she sees the look of hesitation, of uncertainty flitting in between the hive member’s expressions, and phantom revels in it. the kind of power that shinhwa held and willingly gave to their subordinates was something they’d taken for granted, and phantom would gladly take any tremble of affirmation. so she continues, eyes glinting with something akin to madness, the kind of madness that earns prescriptions. lips curling past teeth, the girl sneers. “there’s always bloodshed. this time, you just happen to be unable to control it.”
Keep reading
( trigger warning: death mention, violence, blood. )
minji knows-- deep down, she can’t save everyone. there will always be situations and scenarios out of her control. she’s not a superhero, she’s not a god-- she can’t protect everyone even though she desperately wants to.
so it hurts to see the life fade from the man’s eyes. the red scattered on his neck, the woman’s blade and the ground. her lips twitch, and anger licks in her gut. her fingers tighten around the lance in her hand. she knows she couldn’t have helped him; not with this volatile of a woman, not with her empathy, her hesitation.
there will always be sacrifices, she hears the mantra of her shinhwa superiors in her head. there will always be casualities-- all in the name for shinhwa. it’s a chant she’s grown to hate, a stark reminder of the questionable actions of the company she’s pushed away for so many years.
“do you hear yourself?” minji’s voice is sharp. “you’re not some harbringer of justice. you don’t get to choose who lives or who dies. you’re not the decider of right or wrong.” her arm is quick, and she lifts her lance in a point-- the serrated edge of the lance pointed in the woman’s direction. minji’s expression, for the most part is determined, stern-- with the faintest lines of frustration tugging at the sides of her mouth. “you speak so righteously, but have you ever stopped to think about how you’re just the same as them?”
her eyes flicker to the body tossed to the ground. “i can’t save everyone. i would be a fool to say that.” she states, eyes flickering back to the female. “but i can at least fight for their honor-- especially against someone who comes off like exactly what they’re trying to hunt down.”
the thief was on her merry way to find a food stand and hopefully lift something sweet. then all of a sudden she feels someone bump ( more like crash ) into her. frown only deepens as the she looks to see a girl literally holding onto her for support. hearing the girl’s apology only made her eye twitch from irritation, “yeah you weren’t paying attention.” lisa says brushing herself off, and the thief wants to know what this girl’s deal was? bumping into people and shit it’s annoying. “i’m fine, but you know what would make me better?” lisa asks her expression brightening up, “food, cause i mean you basically owe me. i could’ve fell over and broke my neck.” she says it as a matter of fact, and she crosses her arms, shifting her weight onto one hip. dramatic? not really. a girl has to eat, right?
minji frowns at the woman’s reaction. she retracts her hands slowly, lowering them to her sides as she blinks slowly at the woman. her eyes briefly flicker over her form-- looking over for any obvious injuries, anything she’s knocked out of place. not finding anything immediate, her stare moves back up.
“i apologize.” she says shortly, bowing her head towards the other. she shifts in place, adjusting the position of the lance on her back. eyes flickering around briefly, noting her surroundings before they settle back on the female once more. “i wasn’t looking.” at you, she thinks. she was looking at everything else around her. her mouth opens to inquire what the girl means, but she’s closing it shortly after. her eyebrows raise in question, and for a second she’s stunned at the girl’s words-- her boldness, rather. though it’s a nice change than the way people usually respond to her.
“you--could have broke your neck...” she trails off, glancing at the ground. minji isn’t sure that’s really true; she might have scraped herself, maybe twisted her ankle, or gotten an injury near her head, but minji couldn’t have hit her hard enough to break her neck or cause something of the sort. though she keeps quiet, not willing to ire the girl anymore. “ah, i--” she hesitates, eyes moving around her. there isn’t any sign of trouble or danger, so it should be okay. if anything, minji’s quick, she can hurry to the point. she sighs softly. “i suppose i could do that.” she offers quietly, eyes returning to the girl. “would you like to pick the place?”
even as a child, she’s never been the type to be fearful of how far away the ground is. she’s adventurous, wild at heart; even staring down at the ground from her perch on the roof doesn’t frighten her. the air brushing through her hair feels normal, natural and at home in it’s way. her lance gripped loosely under her fingers-- and she awaits, like a predator stalking her prey.
the eco-terrorists should be wandering around; her in-ear buzzes with notices of her teammates-- here, there, any sight? awaiting command. it’s a constant sound of white noise to her. her eyes are sharp as they watch, not willing to miss a single step, a single thing out of place.
a shadow flickers. the faintest sound of footsteps attempting to be silent. minji hums, lowering herself to a crouch carefully-- she holds her position. it’s seconds that feel like minutes, moments that feel a tad bit too long. her breath catches, holds tight in her throat as the form moves beneath her. she swallows-- and then minji jumps.
the air whipping past her always feels just at home.
her feet land on the pavement, the thrum of pain settling in her legs that dulls shortly after. she doesn’t take a second to think, swinging her lance forward and outstretching it towards the other. the tip of the serrated blade is pointed at the being, and minji stares evenly at the woman in front of her.
“this is about as far as i’m going to let you get.” she offers softly.
minji noona had easily become one of his favorite hive members — which he supposes isn’t saying much when there’s only a handful of them but it is true that he’s warmed up to her more quickly than he had some of the other soldiers each time he rose a rank. his smile didn’t fade each time but he knew of the whispers behind his back and he knows it’s the same for her, that people talk of how quickly she’d been promoted but she works hard and he sees it firsthand whenever they train together. within months, she became a role model and inspiration to him. not to mention, it is nice that she’s pretty. he’d tell her to her face if it didn’t seem awkward. he’d learned the hard way growing up that sometimes compliments like that can be taken the wrong way.
“ hey noona, how ‘bout takin’ a break n’ tryin’ your hand at this game? maybe get on my level a bit, ” he jokes, brows lifting as he swings the hammer for whack-a-cactuar, angling it so his idiocy doesn’t pull the mallet free of its string. “ if you get past the second level, i’ll even help ya. ” it’s technically cheating, he knows, but all the kids did it. he definitely did when he was younger and it’s fun. part of him likens it to drumming anyway.
her eyes drift from place to place-- never settling for long. minji takes her job incredibly seriously, even if it doesn’t look like danger is around. the carnival has been safe and sound for the most part. excluding the occasional drunk or shinhwa anti running their mouth, there hasn’t been anything dangerous enough for her constant attention. to be honest, she’s a little bored, but minji has a reputation, an image to uphold, even if she’s waning slightly.
she glances over at chanyeol’s voice, tilting her head towards him slightly. blinking at him slowly, she tilts her head-- eyes averting from him to the game. the object of the attraction is simple, and it looks...exhilirating in a way that keeps you on your toes. a mindless, fun little game to pass the time. her fingernails tap on her arm, and she hums in thought. pushing off the wall, she takes a few small steps forward, peering down at the game closely.
“on your level?” she questions quietly, eyes flickering back up. she snorts, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. “it...doesn’t really seem that hard.” minji muses. “you just hit the cactuar when it pops out, yes?” she watches chanyeol carefully, eyes narrowing in thought. briefly, her eyes glance over her shoulder-- looking over the area briefly. there’s no sign of trouble, struggle or anything of the like. it wouldn’t hurt, would it?
“you don’t have to help me.” she says softly, turning her head back to the other. “i’ll try. and who knows, maybe i’ll be even better than you.” eyes drifting to his, she gives a small, playful smile.
“Born amidst the timeless conflict between men and dragons, these lance-wielding knights have developed an aerial style of combat, that they might better pierce the scaled hides of their mortal foes.”
LEGEND OF THE DRAGOON,
a playlist for shinhwa hive member, kim minji.
( ● crossing field - amalee ● mayday - dreamcatcher ● unravel - amalee ● angel of darkness - alex c. (feat. yasmin k) ● reluctant heroes - amalee ● diamond - dreamcatcher ● )
TRACK01 ━
‘ no matter how how i’m knocked around or beaten down, i will stand up restored. ‘ ⏩ ‘i will become your sword and shield, this crossing fields; the path we select. ‘
TRACK02 ━
‘ my voice is crashing against an invisible wall and scattering, yeah. the salvation that will stop this game that wraps around me. ‘ ⏩ ‘ i don’t know where i am (so where). i’m running but i’m still at the same place (got lost). ‘
TRACK03 ━
‘ i’ve thrown away reality and it has changed me. i’m not the same, don’t call my name. don’t wanna hurt you, but if you must see look through your memory; that’s where i will live on. ‘
TRACK04 ━
‘ darkness has fallen in paradise, but we´ll be strong and we will fight against the creatures of the night. ‘ ⏩ ‘ don´t follow your command, but i will fight and i will stand. ‘
TRACK05 ━
‘ sing for reluctant heroes. oh, give me your strength, your lives are too short. sing for reluctant heroes, i wanna be brave like you. ‘ ⏩ ‘ it was like a nightmare, and it’s pain for me. because nobody wants to die too fast. ‘
TRACK06 ━
‘ even if it’s broken or burnt, you can’t hold it. you can’t touch it at all. i’m an unbreakable diamond. ‘
it’s the second night of the carnival-- and minji watches idly around her, leaning her shoulder up against a lightpole a few paces away from a small drink vendor. she swirls a cup of chilled coffee, lifting the straw up to her mouth and sipping, her eyes flickering left and right. being on patrol for the most part has been...rather boring. there’s been nothing really to report, the in-ear silent other than a few comments between her teammates.
her tongue pokes the inside of her cheek, a light sigh leaving her. she wishes there was something to do, bored beyond belief. the lance on her back knocks against the pillar with a soft sound. her lips purse, shaking her head briefly; she goes through the various activities in her head. perhaps try for the scavenger hunt to bide her time, or maybe grab some actual food to eat? the carnival is something fun and exciting, with lots of things to offer-- but here minji is, too worried she’s going to set herself up for failure if she doesn’t dedicate every moment to shinhwa, as they expect.
her eyes briefly flicker to the side as she pushes off, only to still as a body moves jarringly close to her. her hands are quick, grabbing at the body as she steels herself upright in an attempt not to fall from the collision. her breath catches, before it’s tumbling out of her in concern. “sorry, sorry. i wasn’t paying attention.” she retracts her hands after a moment, but they hover uncertainly before lowering back down. “are you alright? i...ah, should have been paying more attention.”
she knows that sometimes she comes off as overbearing to her fellow members; too stingy at times, too nagging. always with a frown or a furrow in her brow, making idle comments about being reckless and getting hurt. minji does it out of concern, because despite the various personalities within their group-- she still cares about all of them. they’re supposed to be a team, and while it doesn’t feel that way at times, she would take a bullet, a blast of magick, a knife, a punch, anything to ensure their safety.
“hansol!” she calls out, after reporting their finds to the general. they’re on the way out of one of shinhwa’s facilities in the business district. she’s moving fast, long strides and heels clicking as she moves to step into place with him. her lips purse as she flickers her stare in front of them-- then back to the male. minji is sure she’s coming off a bit...abrasive, but after the last patrol outside borders had left them with an unexpected battle, she’s feeling a bit antsy after seeing her teammates respond to it. they’re skilled enough to take it, skilled enough to defeat it-- but the worry scratching at her insides won’t allow her to keep quiet about her feelings.
“do you have a moment?” minji asks, eyes glancing over the male’s features, attempting to read it. “i...i’d like a minute of your time? a small discussion, i promise.” she feels tense, rigid; it’s aggravating to her that she’s so concerned, so bothered with the way sol’s fighting style is so different to hers and chanyeol’s and their medic. he’s skilled, he’s great at what he does, but she still needs to express herself.
“back off, and he lives.” a pointed look at the other, and then the blade is touching skin, right at the jugular.
watch and learn, soldier.
minji’s been trained never to falter at the sight of danger. never to falter in a situation of risk, so she doesn’t. head held up high and eyes careful, keen and focused on the woman. on her stance, and the weapon in her hand; briefly her eyes drift to the male at her feet, then back to the offender. her lips purse, eyes narrowing. she takes one careful step forward.
“i’m sorry to bore you with protocol.” she offers sincerely; it’s routine, and minji is tired of stating it so often as she is of hearing it uttered. she pauses, eyebrows pinching and furrowing lightly as she takes in the words. “you’re doing...me, a favor?” she questions quietly. her eyes flicker down to the man, and then back up-- and she’s tensing at the quick movement, several steps forward until she’s stopped with the attacker’s statement. minji blinks, slowly, eyes trailing over the situation as her head wanders through ways to respond, to take care of it.
there’s too much distance, too much at stake. something’s gonna give, injury and a life may be taken. it’s like she’s nineteen all over again and her expression grows void, apathetic. it isn’t great to think about things that’s going to upset her, especially in a face of a possible battle.
“there doesn’t need to be any bloodshed.” she offers quietly, keeping herself still no matter the buzzing in her bones. move, attack! her head shouts at her, but she keeps her body frozen, trailing between the female and the knife pointed at the other man. instead, she focuses on what the lady has uttered, eyes narrowing in thought instead. “i’m not too pleased at what you’re doing, either.” she fights the urge to snort. “awfully bold of you to be playing god. deciding who gets to live and doesn’t.”
free starters! i’m a bit slow with plotting, unfortunately, so i’m gonna post a starter call! if we are already plotting or have a thread, i don’t mind writing multiple or just winging with what we have plotted-- i usually just take things by the wheel and go with it! :> so if you’d like one, just pop a like on this post & i’ll write you one asap! i’ll shuffle it up to either being general or event focused, unless you specify!
so cliche, this was, backing her victims into a corner before offing them. where was the fun in that? but just as she’s about to deal the finishing blow, she hears the flap of wings, the crows littering the alleyway scattering with a harsh caw, and then phantom turns, eyes narrowing at the soldier striding her way.
perhaps she’d spoken too soon.
their world is full of sad, sad things.
or that’s what minji thinks. she knows that their are good things in the world, that cause happiness and ecstasy and make the world worth living. but lately, she’s been more jaded-- more cynical and critical of the things around her. she blames it on the fact that she’s in a position of power to a degree, that she’s been forced into situations that often change her piece by piece with each passing moment.
it’s a panicked child that alerts her. worried talk about bad people and fighting that brings both concern and a minor bit of irritation to minji. it brings her to this-- perusing around the streets to find the source of it. she doesn’t have to look too far-- because only so much can hide in a place minji has to know. shinhwa owns this city, as far as shes concerned, and minji has to be aware of each nook and cranny of it if she’s going to keep up with shinhwa’s standards.
her heels click on the ground as she approaches, her pace slowing as she sees the form crouched over a body. the air is tense-- and her fingers curl around the form of her lance as she watches. her head lilts to the side as she slows, the sounds of birds around them. minji hums, expression carefully blank. her eyes flicker to the body, only seeing glimpses of a soldier uniform-- and her eyes narrow as they return.
“sorry to interrupt,” she muses, jaw tightening as her fingers tighten around her lance. she’s still, tense and watchful-- wary of the distance, wary of the skills the other possesses. she’s not a hive member for nothing, and she certainly isn’t an amateur when it comes to things like this. “...but i’ll have to ask you to drop your weapon and stand. please, don’t make this any harder than it has to be.” it’s all routine, words said over and over that come out like a script.
Dragoon (竜騎士): also localized as Dragon Knight or Lancer, the dragoon is a recurring job in the Final Fantasy series. First appearing in Final Fantasy II, they have become one of the most iconic job classes in the series. They are powerful physical attackers who wield spears and lances, wearing special armor meant to invoke the imagery of dragons, such as helmets shaped like dragon heads, spikes, and wing/scale designs.
ever since that dreaded day nearly two years back, fighting a coeurl isn’t as hard as it used to be. driven by sheer anger, determination to exterminate and protect such a strong one. the beasts never stand a chance-- and they’re fallen to the ground at her feet, whiskers twitching with electricity as minji gazes down at them tiredly. her fingers are loose around her spear, dotted red and black with lifeforce-- and for a brief moment, she feels sad. guilty, at the thought of taking the life of a creature that was just following survival instincts-- but it’s squashed as easily as it came. no room for thoughts like that, she tells herself, and shakes her head shortly. twisting her body, she tosses her hair over her shoulder idly before freezing at the sight behind her-- body going still.
a malboro looms near. it’s mouth curved into an eerie smile-- and from the shadow of the greenery around them, she can see the slithering motions of it’s limbs. minji swallows thickly, shifting briefly. the monster twitches, and it shuffles forward-- stilling, as if it’s trying to find her. sense movements or feel the ground vibrate under her feet with each move.
she inhales, and the smile widens. a gurgling noise escapes the creature as it staggers forward-- and minji steels herself. she steps forward, once and twice before digging the base of her lance into the ground and launching herself up high into the air. she sails over the creature-- hearing it’s loud call of anger in response. she lands carefully behind the creature, head snapping behind her as her grip tightens on her weapon. spinning around, the slashes at the back of the creature before making a stabbing motion. the squealching sound of the sharpened blade cutting through flesh makes her quesy, but her form stays rigid and firm as she lodges the weapon inside the monster. it screeches-- and she jerks her head back as one long tentacle snatches out to swipe at her.
biting her cheek, she rips out her lance and jumps back, missing the spin of the malboro as it sways unsteadily on its legs, before righting itself. it’s making a strange little noise-- high pitched and frantic, before it gurgles out something aggressive. the tentacles near it’s injury are moving quickly, angered by the attack and the pain.
minji raises her weapon once more, fingers flexing her grip around it-- ready to attack, but the buzzing in her ear piece has her freezing. she blinks, never taking her eyes off the monster as a message is repeated in her ear. a call back to gaia for another assignment. her lips curve down into a frown at the information, and she hums out an affirmative. she never lowers her weapon, however-- and when the malboro begins to stagger forward once more-- she’s moving, quick as can be. instead, she hikes herself into the air, spinning her lance until it’s blade is pointed down, until it embeds into the malboro’s head. it screeches out as she tilts over it, and she rips it clean out of the top of him, landing on the ground behind it.
alive, still screeching and stumbling around in a daze as it gains it’s bearings, minji takes the moment to continue back on to gaia, leaving the malboro to wander around in its injury; other things to be done in its stead.
( ... when the war of the beasts brings about the world's end, the goddess descends from the sky. wings of light and dark spread afar, she guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting! )
KIM MINJI, shinhwa hive: dragoon officer, reporting for duty!
i’m so happy you guys are here for spira’s opening!! i’m mir, the typist behind jeongguk & minji here, as well as the admin of spira, if you didn’t know already! i’m really happy to have you guys here, and for all your interest. it really means so much to me! :>
i don’t have much plot stuff up because i’m used to winging it, but i’m always open to plotting on both my characters! you can message me here on ims or through twitter @ velveteenjeon !! :> thanks so much for an awesome opening, and if you ever need anything or have any questions, you just let me know~~
