Celine, calmly pulling weeds as she would so often do on summer mornings.
Relief was the first thing she felt, washing over her and putting her soul at ease. That must have been how she got here: whenever Rumi had a nightmare she would seek out her mother Celine. Celine always knew how to put her mind at ease, how to comfort her when she was afraid. And right now Rumi had never been so lost, so fucking terrified. She was having the worst nightmare imaginable, so of course she went to Celine.
Then Celine turned, and froze when their eyes met. And all of that relief was replaced by panic. Because what if Celine only sees her as a demon, too? What if she also thinks she replaced Rumi and tries to put her down? The idea that the only safe harbour Rumi had was gone rendered her paralyzed, once again unable to move as her potential demise stared at her with an unreadable expression. But Rumi knew Celine. She knew how she hunted demons.
She knew she'd never even get a chance to see it coming.
So she just...crumbled. She sunk to her knees, curled up in a little ball, and waited for it to end. She barely registered the tears trailing down her cheeks, or how panic-stricken breaths had turned to sobs. She didn't want to die. She didn't even know why the universe suddenly decided she should. She was so scared and alone and she hated herself so much for being this...this thing that all of her loved ones wanted to kill and she just wanted her mom and...
A hand came to rest on her shoulder, gentle and cautious. When Rumi dared to glance up, she was met with Celine's concerned frown. Worry and fear were etched clearly on her face, but recognition was there too. "Rumi?" she uttered, clearly taking in Rumi's physical changes, "What happened?"
Then a sound came from the pocket on Celine's cardigan. One day, before they debuted, Zoey had somehow managed to get a hold of Celine's phone and set different ringtones for each of her charges' numbers, and Celine had never bothered to change them. (And would never admit that she liked the personal touch, especially knowing that Zoey had asked Mira and Rumi to pick a song.) And so now, both of them knew who it was without even having to see the ringing phone:
She didn’t care that Rumi had tiny horns that were pushing into her chin.
She didn’t care that Rumi’s claws were digging into her back.
She didn’t care that Rumi’s tail was wrapped around her leg.
And she didn’t care that Rumi was currently sobbing so hard into her cardigan that the fact that she was able to get any words out at all was a shock.
The only thing she cared about was getting Rumi inside, safe, warm….and maybe fed. Had she eaten that morning? It was still early so maybe not? But water probably took priority right now over food. No, it definitely did. So shelter, comfort, water and food. In that order.
Celine had years of demon hunting to thank for her ability to pick up Rumi without an issue and carry her inside the compound. Even though the girls all lived in the city, Rumi’s room remained untouched in case she ever needed it and, thankfully, Rumi hadn’t grown much since she left the compound so she easily fit into her bed.
“Can you tell me what happened?” Celine asked, brushing Rumi’s hair out of her eyes, “Did….it happen?”
“Mmmhmm.” The only reason Rumi wasn’t sobbing anymore was because she kept her eyes snapped up.
“I take it it went badly?”
“Mmmhmm.”
“Should I accept Zoey’s call or leave it?”
“….”
“Let’s return to that later then. Do you want some water? Some food?” Celine asked, “Do you want Bear?”
“Bear.”
“Okay. I put him up so he wouldn’t get covered in dust. Can you let go of me so that I can go get him?” That seemed to be the first time Rumi realized she was still holding onto the cardigan, her claws having now broken through the fabric.
“Sorry! Sorry! I’m sorry!”
“No, shhhh. Shhh. You’re okay, Rumi. You’re okay. You know I have 100 cardigans and I have plenty of money to buy more.” Rumi let out another sob, “Just breathe, Rumi. Breathe.”
From her pocket, Rumi could hear another ringtone.
Celine glanced down at the ball of stress and sadness on the bed next to her. Rumi was still tucked into herself, claws gripping Celine's arm (but now with a careful tenderness, enough to grip but not puncture fabric or skin). Her tail had ended up wrapped around Celine's middle, the soft fur and striped pattern reminding Celine of an especially clingy cat. A single golden eye peered up at Celine from the shadows created by Rumi's current posture, and despite the unsettling inhuman-ness of it the sight still tugged at Celine's heartstrings. The iris was like molten iron, burning gold and red and emitting a soft light, but the tears pooling in it reminded her that it wasn't physically hot.
"My priority is you right now," Celine stated softly, running a gentle hand over Rumi's shoulder, "We can deal with everything else later."
"But..." Rumi swallowed tightly. Celine felt an involuntary shudder travel through Rumi's body. "They think I... They thought I replaced..."
"...I see."
The ringing had run its course, but only seconds later it started up again. On top of that, she could feel it buzz the way it would when receiving texts, and it was practically performing morse code in her pocket.
"I'm not going to leave you," Celine promised. She bit her lip, her hand shifting to thread her fingers through Rumi's hair. She gingerly ran over the horn sprouting from Rumi's skull, pushing some of the hair aside to ensure it hadn't done damage when it broke through. "Do you remember how this happened?" she tried again, "Anything unusual? A demon bite, or...some sort of curse?"
Rumi shook her head. "I just...woke up. I didn't even feel different. I..." she let out a shaky breath and curled further into herself. "I don't know," she whined pitifully.
"Ok, it's ok," Celine assured her, "We can figure this out."
"I don't... I was so close," Rumi continued sadly, "There was so much gold but now... How can I show my face now? Mira and Zoey want to kill me and I look like a monster and I couldn't sing to begin with and-"
"Hold on: you couldn't sing?" Celine asked, a sense of urgency beginning to rise in her voice, "What do you mean by that?"
Rumi froze, her body going stiff under Celine's hand. "I...I couldn't sing Golden," she revealed, "Th...the other night, when we had to cancel the song debut... I couldn't reach the high note and I...ran."
Celine sighed. She had been informed about Rumi having issues with that performance, and about how she had disappeared and didn't return to the set. She had been meaning to check in about that, but she wanted to give Rumi a bit of space. Huntr/x might have fallen under her label, but they were also grown adults with their own manager and responsibilites. It wasn't Celine's place to micromanage everything.
A sharp ringing pierced the air, causing both of their heads to snap at attention toward the door. Where, beyond the door, the landline was ringing. Celine sighed. That phone never rung, since so few people actually knew the number, so she had a suspicion about who was on the other line.
Celine thought it might be best to not ignore it, but a sharp gasp drew her attention back. Rumi was staring straight ahead, eyes wide and her body rigid. She sucked in a deep breath, and her tail tightened its grip around Celine. "The tonics," she breathed cryptically.
“Zoey-Zoey had this idea to go to this guy named Han for special tonics that were supposed to help my voice. I didn’t really think—I mean I thought…I thought they might be able to help but I didn’t really think about them much.”
“Okay. And I assume you took one last night?”
“Mmhmm. It was just grape juice when I peeled back the label but I like grape juice so I took it. Then I woke up and…” Rumi’s tail wrapped tighter around Celine.
“And you looked like this. It sounds like those tonics definitely had something to do with this but this is good. This is really good, Rumi. I have people in Seoul who can find this guy and fix this. You’ll be back to normal so soon and then we’ll figure out what to do about Zoey and Mira.” The use of Zoey and Mira’s name made Rumi flinch. Celine made a mental note to keep them out of the conversation for a bit, “Now that we know that, how about this? You feel like you can walk?”
Rumi nodded.
“Good. You come into the main room and lay on the couch, you can watch some tv, and I’ll get some food for both of us and call about this Han guy.” Celine told her, “Some demons, including half demons, can disguise their demon forms with concentration. If you can relax, maybe you can try and appear more human. It’s not a permanent solution but you would at least be able to walk around Jeju Island.”
“I-I’m sorry, Cece.”
“Sorry for what?”
“I should have kept it together longer. We were almost there and now Mira and Zoey want me dead and the Saja Boys are going to take over and everyone’s gonna die and it’ll be because I’m a good for nothing—“
“Hey!” Celine grabbed Rumi’s head and pushed it towards her. She’d heard those words too much in her own mind to let Rumi finish that sentence, “Listen to me, this is not your fault. It’s a set back but it’s one we’ll work on together. You’re not alone in this, Rumi.”
“…Thank you… Eomma Celine.”
“Always. Now, go find Bear and get to the couch. Oh! And no rom coms please.”
For the first time that morning, Rumi laughed, “They’re good. You just don’t know how to judge acting.”
Once the shock of that particular revelation died down, Rumi settled on the couch in Celine's living room while her guardian retreated to her office. Rumi could hear her muffled conversation with her "people" in Seoul over the TV, and she could almost picture the older woman setting up an investigation and possible hit job with the coordination of the head of a spy agency.
She was brought out of her thoughts by the landline ringing again. She glanced over at it, then down the hall to Celine's closed door. She bit her lip, wincing when she forgot how sharp her fangs were. She tried to ignore it, but each ring felt louder and more oppressive, and before she could think logically...
She was suddenly standing by the phone. She didn't even remember getting up, or walking to it. The dissipating pink dust surrounding her was her only clue, and she suppressed a groan. Yet another thing she needed to get a handle on, it seems.
But still... She really did want to answer the phone. Maybe her body knew something her brain didn't. Or...perhaps it was her heart beating out her mind.
She picked the phone up from its holder.
"Celine? You there? Is everything ok?!" Zoey's frantic voice filled the silence of the room, and Rumi felt her breath hitch just hearing it.
"Celine! Something's happened! We think Rumi's in danger and we need your help!"
"Z...Zoey," Rumi stammered, "Zoey, it's ok!"
"RUMI?!" Zoey and Mira, now. Zoey must have her phone on speaker.
"Wait... How do we know it's really you?" Mira demanded, suspicion and fear making her sound harsher than normal, "Demons could have gotten to Celine. Why are you on Jeju, Rumi?"
Rumi could feel her brain buffering, picturing the little spinning beach ball of death. Why was she on Jeju? She couldn't really answer that truthfully for herself, let alone come up with a convincing lie for Mira. "I... Last Christmas I adopted a sea turtle from the WWF for Zoey. She named the plushie representing it 'Myrtle'. And that same year I adopted a polar bear for Mira and she secretly named the plushie 'Snowball' but in public she calls it 'Odin' because it sounds cooler."
"I...I do not," Mira stammered in the background.
"Ok, that's definitely Rumi," Zoey agreed, "But why are you on Jeju?"
"It's...a long story?" Rumi said with a wince.
"Well you can tell us soon in person," Mira told her, "We're almost at the ferry. Should be a few hours."
That's when Rumi registered the sound of a car engine that was probably going a little too fast to be legal in the city. And her panic spiked. "Wait! No! You have to stay in Seoul!"
"What? Why?" Mira demanded.
"What if the Saja Boys try something?" Rumi argued, "People could be in danger. You need to stay there and make sure the Honmoon doesn't get any weaker."
"But what about you?" Zoey asked.
"Don't worry about me," Rumi assured them, frowning as she glanced down at her free hand and all it's patterned, clawed glory, "Focus on keeping people safe. I'll figure things out here with Celine and get back to you guys as soon as I can."
It was quiet for a concerning amount of time, the only sound coming from Mira's aggressive driving.
"Guys?" Rumi tried anxiously.
"Why are you on Jeju, Rumi. We just saw you last night so you would have had to leave right after we went to bed," Mira challenged.
"I..." Rumi gulped, her grip tightening on the phone. She felt her patterns begin to glow hot as she floundered, unable to come up with something convincing. "I...I'm here because-"
The phone creaked, then let out a loud crack as the plastic crumpled in her grip. Rumi dropped what was left of the device with a panicked gasp, trying and failing to calm her breathing.
Meanwhile, back in Seoul, Zoey turned to Mira. The dial tone droned on from the phone she held between them, speaking louder than anything "Rumi" could have said.
"Do we...do what she said?" Zoey wondered tentatively, "She was right... What if the Saja Boys are planning something and they wanted us out of the city?"
Mira sucked in a deep breath and exhaled sharply through her nose. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, willing the red light to change if it valued its life. Ahead of them, they could see the turn off to the ferry dock.
"Right now, I couldn't give less of a shit about the Saja Boys," she growled, taking off a little too sharply and squealing the tires when the light changed.
She didn't deviate from the intended destination, and they turned off toward the ferry to Jeju Island.
"Mira, are you sure we should be doing this?" Zoey asked.
The ferry to Jeju Island was large enough that both Zoey and Mira could simply cover their heads and they could avoid detection. The last thing they needed was someone getting a picture of them and thinking they were going to Jeju Island because Celine died or something---Bobby would not like having to deal with that story.
"Rumi or...something like Rumi is on Jeju Island and we need to figure out what is going on. First that demon pretends to be her this morning and teleports away before we can kill it, then Celine isn't answered our calls or texts and then we do get in touch with Rumi and somehow she's made it to Jeju Island in the middle of the night without either of us waking up or telling us? Something is wrong and we need to figure out what."
"I know. I know. You're right. We need to figure out what's going on with Rumi. The Saja Boys don't matter if our group falls apart."
Mira must have finally sensed how stressed and scared Zoey was because she extended a hand forward and rested it on Zoey's wrist, "Our group won't fall apart. It's Rumi. She may do...a lot that we don't fully understand but she wouldn't do any malicious or stupid."
"You're right. It's Rumi. Rumi's our leader and our friend. Once we see her face to face, we'll figure out what's going on and get a good, solid, honest answer."
---------
"They're coming here?" Celine fought to keep the sharpness out of her tone, "They called you almost an hour ago so they're probably on the ferry by now." Celine had a hand in her hair and she was biting her lip so hard that Rumi was positive she could see blood. She'd never seen Celine this stressed.
"Are we going to run?" Rumi asked.
"No, I have a better idea." Celine told her, "We'll tell them that this is one of Gwi Ma's tricks." She explained.
"What?"
"Gwi Ma has grown more powerful with the help of the Saja Boys and one of his tricks has been to turn you into a demon. I'll tell Mira and Zoey that once you girls turn the honmoon gold you'll go back to normal and you will! It works perfectly!" Celine was smiling now, like she'd just figured out the solution to all their problems.
"You want me to lie to them again?" Rumi asked.
"I know it hurts Rumi, but this is the best option for you and for Mira and Zoey. It keeps them from hurting you and keeps your group together. Long enough to defeat the Saja Boys and turn the honmoon gold."
For a moment or two, Rumi didn't respond. Instead, she stared down at her patterns. By now they covered her completely and the ends of her hands and feet were turning purple like a demons. She flexed her claws once or twice and allowed her tail to twitch behind her.
This.
This was what she fought for years to keep Mira and Zoey from finding out.
Now they knew.
Now they wanted her dead.
No part of Rumi wanted to die or wanted Mira and Zoey to kill her. Despite her sobs earlier that morning she had been honest when she told Celine that.
But she was too tired to keep lying to them.
Too tired to come up with another lie she had to keep on top of.
And she loved them both too much to add another lie to the list.
Celine's expression hardened. "What?" she demanded. It wasn't harsh, per se, but... Rumi could tell she had thrown her guardian off guard. And when Celine is put in a position where she has to go on the defensive... It can be more dangerous than walking through a mine field.
"I don't want to keep lying to them," Rumi stated firmly, "They've already seen it. They know, Celine."
"And we can tell them it's an illusion," Celine snapped back.
"A pretty elaborate illusion!" Rumi returned, her tail swishing in response.
"Rumi..." Celine warned.
"No! This is my only chance to tell them the truth!" Rumi argued.
"You won't get a chance to tell them! They'll take one look at you and-"
"Then help me! They might not listen to me but they will listen to you!"
"There's no guarantee of that! I taught you all to never hesitate, and to be suspicious of everything out of place. What if they think I'm a demon, too?"
Rumi's patterns started to burn once again, but this time the pain felt different. It didn't feel like the punishing sting of doing something stupid and getting injured. It felt like something needling, like bee stings on the hide of a bear. "But you can prove it! A...and then you can tell them-"
"I'm going to tell them that this is a trick by Gwi-Ma," Celine said defiantly, "And you aren't going to tell them otherwise. We need to get a handle on this, Rumi. Right now the safest thing to do is-"
"What's the point of being safe if I'm lying to my friends forever?" Rumi challenged, "How is constantly having to keep track of what I tell them better than just telling them the truth?" Her tail thrashed angrily. A lump was forming in her throat, a sound she suspected wasn't going to be human so she held it back.
"You won't have to worry about it for long," Celine returned, "Just until the Honmoon turns gold and fixes everything."
"And what if it doesn't?!" Her voice rose just a little too much, there was too much fire in her heart, and a multi-layered timber erupted from her throat. The Honmoon shuddered worryingly, and the lights flickered before burning out, leaving Rumi as the dominant light source in the room.
That, and the glowing hilt and lower half of a blade materializing from the Honmoon.
Celine dispelled the sword quickly, holding her hands up in front of her to prove she wasn't going to do that again. But the damage had been done anyway.
"Are you...afraid of me?" Rumi uttered, her anger dissolving as if doused in acid.
"No, Rumi, I..." Celine ran her hands shakily though her hair, a move Rumi rarely saw but knew it was a sign her guardian was stressed. "That is why we have to hide it," Celine insisted after a moment to collect her thoughts, "It's not that I wanted to do that. And it's not that Mira and Zoey want to kill you. We've been trained to see things a certain way. To react a certain way. And... One wrong move, and..."
Rumi took a step back. She shook her head in disbelief. "But... If you've been trained one way, then you can learn something else. Y...you didn't kill me in the garden, even when I looked like..."
"Rumi... The risk is too great. You can't trust that they won't see a flash of your patterns and..."
Rumi swallowed tightly, her claws digging into her biceps as she crossed her arms over herself. "Did...did that ever happen with you?" she asked shakily.
Celine's expression was grim when she bowed her head. "Why do you think I wanted you to cover your patterns when it was just us?"
Rumi stared at the hands that had dispelled the sword. The hands that had recently held her lovingly, but also had tugged fabric over patterns time and time again. The hands she thought were the only ones still safe for her to fall into without risk... until now.
Now she could only see the blades that had been hovering in them just moments ago... against her.
She wasn't safe anywhere.
She wasnt safe.
She wasn't safe like this with Mira and Zoey, who wanted to cut her down for the human Rumi never was.
She wasn't safe like this with Celine, who at the first sign of Rumi not bending to her caused her to summon weapons against the demon she saw.
She definitely wasnt safe among the demons they saw her as. That she currently was.
Because she never belonged anywhere, did she?
She had hoped... had foolishly believed she could... but with one single raise of her voice, and three sets of weapons summoned against her in the span of an hour... she finally understood.
She realized as her own mother Celine couldnt even look her in the eyes... she belonged nowhere.
And with every fiber of her being realizing it- believing it- her uncontrollable teleport obliged that truth of where she felt she belonged.
When Celine finally shoved her own shame down enough to look her daughter Rumi in the eyes again, she found only the faint trace of smoke where she once stood.
(Too scared to delete my other post and I didn’t see this one so I’m just responding here)
“RUMI!?!”
Mira and Zoey arrived at the compound without expecting much. They wanted answers from Celine and Rumi, yes, but they never believed it would be a huge event. In the back of Zoey’s mind she still hoped that this could all be fixed with a simple explanation and then they’d laugh about it all the way back to Seoul.
Something told her that wasn’t the case.
And something really told her that when they arrived and found Celine running around the compound like she had lost the most precious thing in the world to her, screaming Rumi’s name while her voice gave out.
“Celine?! Celine, what’s going on?!”
“Rumi’s gone! I don’t know where she went but she’s scared and angry and—Miyeong.”
“Woah. Woah.” Mira grabbed Celine’s shoulders, “What is going on?”
“We have to find Rumi. She left and I don’t know where she went. I don’t know if she’s safe or if she even knows where she’s going.” What if she teleported away?! She couldn’t control where she ended up. What if she ended up in Gwi Ma’s lair or with the Saja Boys??
“Why did Rumi leave Jeju Island? Did you two fight?” Zoey asked.
“Rumi—…The demon you saw today was Rumi.”
“…..I’m sorry what?”
“She’s half demon. She was born with patterns that I’ve been helping her hide since she was a baby.” Celine explained, “That demon you saw today was her. She was telling you the truth.”
“You lied to us?!?”
“We almost killed Rumi!”
“We don’t have time to worry about either of those things right now! Please! I know we both lied but Rumi is out there and she needs our help. She needs you two.” Honmoon knew she didn’t need her right now.
“No, no, we’re getting answers—“ Mira stopped when she felt Zoey’s hand on her arm.
“Mira, Rumi needs us. This is more important right now.”
Rumi blinked and discovered that she had teleported again. She was dismayed to discover, however, that she was still on Jeju. The large tree in the centre of the Hunter's Graveyard loomed over her, the ribbons swaying gently in the breeze. "Ugh!" she groaned, spinning around on her heel and kicking a nearby rock in her frustration.
Stupid teleportation. If she was going to have this ability then why couldn't she get it to work properly? She should teleport to where she wanted to go, right? Well, she definitely didn't want to be on Jeju. She wasn't even sure if she still wanted to be in Korea.
Maybe if she thought about it really hard, she could shoot herself into the magma chamber of Mount Hallasan.
"Rumi?!"
She whipped around, hearing Celine's voice in the distance. Rumi gulped nervously. Celine sounded panicked. Scared, even. Probably worried about what something like Rumi could do on the loose like this.
"Come on. Take me home," she hissed at herself, closing her eyes and concentrating as hard as she could. But her new powers refused to send her anywhere.
And actual growl left her mouth this time. Which only made her frustration worse. As she contemplated which direction into the forest she should run to, her eyes landed on a familiar gravestone.
"This is all your fault!" she snarled, stomping in front of her mother's headstone and sneering at it as if her ghost was standing there instead, "You just had to fuck a demon! You just had to give birth to me! And then you just had to die so you did have to deal with how much of an abomination I am!"
The stone said nothing, as stones cannot reply no matter how vitriolic the words thrown at them are.
Rumi sunk to her knees before the stone. Her tail curled around her in a self comforting hug, but the fact that it was there did little to help. "I shouldn't be here," she murmured as she curled up again, making herself as small as possible and wishing the ground would just swallow her whole, "I don't belong anywhere."
Suddenly, she felt the ground tremble as if rocked by an earthquake. The Honmoon came alive with violent red ripples, shaking so much bits of it started to lift away into the air. Rumi sprung to her feet, her gaze turning to the direction the weakness in the Honmoon was coming from, and her heart sunk with dread.
