WIND MELODIES @yulwd - Tumblr Blog

༶ MISU he reaches for his side, where he has grown used to carrying the sheath of a knife, only to find it bare. no, what a mistake to leave it behind for this banquet, but it doesn't deter him from pushing again, hard enough to take a few steps forward. startled gasps rise up around them. minhui doesn't hear. his god, she shrieks from the burning homeland of his memories, demanding the answer to a question she had asked when he first stepped into the ruins of their temple: "what do you want from me?"

he feels each sensation as a ghost of that night, of the cold wind cutting against his skin, of the screams that were a constant backtrack to his running thoughts, of i can't save everyone, but maybe i can save you. he's not sure when he turned into a hero, but this person was still inside the building, not fleeing, and yul is unsure of what came before this, but he knew the line of the forests, and he knew home. the crimson was easy to spot through the skylight, even carried by the wind, outlined by fire.

but he doesn't think he thought this far. he didn't think past the smoke and the destruction, and he thought maybe this would be more peace, but instead it is the fire in his own shelter, his own enclosure, and he finds himself unfreezing to catch the glances of those around them.

the lies he has withheld steadily close around his throat, maybe just as tightly as the grip that the vermillion that has haunted him closes around his clothes, and his eyes skirt across the room around them, and he hopes that he does not close in on a familiar gaze as he stumbles back a few steps, as he continues to close in on him, easily righting his balance with the wind pressing up against the back of his slacks, reflexive.

for saving someone, he did not anticipate such animosity. but staring right in the face of all that he had been hiding during his healing- it needs to happen somewhere else, not here, not here.

"i want nothing from you other than your safety. but if you have to interrogate me, then let's do it somewhere a bit more private. this isn't the place to be demanding things other then if you'd like to dance with me." perhaps it's the rapid beat of his heart that has the corner of his mouth drawn up in a smirk, maybe he can get himself out of this if he's charming, at least.

his hand reaches, gently curls around his wrist and, instead, uses it as a way to pull him from the room.

it's him confirming he'll give him what he wants, if his fingers around his wrist is a tether to make sure he won't run. his mind's reeling, though, because, yes, he told him to come, but he didn't think he would run into him here, didn't think he would seek him out.

so he saved him. he wasn't sure if he'd ever see him again, and yet for all of the haunting, yul had a quiet part of himself that wished that he could. did he want to make sure he was okay? he still doesn't know his name, and he wishes he could ask him if he'd seen his dagger, the only thing left behind in the blur of it all, but it's a darkened corridor, draped in shadows, that yul drags him to, whirls around with his pale eyes aglow in the dark, white hair askew as he releases the grip on him.

brushing his hands down the sleeves of his shirt, he crosses them against his chest, leaning against the wall and willing himself to calm before he speaks. his expression is devoid of anything his thoughts would betray, voice steady, low. he doesn't want it to echo.

"i didn't know i would see you again, you know. i didn't ask for anything in exchange even though i could have, i mean." he gestures towards his eye, his empty hands, carefully folding them back. "i had a bit more to lose in saving you. i even waited-" yul cuts himself short, exhaling a steady stream of air. he didn't have to admit that, a bit of his frustration bubbling up.

"and as much as i enjoy when someone's direct with me, i don't know what you want. i offered you to come here because it seemed safer then where i found you. the whole place was burning down, why wouldn't i want to try and save you?" everything feels a little too sharp on his tongue, a little too cold.

"i couldn't get to everyone, and you were the first that i saw.. so. unless you have my knife, i don't know what else we could want from each other."

#༶•┈ WITH MISU #༶•┈ WIND CHIMES

༶ YOHAN

only belatedly, as he watches one of the metal cans roll noisily down the hillside and newspaper scraps turn to slush in the snow-sodden gutters, does he ask. “are…you okay?"

yul's a little farther then he usually would be, after the sun sets. he's familiar with the majority of the island, as close to it as if he could follow the lines traced along the back of his hand, each vein a map to where he needs to go. apparently, that is not the same of him to say when it comes to the hours the bus runs.

he can see his sister giggling underneath a hand at him now, curtained by a soft rain of hair over her cheek and her fingers rolling in a soundless pattern, matching the flickering of a flame. while he could try and play it off, it always seems like she knows without him saying anything, anyways.

the wind is cold and yul's not entirely upset about it, but his backpack is weighing on his shoulder and he's been wandering all day, and ever since that night he thinks he's just been a little too off, a little too out of his mind, and now when he isn't thinking, he's remembering, of fires, bright and climbing, clawing, gray smoke into the skies that permeates, makes his eyes sting, lies clogged up in his throat-

the wind kicks up and knocks over the nearby trashcans without him even considering the action, translating the rising emotion in him to something tangible in a flash. he watches it with a distant sort of regard, feeling the wind bristle through the gaps in his clothes, the cold seeming to find its way to sting every part of warmth from his bones even if he tried. it seems cruel, tonight, almost as cruel as his mind, and as these human bus stops that leave him stranded.

he could try and use the winds, but he's tired, and he doesn't think he could manage to make it the whole way high enough for nobody to see him, even if it is dark. he's reasoning for a solution while he watches the paper turn into pulp in the snow when he hears a voice.

yul had also thought he was alone.

he considers these streets to usually be pretty empty at these times, but he still feels a little too visceral in the moment, the street lamp flickering above him as he stares at the bus stop and back at the stranger, and he shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"yes. yes i did.. miss the bus. the last bus." he says out loud, and it doesn't really make him feel any better, and now he's going to be late getting back, and he had already promised he was going to be better about it so his mother wouldn't worry, hand smoothing over his brow, absentminded-

he drops his hand. "i'm just trying to figure out a new way home. the trash cans were an unfortunate occurance."

his teeth flash in the dark in the smile that slowly appears, a little distant in the humor he tries. "did you miss it, too?" yul asks, tilting his head towards the bus stop.

#༶•┈ WITH YOHAN #༶•┈ WIND CHIMES

༶ JUNHA "if i didn't know any better, i'd say the thing that harms them isn't… well. not a fellow animal. but that is silly, isn't it? what else is there on this planet but animals, and us, humans?"

he carefully raises an eyebrow at the comment, but it's the most reaction that he shows. maybe, hiding at the corner of his mouth, is the hint of a bit of mirth, something a little more, but maybe it's also the trick of the light. "i wouldn't want you to be afraid of your tea, that'd be terrible when we have such wonderful mixes. but.. for you to say i appear as if i couldn't- do i look so normal to you, junha?" yul almost looks wounded at the thought, a hand raising to lay carefully over his chest as if he can't believe the sentiment. perhaps he's teasing, playing to have a little fun.

perhaps he's not.

he watches carefully. he's made many a deal before, perhaps he is getting skilled at picking out people's tells. yul's not entirely sure if the deal is fair but it's information he seeks, and if the exchange appears intriguing enough- well. there is his first step forward. yul smiles, careful, composed. he has always loved a good deal, like reeling in a line cast down into the river, the bite, the draw, the careful lax grip on the line to a steady, magnetic pull.

he looks between the bird and narrowed eyes. yul waits for the ripples. he can't say he isn't surprised at what he receives.

he does know of the howling in the night, and he's pretty sure of what causes it, too. tries not to stay out too late when the stars shine just in case, the forest thick and dark for even how well he knows it. sometimes, he thinks he can feel the howling on the wind, shimmering wavelengths he can feel ghost over his skin. there is the whimpers of the animals, too, and he thinks of the mixes he had been preparing him. he is not sure they are enough alone, to repair them back to full health. curious.

his question renders him quiet, still. if he didn't know junha any better, and to be fair, he doesn't know him well outside of these afternoons he comes to pick up his usual mix, well. it feels like a bait. he cannot lie, he is not human, and he cannot lie, he knows that these are not fellow animals. neither is he.

but is he in the midst of the same situation? is junha aware of the animals and the humans and the others, is it a vying question to find those of his own, or a human curious enough to put two and two together?

instead, he reaches for more paper. it folds quickly beneath his fingers, an animal, maybe a little too sharp at the edges, like he's cleaning the corners with a bit too much force, pressed together sharply.

"i've heard the howling, yes. i'm out in the woods quite often for ingredients, i've seen the paths in the mornings, too. leaves strewn about, trampled bushes. perhaps normal forest sights, if not for the nightly noises." maybe he's avoiding a real answer. he keeps folding. "i'm surprised you're able to heal them completely. must have quite the special kind of touch, to nurse them back to health with just these mixes to aid you."

maybe this is no longer an animal. maybe there was a wrong fold, somewhere, because this feels jagged, like it's expanded in the wrong places, stretched and awkward like the things of nightmares. his fingers trace the sides, regardless, still looks after it as a precious thing.

"then do you know better, junha?" he asks finally, eyes flickering up to his. the air feels silent, like it's stilled in the presence of the question. "there is you, out there in the woods, helping the animals. me, collecting what does, apparently, help get them back on their feet with your guidance. then there are the animals, and the humans, out and about the island."

he stands the folded thing on its legs, watching as it stands strong against the counter.

"what else could there be in the woods, alongside us, and the animals, and the humans who happen to wander in?"

#༶•┈ WITH JUNHA #༶•┈ WIND CHIMES

TAKE ME ANYWHERE BUT HERE, ANYWHERE BUT HERE. tw eye trauma, blood (past mentions)

quiet, like the wind, it stays with him.

#tw eye trauma #tw blood #༶•┈ WITH MISU #༶•┈ WIND CHIMES

༶ JUNHA

there’s a glimmer in his eyes, sudden and accompanied by deepening of his smile. “do you think i’m doing something … suspicious with what you make for me?”

yul doesn't always find himself looking to fill silences with words. the shop is noisy enough- the wind chimes absentmindedly chiming where the wind slightly sways them, something he doesn't even think too much about, he's done so often. almost like a muscle memory, it's something that sets him at ease as he works.

half paying attention to the state junha was in, he looks up to see the little porcelain duck between his fingers, waiting patiently for a reply. he's not too bothered about the lag in time in-between his question and junha's answer, listening quietly himself. he's almost finished, anyways, placing things together in the small drawstring bag he usually places his orders in. there's an amused smile on his lips as he does, relocating the things he'd used beneath the countertop as he looks back up to him leaning against the other side.

"i suppose i won't ask the results of your first attempt, then." yul says, and he's reaching out for a piece of paper he had shoved on the shelving beneath the wood next, one that he had scribbled out some coordinates and notes about the growth of a plant he had been searching for larger concentrations of. his fingers begin folding it idly, these patterns known to him, too, countless hours of making them for his younger siblings.

it doesn't resemble anything quite discernable, at first, yul's eyes flashing between his folding and the glimmer that reside in junha's.

"there's nothing too terrible i could think of you using this for, really. you could certainly ask for much worse." he says, shrugging his shoulder a bit. there's a bird that starting to appear between his fingers, bent lines of scrawled handwriting forming the wings. a few of his nails are painted a chipped black varnish as they smooth over the folds. "and considering repeat customers.. i suppose this isn't too suspicious of a mixture to need so often."

he's sliding the bird across the counter when it's finished, letting it sit right beside the porcelain duck. "i usually don't ask customers what the true purpose of what they use my mixes for, i suppose it's.. to their discretion. but i'll give you this little bird, since you seem to like the duck so much. i'd let you have it if my little sister wasn't so fond of it. she says he's a good luck charm for the mixtures- makes them extra potent."

yul places the bag of the mixture right behind the bird with a wink, finally leaning his elbow against the counter to rest. there's a bit of mirth in his eyes, fingers tapping against the counter.

"i wouldn't mind a little deal, though, just for fun. if you tell me what you use them for, i'll let you have this one for free. what do you say?"

#༶•┈ WITH JUNHA #༶•┈ WIND CHIMES

“what about a compromise? i’ll kill them first, and if it turns out they were innocent, i’ll apologize later.”

yul leans back in his chair, the front two legs suspended in the air as he balances himself. he looks a little complacent, swirling the drink in his hand before tipping it against his lips.

"it doesn't sound like a compromise to me. if they're innocent, then what's the point in killing them?" he shrugs a little, leveling a gaze across the table to him.

"you should fuck with them a little, first. i think people tend to tell the truth if you scare them enough. then, you get your answers, and you don't have to go through all of that trouble if they're innocent." his legs are crossed, idly bobbing along to a rhythm that only yul can hear, and maybe it's the wind that he's listening to, attuned to every breeze that brushes past his skin.

finishing the rest of his drink, he sets it back down against the table and lets his chair fall against the floor, too, leaning his elbows propped on the wood, cheek pillowed by the palm of his hand. his hair's a little askew, like it had gotten ruffled and he hadn't bothered to brush it through.

"then there's no apologies, either. i mean, really, isn't it more work to just not figure out what really happened? it seems easy, enough. i'll ask around customers at the shop and you can do a little digging, and we can find out the answer."

he's reaching for the ornate porcelain bottle on the table, pouring more of the mixture into his glass. it's something he's made himself, a floral wine with things he had plucked straight from the earth with his own hands. he thinks he's always preferred things with a process, coveting each step to lead to a result, and when it came to this conversation- he supposes that his complacency could be more effective in reasoning with him.

"i can pour you another drink and you can go grab the snacks from under the counter- there's a compromise, hm?"

#༶•┈ WITH TAEYANG #༶•┈ RINGING BELLS #hope this was okay!#let me know if there's anything i can change!

“am i afraid of the dark? are you kidding me?”

the question was something he intended to be a joke even as the words left his mouth, but he still laughs, the flashlight in his hand shaking with it as he tilts his head back.

gravel crunching beneath his feet, he rears the flashlight around to shine upwards underneath his chin, illuminating the smile that still stretches along his mouth, his features cast into shadows.

"i wouldn't blame you if you were, you know. you have to have heard the stories around here, haven't you?" there's something in his smile that's curled a little more deviously, cruelly pressing into his cheeks as he lets the light lead away from his face, back to the dark path that stretches out in front of them.

he thinks their destination of the beach should be somewhere near here, can hear the waves crashing in the background, but the trees are thick and dark enough to still curtain their view of it. their steps echo, and after years of having to be the oldest brother, he's gotten used to ghost stories and checking underneath beds, leading through the dark. he can't lie, but he can soothe, he can rustle up thoughts without much effort.

no one can blame him for wanting to have a little fun. he brushes a brisk, cool wind through the trees, rustling the leaves and directly past hayun's form.

"i've always wondered if there's more to these woods then it seems. do you believe in ghosts, if you're not afraid of the dark, like you say?"

he kicks some of the rocks beneath his feet, a cloud of dust. "there's always things hiding in the dark. i think it's just fear of the unknown, isn't it? what you can't see?" he's shrugging, pinwheeling the light towards the trees as he pretends to shake a little with the cold.

"are you scared of what you can't see? of what you can't define? is it less scary if you can see it for what it is?"

#༶•┈ WITH HAYUN #༶•┈ RINGING BELLS #i hope this was okay!#thank you for sending it and let me know if there's anything i can change!

“i don’t feel safe letting you go off on your own in that state.”

there's a sharp intake of breath as he tries to place weight on his right ankle. his hand, a little unsteady, reaches out to place against the bark of a nearby tree, rough texture pressing into his palms.

"i'll be fine. i've done worse, believe me." swearing under his breath, he looks up to see the sun steadily dipping beneath the horizon, dipping the forest into darkness- they've been out here too long, but yul's sure that he didn't help with that by twisting his ankle and making them slower then they needed to be.

if he was by himself, he'd try to do something to keep his balance steady by manipulating the air to support himself, give him something to lean against to walk without falling over. hell, he could probably just float back home, but. he can't with sooyun here, or even risk passing her somehow, and he finds himself with a lack of a game plan.

"you shouldn't be out here either. i'll only slow you down like this, and i know these woods well. i've spent time out here after the sun has set, i'll be home in no time. really."

he's fine with himself being out here past dark, he can defend himself, but with his ankle twisted and having to protect another person, too? he doesn't know how to do that without revealing his identity.

"my little sisters will come and find me when i get close, i know they're waiting on me." he hopes he's being convincing, but he knows that with every second the sun is sinking, he's losing the window of opportunity to feel okay letting her go without putting her in danger.

"you should go. i'll be okay."

#༶•┈ WITH SOOYUN #༶•┈ RINGING BELLS

thewickedxrp

SENTENCE STARTERS!

please reblog to take part! if you respond to three or more of these, it will count as activity in our next activity check.

“am i afraid of the dark? are you kidding me?”

“you shouldn’t be here. it’s too dangerous.”

“i just feel doomed, all of the time.”

“you’re kind of an ugly crier.”

“should i come back at a better time?”

“everyone i love dies.”

“take one more step forward and you’ll regret it.”

“you’re nothing but a monster.”

“i thought you really cared about me, but now i see i was wrong.”

“are you really going to leave me here without asking me the question you’ve been dying to ask me?”

“i don’t hate you. i just don’t like that you exist.”

“what about a compromise? i’ll kill them first, and if it turns out they were innocent, i’ll apologize later.”

“do you think i’m dumb enough to fall for that stupid move?”

“it was my fault for thinking you might care.”

“those things you said yesterday…did you mean them?”

“i’m okay, thank you. just please, stop talking to me.”

“to the night you’ll never remember!”

“it’s midnight, what do you want?”

“that’s a lot of blood.”

“don’t close your eyes.”

“i don’t feel safe letting you go off on your own in that state.”

“you couldn’t died, you know…”

#wd:event

༶ JUNHA

"and, um, thank you. for letting me watch while you work, too. i know it must all be —... family secret, or something like that." a pause. he allows himself a negligible chuckle. "that must also be why the quality is, like, insane."

there's a chill in the air, as yul's sweater slips down his fingers, reaches for another ingredient from the wall they keep most of the dried ones. the storage reaches from top to bottom of the wall behind the counter, indented with small, engraved wooden drawers and notches to slide them out with. he's long since memorized what each of them contain, and reaches for them wordlessly as he turns and places them in the silken pouch that waits on the counter.

the compliment has him humming, a small smile amidst the warm, afternoon sun that trails in through the curtains and casts a slight haze over the shop. light cast against the opposing wall, lined with shelves that contain glass jars of various preserves and plants- the entire place is lined with antiques and products, not a single space left empty. it's wooden and homey, the curtains laced, the rugs old and worn. the wind chimes trill through soft, lazy twirls against the window panes, hanging and reflecting colored light as he works.

he's practiced, with this recipe. he had come up with it only a short time ago, and while he did make an effort to try and remember the custom orders he comes up with for customers, it was easy, with the frequency that this particular one had been requested. he's used to repeat customers from month to month, but junha had been showing up so much he almost expected him before he even crossed the threshold.

he doesn't mind it. it's company, something to do with his hands. yul can feel his eyes on him, too, and knows that even if he had begrudgingly ensured his glamour was placed upon his features that morning, it is for good use.

raising an eyebrow at the clearing of his throat, he casts his gaze upwards while he reaches for a mortar and pestle to grind down some dried herbs.

"it's nice that you enjoy seeing how it's made. ah- really, when i make new recipes like this, it's mostly me. my parents did teach me, but they don't really do this sort of thing like i do. they usually stick to what they know."

he's laughing softly, too, a low rumble as his fingers work the pestle against the stone, methodical and thorough with every motion.

"might that be why i see you so often? not that i'm complaining, i was just.. curious."

#༶•┈ WITH JUNHA #༶•┈ WIND CHIMES

hi everyone, i'm eli (he/they, 21+)! i'm here with han seonyul (though he only tells everyone yul), a fae and jeju island native with an innate connection to the air and wind. yes, he may be using it to gust breezes at you when you're not looking, only to pretend he would never do such a thing, but that's part of the fun, isn't it?

there will be more under the cut, but leave a trace and yul and i will come to plot and chat!

#wd.intro #༶•┈ COOL WIND

feral-ballad

Sarah Ruhl, from Eurydice

[Text ID: Orpheus. Will you remember my melody under the water? / Eurydice. Yes! I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR MELODY! It will be imprinted on my heart like wax."]

#༶•┈ THOUGHT CLOUDS