Ben was avoiding whatever was going on in his personal life, so he picked up more shifts, and around the different areas of the hospital. There wasn't much going on, but he noticed the chart of a familiar name. Pondering for a while he wasn't sure if he should pick it up. They had chatted ONCE in the library, and that was it.
Knocking on the door of the suite he cleared his throat. "In-Soo...it's a pleasure." A soft smile spread across the nurses face. "What brings you in today?" He held the chart up before setting it down on the table. "I can read the chart, but I wanna know from you perspective...that way I can understand to meet your needs the way you expect and want them to be met." Nodding again he leaned against the wall, using his free hand to hold up some paper while the other started to write down the date, and time.
"And of course, this goes without saying, but everything remains confidential."
moving day! for a packmate turned roommate @mpinsoo
Juyeon stretched, rolling his shoulders as he finished setting down a small pile of boxes in what would eventually be his bedroom. He smiled a little as he pictured what it'd look like, planning to paint the room and then set up his bed soon after.
As he looked around, he thought back to the vacation he and In-soo had taken. It was a week spent in Skadi's home in the mountains... the two of them taking a much needed break a little bit before the Hallow's Eve Ball. They had planned it out, took the time to unwind and worked on their costumes between running around as their wolves and several other things too.
He had needed it after meeting his ex Minry and learning she was staying in Mount Phoenix now, In-Soo had needed it after Hua disappeared shortly after that.
While they were staying together and then the time they spent at Skadi's cabin they had discussed moving in together. Juyeon felt better about keeping his friend company in addition to wanting to spend more time with him and In-Soo had needed to get out of the Yao Guai apartments.
And now they had their own place together in the residential area along with their two cats.
He hummed softly, stretching one more time and turned to make his way over to In-soo and where he was setting up his own room. "Hey Soongie, do you want to help me go find some paint once we finish bringing all our boxes here? I want to do something with my room. Paint or maybe wallpaper... hmm."
Angela found herself in a far grander mood than she had in a while. The doors for the cafe had been opened all day. With such a warm temperature outside and a nice breeze, Angela thought it would be such a waste of nature not to enjoy that inside too. And even though the cafe was fully air conditioned and comfortable, it was nice to smell and feel the outside. Coupled with a slower afternoon, Angela felt completely relaxed.
In a burst of energy, Angela had taken to attempting a new baked good. And as it finally seemed nearly done, she had disappeared to the back long enough to pull out a newly created chai spiced bread. By the time she returned, she happily greeted a new customer who had been waiting so patiently for her.
“I’m so sorry for the wait.” She states warmly with the hint of a smile on her lips. “But, I have an opportunity for you. If you would try a slice of my bread and give me honest feedback, your drink is on the house.”
Crowds. Huachang hated them, hated any means of needing to be around groups of people or in such high energy social interactions but this place was full of so many curiosities. The booths were filled with so many different things from food to knick-knacks to collectables, it was really the most curious thing.. But it was the music that drew Huachang in, made him stay even with the anxieties his body tingled with. Music that filled the floor and slipped up through your shoes and into your limbs pushing your body to move with it. For most it was the food, the lights, the thought of love or friends, material things that often brought people to these things but really.. the place would be so lost without music.
Huachang hadn’t meant to start dancing, didn’t even mean to stay. He was shy of such thigs, dancing in front of anyone that wasn’t his former teacher; but sometimes when the music was so beautiful it pulled you into another world Huachang ended up there. Daydreaming a performance the dancer had no idea he was suddenly becoming an attraction at the festival unlisted before, a spectacle of beauty and grace in the way he moved.
Like water down a stream.
Being dressed the way he was, in traditional hanfu just because he enjoyed the past of his heritage, most probably viewed the sudden performance as a surprise mini event. Twirling, floating, Huachang and his robes made the boy’s slim figure look even more ethereal with the graceful way it moved. It really was like his feet had no weight, his body no limits in the way it bent or move, again people whispered that he looked as fluid and elegant as water. It wasn’t until he finally started to stop that the sudden clapping broke him from the feeling the music gave back into reality that slowly dawned on him... he had just danced and so many people were watching. The pads of his cheeks burned red his anxiety reaching its edge ready to pour over the tip. Huachang gave no second glances making a rush for anywhere he could get away from the crowd, hiding the best he could behind a rather large willow tree.
he wasn’t sure how long he had stayed there before he wondered off slowly away from the crowds slowly following the outskirt of the people to a bench, sitting there to try and not stand out. It wasn’t easy especially dressed the way he as. People who saw him perform kept coming up but he looked down, didn’t speak, Many walked away with a look of disappointment that the graceful beauty was ignoring them, being rude, in reality he just couldn’t speak. On top of that he was overwhelmed.. This was slowly proving to be a mistake coming out the way he did. Maybe he should go home.
There was no rhyme or reason to his method other than his desire to master his powers. To fully explore his capabilities. Don’t they always say practice makes perfect?
Well, at least that’s the excuse he’d use to haunt the dreams of his friends and strangers alike. All he needed was a target and a safe place he could stay at while the projection to a world of dreams and nightmares kept his mind preoccupied. Lucky for the poor soul he has been tormenting for the last few days, Maxim grew bored with hearing their wails as they ran from beasts, narrowly escaped what they thought would be their doom and – one of the more harmless scenarios – repeated their most embarrassing moment over and over again. He needed to find a new target and figure out their sweet pot. That said spot being just the right amount of fear instilled to let them have the worst possible nightmare while making it believable enough to prevent them from suddenly waking up.
Maxim isn’t exactly sure where he met the man he was thinking of as he went through his roster of possible victims, but something about the stranger intrigued him. Usually, the ones with the friendly faces and welcoming personalities were the ones with the worst dreams. Just what he was looking for.
His arms lazily rested on his propped up legs as he leaned back against the headboard of his bed, eyes closed. The less familiar he was with somebody, the harder it was to insert a projection of himself into their mind. And even with the extensive amount of practice he has had since coming to the island, it still took him the better part of fifteen minutes to finally enter his victim’s consciousness.
An uncharacteristically friendly smile played on his lips as he approached the young man. His goal was to make himself less recognizable for possible future encounters outside the dream realm.
“Do you remember your name?” Whether he knew the person or not, this would eternally remain his first question. A conversation starter to make them feel safe and to distract them from his abilities corrupting their surroundings, darkening them.
“Don’t turn around now,” his smile grew wicked as his eyes shifted towards something beyond the stranger. Maxim made sure to stay vague enough to pique his curiosity without spoiling too much of it. Mostly because his only way of influencing the dream was by talking, playing with words and emotions alike. How the victim would react to those games and what horrors their brain could come up with, was completely up to their memories and their bounds of imagination.
Rain - the sound of water hitting the window had her peaking through the window. The sky was clear and there was no feeling of it happening, so why was the sound of rain so loud?
Thunder.
The mug in Kaya’s hands fell abruptly when she had caught sight of a shadow in the living room mirror just as the sound of thunder broke through the room. It was fast but it was enough to pull the demigoddess deep into a thread of the future she was about to unravel; it was dark, the sound of strong winds sang against concrete and glass and there was a whisper, quiet yet so loud it made her ears ring almost painfully.
‘Insoo’
She furrowed her eyebrows, watching from the reflection of a nearby car’s window as a young looking man faced the seemingly shapeless mass she saw before. ‘InsooInsooInsooInsoo’ the whisper continued but it seemed broken, twisted in the choir hidden in the vision - chanting endlessly as their movements blurred in a dance of smoke. It was then that it started to loop and she knew it was over, watching it unfold once again while it slowly faded and she returned to reality when right before consciousness claimed her mind, the shadow’s head turned in her direction, leaping towards her instead.
Her visions weren’t usually as clear nor unprompted as this had been, leaving her to wonder just what had happened in the middle of spilled tea and shattered ceramic. “Insoo…” Kaya repeated softly under her breath, trying to engrave the man’s face in her memory for whatever reason felt good in that moment. Was it the island? Was it her? Had she seen him before? What was she supposed to do? It’s not like she was some ghost whisperer on a fake television show - “Fucks sake.”
The apartment felt too stuffy after it happened, so once she cleaned, she left and made way to explore the new place she would get to call home - hopefully. There was no hiding the exhaustion in her face and there seemed to be no other thought in her mind save for what she saw, so when she ended up at a bookstore called ‘The Lion’s Den’ genuine surprise broke on her face. So be it, then. “Good Afternoon.” Kaya greeted and made her way inside, browsing without much focus through the rows upon rows of books until a vibrant blue hardcover caught her attention, her hand instinctively reaching for it.
Charlotte had begun to make a habit of stopping by Stop&Paws’ shelter to hang out with the adoptable animals from time to time, usually in the evening when most of the evening when most of the staff were gone and the animals were especially in need of companionship. After all, some well-sung lullabies and a calming spell or two worked wonders in soothing anxious animals for the night.
That day, though, the mood in the building seemed off the moment she walked in. The staff seemed tense, the air thick and heavy. The shelter manager looked almost relieved to see her, but directed her to go to the clinic and asked if she had any plans for the night, which she didn’t. Wary, but curious, she made her way to the clinic and approached the veterinarian - a man she had seen a few times in passing, but hadn’t really met properly.
“Um, hi. You’re the vet, right? I’m Charlotte, I volunteer in the shelter sometimes. I was told you might need some help in here tonight, though? Did something happen?”
[ TW: Blood, Injury, Similar concepts of quoted thread ]
Juyeon had been meandering through the woods in his wolf form with a sense of freedom he hadn't had since returning to Korea. Mount Phoenix allowed him to stretch and exercise in one of his most comfortable forms without worry, and he was utilizing that fact to it's fullest.
This was the most comfortable he had been in a long time.
He was enjoying himself, sharp gaze following falling leaves and other creatures as he crept close and playfully pounced on anything that moved before a faint sound in the distance distracted him from his game. His ears pricked up high, head turning towards the town where the noise had come from.
He tilted his head, listening carefully before he rose his nose towards the sky and sniffed the air. He was current downwind from town, one of his ears lowering slightly as a confusing scent started to slowly waft in his direction. He sniffed again, a small whine leaving his muzzle as the scent started to form a picture of sorts in his mind. His nose twitched, the black wolf letting off a snort as he shook his head to try and chase away the thoughts forming in his mind.
Pack...?
The wolf started moving, running.
He followed the scent, the distant sounds as the confusing smell became clearer and clearer. It was the scent of blood. The town was full of it. He stuck to the woods, running along the edge of town.
At In-soo's howl of pain, he could distinctly hear the commotion now, the black wolf sped up. He ran quickly and heavily, following the scent of blood all the way into the deeper area of the woods.
He tracked the injured wolf, his pack-mate, to the place he'd lain down when his injuries didn't allow him to move further. He inspected the bloodied and still bleeding brown wolf as best he could, a small whine leaving him as he noticed the other wasn't moving and seemed to be struggling to breathe.
He moved close, nudging the other wolf's face a few times and giving a low bark to try and rouse him. He even licked at his face too, whining softly as he continued to try to get him to wake up.
He couldn't sleep here, he needed help.
He barked a few more times, softly growling with a demanding tone to try and get him to listen and wake up.
He did everything he could, trying and trying and trying to no avail. He sat down, huffing at his pack-mate's still form and attempting to figure out a solution to get the other male out of the woods and back to where he could receive help and emergency assistance.
