↳ dream guard barracks

　　　↳ ᴇɴᴅ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ ᴏɴᴇ. ↰

@✠　Eden Youngmi furrowed his brows, frowning heavily to himself. This was a lot of change, and he didn’t like speaking about the potential of more change. If their snake captain left, there would be so few people remaining from what he knew of the guard. His family. He couldn’t just adopt a new family with the new recruits that would come. He had a family - and they were all dying quickly. “He’ll find someone, I’m positive. I mean, you did really well with picking our current second in commands, so he’ll be able to look for the qualities you did. But you still- you still can’t leave us yet.”

The angel paused a moment. Demitri too. Of course. Everyone had to die, didn’t they? He fell silent for a while, as though not quite knowing how to put a response to the information. Maybe he didn’t need to. This was a little too much for the feathered creature who had once been so used to peace and family. “I’ll miss him,” He spoke up after a few long seconds, though they’d felt as long as years to the tired angel. “I’ll miss all of them.” The grief didn’t quite hit him this time. Maybe it was the amount of it he’d had all at once, that made it difficult to accept more.

“I hope Monarch is okay. I only met him once or twice, but he seemed okay. He made Demitri happy - so it was always nice to see him around,” Youngmi decided to add after a long moment. It would be strange. There wouldn’t be anyone but Klahan to badger about overworking. If the angel even remained with the guard. He didn’t know - even if everyone was gone, nothing would replace them, or bring them back, so he would just be by himself, looking at ghosts out of the corner of his eye whenever he walked back to his quarters after a long day.

Maybe it would be better, if he were to find himself a nice settled job somewhere, get an apartment by himself, stay away from the chaos. Heaven was no home to him, so there would rn no returning there. With the guard was his home, but they seemed to be leaving him quickly. Tucking himself up, Youngmi stayed with his head on Eden’s shoulder, blinking evenly at a spot on the ground. He nodded as the gorgon continued however, looking more comforted by that.

“Then she’ll go to Valhalla, right? Do you think she’ll ever come to see us again?” He asked. The Norse pantheon was in no way his speciality, but Youngmi had always liked listening to what Reina had had to say about it. That was why he’d done his best to die the first time with his fingers wrapped around his weapon.

After rubbing his eyes to clear any potential tears, Youngmi sighed, feeling the breath rattle out of his chest hollowly. “I hope all of them are resting now. Somewhere safe and happy for them all. And then maybe we’ll see them again, one day.”

@✠　Lee Youngmi ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 05, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: out the roof - chase atlantic

"Klahan will need to learn to rely on those under his command. He'll need a second in command that he can trust with his life—unfortunately, I had always thought that Reina would be that person, and... I also believed that Demitri would be there with him, to balance everything." Eden's Dream Guard as he knew it was falling apart. Reina was dead, Demitri had been murdered, Klahan was missing in action and had left behind only a pile of smoking rubble that had once been a building to indicate what his actions had been during the battle the day before. Youngmi was contemplating leaving, Beatriz had died in the fighting and unleashed something /other/...

The Dream Guard's captain's exhale was soft when Youngmi rested his head on his shoulder. "I'm the captain now, but I might not always be the captain. There's always someone stronger, always someone better. Death comes to everyone, eventually." His time would come, but whether that would be soon or far from now remained to be seen.

"Demitri is gone," Eden answered finally. Quietly. "But not at the hands of the hunters. I imagine his lover has taken a violent revenge by now—whether he will allow a ceremony to be held by the Guard for Demitri's passing remains to be seen."

The gorgon shook his head. "I could have been there as well, Youngmi. We can't go back in time, and we can't change what happened. Reina's passing..." he trailed off. It wasn't unavoidable, but at the same time, none of them could have expected—no, that wasn't true. Eden's job as the captain of the Guard was to see every possibility and plan accordingly. He knew that with the hunters attacking the city and other unknown threats moving into their space, he couldn't afford to lose Dream Guards, and yet.

And yet.

"She died with her hammer in hand," Eden promised Youngmi. "Reina would have given it her all. No one would have killed her easily."

@✠　Eden While the storm raged in his chest and made his eyes sting with wetness whenever it could, it would be difficult to begin to reason with the angel. He felt like it was murder, it was a wrongdoing, it was unforgivable. Usually, the angel had no problem with forgiving those who had done wrong. They were just poor misguided things. They just needed the angel to wrap his wings around them and promise them some guidance. But that wasn’t how things worked this time. This was his /family/. They had taken his /family/. His /home/.

“Klahan would do good, but he wouldn’t get enough sleep. He would overwork himself as the captain, that’s why you’re our captain,” He insisted quietly. He didn’t want to begin preparing himself for yet another loss, not yet. “You’re plenty healthy, and you fight really well, nobody will take our captain, whether it’s now or in the future that you’re talking about.” Youngmi shook his head once again, trying to clear his muddled, murky thoughts. He was tired. So very tired. The angel shuffled over to the gorgon, slumping down against Eden. It wasn’t really a hug, or a request or offering of comfort. He just sat, head on the shorter person’s shoulder. It made him feel like he wasn’t going to trip and stumble into the darkness.

Youngmi sighed, long and heavy as he considered the wise words from his captain. “Do you think everyone else will be okay? Is there.. is there anyone else who.. you know, isn’t with us anymore?” He dared to ask. It was best to hear it now if there were still people he knew who wouldn’t be coming home.

The angel shifted, tugging out the broken necklace to run between his fingers absentmindedly. “I miss her already. I wish I’d been there, the hunter couldn’t have taken us both on at once.” He furrowed his brows, “I definitely wouldn’t have been able to kill him that first time, if he managed to kill her. She wouldn’t.. she wouldn’t just let herself die.”

@✠　Lee Youngmi ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 05, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: death is in the air - sakima

Eden shook his head. There was no point in arguing over the terminology with Youngmi; if he wanted to label it murder, then label it murder he would, even if such a concept wasn't recognized often in wartime. Who knew, perhaps there had been something more to cause Reina's death. Perhaps it was warranted—Eden knew that what one side of the war considered murder, another might consider self-defense. He knew what Reina was like on the battlefield. He knew her rage was a force of pure destruction and to stand in her way was a dangerous thing. It didn't mean the Guard's small captain wasn't furious, wasn't grieving—just that he knew it may have been kill or be killed for the hunter that encountered Reina and they'd chosen to live, as any creature would in their place.

Eden squinted at Youngmi, but didn't argue with him or press for more of a vow. It would be more counterproductive than anything; he would trust what the angel had said and not give him reason to be bitter or angry that his words had not been believed.

"Klahan would do just as good, if not better, as a captain," Eden deflected. He didn't want to have to explain to Youngmi why the Dream Guard's captain might not last much longer. He had kept the events that had led to his disappearance as much of a secret as he could, swearing those who had been involved in the incident to secrecy. And Zale had revealed nothing, because he was smart enough to not want the entirety of the Dream Guard to hunt him down for attacking their captain and their city (not that Eden would allow them to go on this warpath, considering how dangerous the elemental was). "Should something happen to me, he'll take my place. He won't like it, but he'll do well. He's a good man."

Eden almost laughed at Youngmi's response. Almost, but he managed to hold it in. It would have been a sad laugh, and not an amused one. When had Eden last laughed with humor, rather than melancholy? Had it really been only a few days before? Had he laughed, then, or was that a fever dream? There had been so much chaos, so much pain, in the city as of late. Eden had barely had time to surface for air, with all of the work that he was swamped in. And he still didn't know where Klahan had gone to. "When our families are hurt it's easy to forget the hurt we inflict through our own hands; that we can be just as guilty as our enemies are."

@✠　Eden “It was still /murder/,” The angel hissed, but he knew the captain had a point. It wasn’t fair and it shouldn’t have happened, but it couldn’t be helped now. Youngmi could not bring Reina back, and he could not bring Derek back. He could not revisit the day and make new decisions. And, while war was unfair in every way, there was no way to know what would’ve happened on the day. War was inconsistent and violent, there wasn’t a good way to interpret it and assume who would win. It could’ve been the little angel laying with his chest cleaved open or a knife in his stomach. He sighed heavily. He didn’t like this. There was no glory in war. No side won, everyone experienced losses. Even the hunters who’d been killed were someone’s brother, sister, son or daughter.

His gaze stayed fixed once again on the face of his captain. He wondered what was going on behind those sunglasses, but knew he couldn’t find out without being turned to stone. “I will stay safe.” The response was slow, robotic almost, but after a few moments, he repeated it. “I will stay safe, Eden.” It was much less cold and stony. He tried to muster up a smile to give the gorgon, but none came. Youngmi would not let himself die. He had a life to live. He would not get a third chance; regardless of misfortunes and mistakes, he had to keep going forward. The wounds on his soul would heal, one day, and until then the angel just had to do his best.

“You will keep protecting us though. We need our captain, and we need you as the captain,” He murmured in response. Not the captain too. The captain couldn’t die too. He knew everyone would be devastated if they lost the crazy snake man. “There will be no blood feud. I want him dead, but I will not bother the rest of the family. They may come after me if they want, but I will not kill anyone but him.” Ailell had killed him and clearly had no problem with killing, and had gone on to murder Reina. He obviously didn’t want to leave the hunters, so he didn’t deserve to be kept safe.

The angel hesitated once again, for a long moment. He was tired. Tired of fighting and tired of feeling things. Why couldn’t he just be numb to feeling? But he nodded. “I understand,” He replied quietly, not continuing with his plans of revenge. He couldn’t let it go, there was too much anger in his body. His fingers dug into his arm absentmindedly, and he sighed once again. “I understand. Though worms in the ground just wriggling around and going about their lives are better than them. All the parasites in the world are better than them.”

@✠　Lee Youngmi ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 05, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: good night like yesterday - lovelyz

"What we perceive in our normal lives as murder is par for the course for a war, Youngmi. Just because it can be avoided... it doesn't mean that it will be avoided." Eden's sigh was long, as he tilted his head back to stare up at the blue sky above. It felt like it should have been raining, storming, something. Anything to wash away the blood and death and to beat the earth with the sorrows of their losses. "Such is the nature of war. It is an atrocious, atrocious thing and this is why we don't /like/ war. But if we didn't fight and kill or die, the citizens of this city would be wiped out by those we stand against. Sacrifices, they say, must be made. It feels dismissive to say it like that, but it's the truth. In war, we make sacrifices. Reina made the ultimate one."

Eden turned his head toward Youngmi. He was not a fool. "Promise me," he said, his exhaustion present in his voice. "Promise me you're going to stay safe." Eden was tired. He was physically tired from the battle and he was tired of losing people that were precious to him—he was tired of war. But fighting wars against heroes—hunters, as they were called now—seemed to be the only reason he lived. Quietly, the Guard Captain murmured, "I don't know if I can continue protecting everyone for much longer." Zale had almost killed him, and he was still out there, somewhere in the city. He and Eden would have to fight their final battle one day, and Eden—he didn't know if he'd survive.

The Guard Captain nodded, after a long moment. "Lian's dad," he agreed quietly, but then he sighed. "Be careful, Youngmi. Blood feuds are dangerous things to create." It was not an admonishment, nor a command for Youngmi to give up the idea of avenging their Norse goddess. It was merely a warning. "There are good people and and people of all walks of life, Youngmi. She asked us to keep people safe because they are forced to live a horrible life. We cannot hold the actions of one person against all. Do you understand? We can try to be better than that. We can try to be better than them."

@✠　Eden Eden’s words made the angel pause. Would Derek be back to haunt him in a few thousand years time? Would the human want to kill him and hurt him for what Youngmi had done? He hadn’t meant to - the gods knew he hadn’t meant to. Oh well, if Derek did, he supposed it would be his own fault. Youngmi /had/ stabbed him and held him while he bled to death. The angel had known there would be no healing him, even if it made him feel weak with guilt that he hadn’t tried. “They still murdered her. I still murdered someone. Even if it was war, it could’ve been avoided. They didn’t have to kill her.”

The angel’s limbs felt all heavy and weak as he curled more into himself. “I would. I’d make sure I stay safe,” He said quietly, nodding slowly. He didn’t really want to. His safety didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things - he’d find Reina’s killer and kill them, and then there would be even more murder to his name. But he nodded anyway. He didn’t want the Captain to think he was going to be reckless and get himself killed. “You don’t know if?” He prompted. He wanted to know, whatever it was.

Youngmi’s head raised at the response, his eyes glinting. “With an axe? Lian’s dad? I know who he is, I’ll find him again and I’ll kill him for killing Reina. It- it doesn’t matter if he’s on the list of hunters not to kill. He clearly doesn’t mind killing us so we shouldn’t hold back with killing him,” He raged, only to settle his head again after taking a deep breath. Not today. He wasn’t going to be all angry and vengeful right at that moment. His head still hurt from crying so much, and now anger was the only thing he could muster in the place of tears.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have a list of people to keep safe after all,” He murmured after a moment. He knew that was unfair - he didn’t even know the Fang or Lilith people, but if Ailell had killed his mother and he’d killed Derek with his own hand - maybe it wasn’t worth helping them.

@✠　Lee Youngmi ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 05, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: obliviate - lovelyz

"Vengeance." Eden's smile trembled. "We swear to avenge the ones we love and yet the strings of fate thwart us again and again and again. Kill a man and you may see him again thousands of years later, alive and well and swearing vengeance on yourself. And the cycle will never end." The gorgon pulled his knees up to his chest, the snake curling around his fingers as he wrapped his arms around his knees. "War knows no such thing as murder. The battle lines have been drawn, and unfortunately, this war is quickly becoming kill or be killed. If we don't kill, they will... and once the Guard fall, once Vos fall, this city will burn." Eden shook his head, as though to shake himself out of a trance.

"If you truly want to resign, I won't stand in your way," the Dream Guard's captain continued. "I won't keep anyone in the Guard who doesn't want to be here. But if you do leave, promise me that you'll stay safe. I don't know if—" he stopped himself, moments before he could finish that sentence. He didn't want the angel to feel like he was trying to force him to stay with the Dream Guard by scaring him. The captain looked down at the snake wrapped around his fingers and found himself unable to muster a smile, even for his little friend.

"I won't tell you not to go down the path of revenge," Eden began. It would be—very hypocritical of him if he did, considering how he had started on the journey to becoming the first antihero and one day being tracked down by Ziminiar to form the Dream Guard. Behind his sunglasses, his expression was dark, the set of his mouth born of a grieving rage. "If there is a Guard here who does not want to see Reina's killer torn apart in the streets, I challenge them to say as much to my face."

The Guard Captain sighed. "I don't have a name," he answered, "but I have my suspicions, based on statements made by yourself and by the hacker ghost—what's her name? Lian? We're not well-acquainted—and I believe that it was her father. Reina was—" the gorgon took a moment to hold himself together "—Reina was killed with an axe. Brutally."

@✠　Eden The captain came over to join him. Any other time, Youngmi would greet him with an angelic smile and hug to accompany - but it had all been too much. The angel could barely raise his hand. Youngmi hadn’t seen her body, he just knew she wasn’t coming back. He could tell himself all he wanted - she’d be back and she’d bring her goats so he could give them beans and pet their scruffy heads. The angel just shook his head. “I want to resign,” He said hoarsely, giving the snake on his hand a little boop on the snoot. He didn’t know if he really did. He was no better than a hunter. He had no Reina, he had no Derek - he’d killed Derek with his own hands. Youngmi’s eyes glossed over with tears again. He wanted them both back.

“C-captain, I’ll find who did it,” He promised quietly, “I’m not any better than the evil hunters, I’m a murderer too, so I’ll get them. I’ll get them and I’ll avenge her.” The angel’s voice never came above a gentle whisper, even as he moved his arm to offer the snake to his captain. He didn’t want to get any blood on the poor thing’s scales. It would be messy. Blood was an ugly colour. Once the creature was off his hands, he drew himself close, knees to his chest, arms around his legs, cheek against his knee. He looked over at the gorgon, almost glad he couldn’t quite see the expression in his eyes behind the dark glasses. Seeing the strong captain of the guard so upset might’ve broken him all the way.

A shaky breath left the angel. He was trying not to burst into tears again. There was a heaviness in his chest, as though an alp was weighing him down when he was trying to sleep. Sleep. He dreaded the idea of it. Youngmi’s dreams tended to repeat themselves for nights on end. So would the nightmares - he felt he was going to see his friend dying over and over in both the waking world and the dream one. And then there was Reina. He didn’t want to see her body. Even when the funeral came. He couldn’t quite accept that she was really gone. Nobody could kill Reina, she was too strong. She’d never seemed weak to him, not for a moment. Nobody could kill Reina…

“Do we know who did it?” He spoke up again after a few moments. He’d stand by his word though. He didn’t know who’d done it. But the usually bright angel had a dangerous glint in his eyes.

@✠　Lee Youngmi ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 05, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: heaven and back - chase atlantic
↳ ᴇᴅᴇɴ: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/64/0c/34/640c34601064fae665841a49e627d9cc.jpg

Eden had stood in the middle of blood-soaked streets, surrounded by the bodies of fallen hunters, clothes soaked with blood and had felt the crushing sense that something terrible had happened. He had sought each Guard he could find—he hadn't found Klahan, but then he had found her.

Reina Thor had been left in a pool of her own dark blood, her chest hewn open by the blows of an axe. Eden had to stop himself from crumpling beside her, instead slowly lowering himself to his knees. This, then, was the reason the storm had been unending, the thunder had changed, the rain beat down with a vengeance that was foreign to the gorgon. This was why he had felt the terrible dread—Reina, who had been beside him for centuries, lay cold on the ground before him. The rain had washed her pale skin clean of blood, leaving her pallid like white marble. Eden's right hand was shaking when he reached out to check for a pulse that he already knew wouldn't be there. His other arm was poorly slung across his chest, a hasty job he'd had to do himself after it had been broken in battle.

Eden had been numb when he had gathered Reina close, her hammer gone with the Valkyries that had carried her away, and allowed the rain to mingle with the tears that no one could ever know Captain Eden had shed.

...Eden wasn't sure how he'd made it back to the Dream Guard barracks, nor when his arm had been properly slung, nor how long he'd been staring at the blank surface of his desk. No papers, his paperwork was scattered all over the floor from when he'd swept them all off of the desk with a scream of fury that was uncharacteristic of the calm Guard Captain. His pen organizer and stapler and other accrudaments had all hit the wall with varying degrees of force and the stapler had actually went through the wall.

Eden needed to get out. He needed... he needed to get out. Out of the office, out of the barracks, out of the walls that were closing in around him and he stumbled out the door and down the stairs, through empty halls and stairwells that seemed to echo around him. He stumbled out into the courtyard and drew to a halt, seeing Youngmi with a snake wrapped around his hand.

Youngmi.

Youngmi was alive. Youngmi was alive and accounted for, even if Reina was gone and Klahan was missing in action. The knot in Eden's chest loosened a little, but the grief was still there, wound tightly.

"Youngmi," Eden breathed out. Behind his sunglasses tears were welling up in his eyes, but he forced himself to blink them away as he drifted closer to the angel. One foot in front of the other, forcing himself to walk instead of just collapsing in a heap to cry. He held himself together as he lowered himself to the ground beside Youngmi, folding his legs in a pretzel shape under him and exhaling deeply. "She's gone," he whispered, and it came out so, so haunted, so fragile, like they—like they were the words of someone else and not the Dream Guard's believed-invincible captain.

Reina was enough proof that no one was invincible.

"How can she possibly be gone?" Eden continued, staring vacantly toward the horizon. "Who could defeat Reina? Who could—" he swallowed, long and hard. "—who could... /that/..."

@✠　Eden /He was gone/. Youngmi didn’t know how long he’d lay in the rain. Reina was in battle. He’d heard the thunder. But no boost came from it. Youngmi could do nothing but lay on the cold ground, hopelessness gripping his chest as he waited, still as a corpse. But not once did the human’s eyes flicker open again. It was Youngmi’s fault. He had done this. It had been him who stabbed his tall friend. The angel was not a creature of peace. He was a monster. A monster of war. Blood coated his hands. Figuratively and literally. He’d tried to stop the bleeding, tried to heal the wound, but it was much too late. His apologies had stopped flowing from his cracked lips a long time ago. He was too weary for tears to run down his cheeks - the rain snaking down his face did the job. Youngmi behaved like he’d never done before when his comrades came to pull him away from his friend, to tell him it was time to go home. A wrecked cry had left the angel. He /couldn’t/ leave. Derek hadn’t woken up yet. He had to stay, and when the man woke up, Youngmi would apologise again, and beg for forgiveness. The broken necklace clutched tightly between his fingers, it took behind carried while he clawed and writhed for the angel to be escorted home.

/She was gone/. But she couldn’t be. A pained, hoarse, weak laugh had left the angel. “It’s not funny to joke about that kind of thing,” He whispered though. Reina was immortal. Nobody could beat his precious mama bird. She was strong - nobody could defeat her with the hammer in her hands. Yet the face of the person who told him held no humour. Not a trace of mirth. The angel rubbed his cheek with one hand, smearing himself with blood by accident. The tears started up again. Reina wasn’t dead. Reina hadn’t died too. Reina and Derek couldn’t die on the same day - or at all! This was a bad dream! He was going to wake up any second! Just a long, exhausting dream.. a wail had left the grieving creature’s lips, more mournful than a banshee as he sunk to the ground on the guard’s barracks floor. It was impossible.

The thunder goddess’ words rang in his ears. ‘In war there aren’t good guys or bad guys.’ But Youngmi was one of the bad guys, because he’d killed the guy he wanted to call him pretty and declare he was doing things to make the angel proud. Reina’s killers were the bad guys - and he would find them and who it was and make them pay for hurting his loved one! - but now was not the time. He felt weak, this heard span. Youngmi wanted a hug. But the thought of having a hug made him feel ill. His fingers trembled around the bloodied gold necklace. He wanted to get it fixed. He wanted to wear it again. He shoved it into his pocket for now, to avoid losing any parts.

It was a long time, that the angel spent on the ground, playing with the hem of his shirt to give himself some kind of contact what was around him. His escorts who’d had to deal with him screaming and kicking had decided to leave him alone with his thoughts. He didn’t want to go anywhere anytime soon. The fairies had taken his thoughts - not a thing was up there, apart from the repetition of thoughts, memories of the loved ones he’d lost. Youngmi felt something against his fingers. He blinked up. There was a little scaly creature around his ankles. Carefully, the angel lifted the little beastie to wrap around his hand comfortably. “Hi. Are you supposed to be here?” He asked the snake in a hushed voice. He’d sobbed too hard the past 24 hours to muster more than a strained gurgle. Hearing footsteps, the angel blinked up, his eyes finally falling on his short captain. “S-sir.”

@✠　Reina Thor Reina knew more than he ever could about war. Despite how Youngmi was created to be a cold, strong warrior, he could never hope to match her experience. He did, albeit reluctantly, agree to her words. He didn’t like relying on other people. Youngmi wanted them to rely on him, not the other way around. He felt like a burden if it was the other way around. “..mhm. A family. We’re the best family out there! But, I’m not the baby of the family, someone else can be the baby of the family.” Perhaps it was being forced to rest, but recently the young angel felt even more of a need to prove to his peers that he was, in fact, a big strong grown man… even if he loved cuddling and having his hair played with.

He smiled at being called her favourite angel - he wasn’t sure how many angels she knew, but he was glad to be at the top of the list!! - though the look turned sheepish at her response to the question. “Well, I’ve been hit with an axe before, and axes and hammers are kinda similar. You.. have to swing them both! One just has a blade and one has a face!” The compliments and pinch made him feel thoroughly mothered, and the winged creature happily beamed away to himself from his seat.

“Aww, alright then, I’ll only give them treats when you say I can,” He conceded, only to show his teeth again when he grinned. “It’s because I’m spoiled too, I get fed too many sweets and then I’m hyper enough to be a pain.” Youngmi wouldn’t have it any other way though. Being hyper felt a lot better than being sad and run down, as he’d felt only a little while ago. “Mmh, I’m really glad you do, because I really enjoy your company too. You’re a really good friend, Reina!”

The angel fell quiet a short while. Telling someone how much he trusted them, being around someone he trusted so much - it reminded him of what often caused him to hit such a low point from time to time. The kind vampire in the library that he’d befriended had told him he should tell someone he trusted a lot. The angel’s silence continued, his hands appearing from beneath him so that he could pluck at a feather falling out from one of his wings. He held the delicate item in his hands, letting the feeling of it calm him before he looked up to Reina to speak again. “Could I maybe tell you about something?”

@✠　Lee Youngmi ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 16, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: flesh and bone - black math

"It is a terrible thing," the goddess agreed, her voice so quiet it could scarcely be heard. Thor the Thunder God, a warrior unmatched—she had been a creature of legend for as long as she could remember, an image of strength and prowess in war. She was a figurehead of the violence of other creatures, be they human or monster. "You can't take care of everyone all by yourself," Reina reminded, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "We all have each other to lean on. That's why we're a /family/—we rely on each other, not just one person. We're stronger when we're together than we are when we're apart."

Reina harrumphed. "There's a difference between /disagreements/ and /being mean to Reina's favorite angel/," the Dream Guard's third-in-command informed the angel. "Did I ever want to hit you with my hammer?" stunned, the goddess blinked at Youngmi. "Who would ever want to hit you with a hammer? I'll hit /them/ with a hammer," she vowed, brows knitted together angrily. "Of course I never wanted to hit you with my hammer. You're too precious." She leaned across the small table to pinch his cheek, and then returned to what she'd been doing previously—stirring the butter, sugar and cocoa in the pot on the stove.

"Precious, huh," grumbled the goddess. "You've never had to deal with them being persnickety and rude because someone gave them too many belly rubs or headpats or one too many green beans. No spoiling my goats." She shook her finger at Youngmi, though it lacked heat; it was just banter. "Tsk. For all you have such a sweet face, you can be quite a little brat."

Reina huffed. "First, you didn't break in, I let you in," she started, as she added milk to the hot chocolate. "Second, if you think I'm not getting anything out of this, you're wrong. I enjoy your company," she said briskly, as though it would seem less soft if she said it faster. Hmm. Perhaps she struggled as much as Klahan when it came to showing affection—no. The phoenix wouldn't even /admit/ that he was an affectionate person or that he had the capacity to show affection. Reina wasn't that emotionally constipated. "And I enjoy having the opportunity to feed you hot chocolate and cupcakes and pinch your cheeks." She made pinching motions with her free hand.

@✠　Reina Thor The young angel fell quiet once again as her response. They'd had conversations like it before, concerning the nature of war. The crimes of war were things Youngmi struggled to get his head around. All was fair in love and war, but it wasn't, there was nothing fair about war. The angel's lower lip jutted out slightly as he thought to himself. War was full of displacement and loss, there could be no explanation for what people did in the heat of a few regrettable moments. He nodded his head slowly. "War is a terrible thing," He declared finally. "I'll take care of everyone so that nobody in our family has to get hurt during it."

When Reina said her mind couldn't be changed, Youngmi knew she meant it, so with a smile, the angel just nodded again. He didn't know Klahan as well as her, and probably wouldn't ever know him so well. he could probably trust all of her judgement. "Well you can't have a friend without some disagreements, it's what makes friendships what they are! I'm sure she's lovely, we just have to get to know one another that little bit better. Hm, did you ever want to hit me with your hammer when we met?"

The angel grinned, signalling that he couldn't promise anything. "They're so precious though! They deserve to get all fat and lazy if that makes them happy," He insisted, though his voice held amusement. He wouldn't really try to fatten up Reina's goats with sweets - how was he supposed to fly with her and them if they wouldn't pull the thunder goddess' chariot?? No, he'd just give them some sweets! In moderation, to avoid any chubby goats, as much as the idea made him want to sway and coo.

Youngmi shook his head lightly to himself. "It's okay, it's the least I can do. It wouldn't be fair to break in and drink all your hot chocolate, and eat lots of cupcakes if I didn't let anyone come to me in return, right?" His lips quirked up again into a fond grin as he blinked at the short lady. He fell silent a while, shifting his hands to tuck them under his thighs, keeping them warm while he sat. He hadn't felt so safe and comfortable for a long while. Usually the roof was a place a safety, where he had fresh air and a large space to hang out as he saw fit. Though, since the flying ban had started and he'd had less nights curled up in his feathers, dozing in a cool corner where he could feel the wind on his cheeks while he rested. Maybe he missed the sky more than he'd first thought. That and the combination of him disliking being indoors in general meant he had a lot of roof time to his name.

@✠　Lee Youngmi ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 16, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ghost town - adam lambert

"In war, there aren't good guys and bad guys," Reina replied. "War is a complicated jumble, a mess of pain and bloodshed and torment. Both sides do bad things, both sides lose people that could fundamentally be considered 'good'. There is torture and , pain and punishment, loss and fear, no matter which side of the battle lines you stand on. War brings out the worst in everyone, regardless of whether they are a human or a creature or a god or an angel. There is darkness and light no matter where one turns." The thunder goddess shook her head. "I wouldn't know. She's terrified of me."

Reina was inclined to disagree. Klahan was a stubborn, argumentative man who was set in his ways, whether it came to the restrictions he put on little angels who hurt themselves when flying or the way he slept for days at a time. Reina loved him, but also sometimes felt the need to knock some sense into him, no matter what the little angel said. "He's a good person, his heart is in the right place, but he's a stubborn old fool," she grumbled, "and my mind won't be changed on that."

The goddess wrinkled her nose. "Youngmi," she sighed, as though it was a great chore to agree not to chase after Youngmi's new friend with a hammer. "If she's a bad friend to you, or she becomes mean again, or has the audacity to ever hurt your feelings, I /will/ take out my hammer and handle the problem accordingly."

She glanced at the angel, and huffed. "Don't go spoiling my goats," she grumbled as she set to work to prepare their hot chocolate, flame up from her gas stove (she wouldn't be surprised if Klahan turned up later in the day to hover over the burners and eat her fire), "else they'll become fat and lazy and refuse to pull my chariot. Then what good would the beasties be?"

Reina smiled. "Thank you, Youngmi," she murmured, though she had no intention of ever burdening the young angel with some of the weight that rested upon her narrow shoulders. "You're very sweet. I don't know what we'd do without you."

@✠　Reina Thor Youngmi made a mental note to make sure his training was up to scratch. He wouldn’t want to be hit unawares if something did happen. As much as he liked to find peaceful solutions, Youngmi was part of the guard, and the archangel could, in some contexts, lose his hesitation towards spilling justice. However, he didn’t like conflict and didn’t want to do anything unnecessary. He nodded slowly though, a little huff leaving him. “I’m glad. I don’t want any of the people who are actually the good guys getting hurt.. even if I only knew a few people that our new ghostie mentioned. Ah- I should see how she’s settled in, I wonder how she’s doing?”

“Cantankerous?” The angel chuckled to himself and then shook his head. “I don’t think he’s really cantankerous, I’m sure Klahan only does it because he wants to help. He’s lovely, really,” Youngmi chattered much more comfortably. He had not received praise in heaven. He was a warrior, he did what he was told to and he didn’t speak back. For all the human’s paintings of it being a place of purity and love - Youngmi often didn’t like what it meant doing to obtain ‘purity and love’. He’d rather just be Youngmi, helping out where he could and trying to do his best. It didn’t matter if he was a cold, scary angel from the sky. He’d just be himself.

That might’ve been why he took so much to the guard and claimed them as family. They were his little safe place and he appreciated every time they let him cling on for a much needed hug. “Mhm! But no hammers, me telling her I wouldn’t be her friend if she was mean to me seemed like enough to make her be nice!”

The comment about the goats drew another short laugh from the young man, shaking his head to himself as he untangled his limbs and plopped down into the seat. “I like your goats. They deserve lots of treats, and I hope I can fly with them one day.”

Hands folded neatly on his lap, Youngmi tucked his wings close to him, keeping them from taking up space and knocking things off. “And mine is always open for you! Whenever you’ve had a tricky day, you can always come to me too, okay Reina?”

@✠　Lee Youngmi ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 16, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: nabi - bibi

Reina wanted to reassure him that nothing like that could be happening again, but she knew all-too well that the hunters could be preparing to make another attack. It had been four months, after all, and the most activity there had been to give away that the hunters remained in the city was the intel from Mu Lian, the ghost who claimed she had been one of their members before they executed her for having powers. "I don't know," the goddess shrugged. "It's a possibility."

Reina nodded firmly. "We would. We would keep them safe, Youngmi. We've already promised to do so, to the best of our ability. So long as they're willing to cooperate."

It was Reina's turn to grumble. "Maybe a slap on the head that induces a nap is what that cantankerous old man needs," she groused. "I think he'd benefit from it. No one slaps him around enough. I'm the only one around here who does it." She was the only one who dared to do it. Reina had no fear of Klahan and no fear of insubordination charges from her best friend. They had an interesting relationship, where they balanced each other out and kept each other from being complete idiots (a difficult task on both sides, certainly).

Ah, there was that smile. Reina repressed her own knowing smile. Youngmi deserved to be praised more often. It was clear that he had come from a loveless place when he joined the Dream Guard and Reina had made it her mission to make him more at home, but even she didn't always give him the appreciation he deserved. A mistake on her part. The goddess gave a little hum. "Friends, hmmm? If he isn't nice to you know, just let me know. I'll take care of him for you with my hammer."

Protesting was absolutely not going to get Youngmi anywhere at all. The statement that he would crush Reina was a laughable one, but the drill sergeant merely smiled, striding into the kitchen. "I've carried goats that weigh more than you," she replied gruffly, depositing the angel on a chair so she could start making hot chocolate (she flipped the coffee pot off first, so they wouldn't smell burning coffee; it was old and out of date but she couldn't bear to replace it).

Measuring out cocoa, the goddess paused. "Of course, Youngmi. That's what I'm here for," she replied easily. "My door is always open for you."

@✠　Reina Thor “You don’t think something could be happening again, right?” The angel inquired anxiously. The attacks in April had been.. indescribable. He didn’t want to fight Derek again. Or get Derek hurt, or worse. He’d finally gotten to the point of repairing their childhood - or, Derek’s childhood, Youngmi’s confused first years on earth - friendship. Hunters were evil, but Youngmi was very confident that whatever someone’s motivation, there was good deep inside everyone. “Reina, if something were to happen again, we’d keep the people that Lian told us about safe, right?”

Chicklet. He really liked the nickname. It made him feel like a baby again, curled up and being petted. If anyone was the mama to the birb, it was definitely the goddess. Even when he had to run so many laps that his limbs turned into jelly by the end, she’d always be his first choice for cuddle buddies. With no /real/ parents, the members of the guard who seemed to have adopted him were definitely people he was grateful to have.

The angel grumbled at the mention of beating someone again and gave his blonde head a small shake. “Only a gentle pat on the head, maybe. Not hard enough to send him to sleep again or anything.” But, being told she was proud of him made Youngmi’s lips twitch up into an ecstatic little grin. He could be easy to please sometimes, the simple phrase making him feel all warm and happy again.

“Oh! I made friends with the elemental afterwards, as well. At the time, he wasn’t very nice so I didn’t really want to, but then he apologised and I forgave him so now we’re friends,” He reported. It had been a good end to an unfortunate story. He was sure his new friend was lovely, when he wasn’t scolding the angel for reasons Youngmi didn’t know.

“Ah, right, I can move-” The young man began to exclaim before he was cut off by being lifted up. This also worked, and he wouldn’t complain about this at all. “Reina, I’m gonna crush you,” He grumbled, though he didn’t make to unhook himself from around Reina, only wrapping himself onto her frame more to stay comfortable in the thunder goddess’ arms. He was glad that he wasn’t any taller. Luckily, Youngmi was not the tallest man, and even if his large wings added on more weight and things to manoeuvre, he wasn’t worried that he’d be pushing Reina too hard.

“Thank you for listening to me, Reina,” He spoke up again after a moment.

@✠　Lee Youngmi ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 16, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: first - everglow

"Busy patrol," the thunder goddess replied with a frown. "A lot busier than usual. I'll have to tell Eden to double patrol crews."

Reina wrapped her arms around the angel. The goddess had never been opposed to giving and receiving physical affection, especially when it was someone who needed it. And Youngmi needed it, from the way he looked and the way he was behaving. Resting her hand on the back of Youngmi's head, Reina pet him soothingly. "There, there," she murmured. "That's the point, chicklet. There should be nothing but pain for anyone who dares to take your precious smile away."

The Dream Guard's third in command made a soft noise of understanding, listening to Youngmi's story. She heaved a sigh when Youngmi finished, shaking her head. She knew Klahan the best out of all of the Dream Guard, since they had become friends long ago—even if Klahan would deny having friends until his dying breath—and she could understand what her best friend's intentions were, but he needed to learn how to handle things better, She'd kick him for all of this.

"I'll beat some sense into Klahan, don't you worry," Reina promised. "I'd rather have you break a bone because you were flying than find you dead because you were following orders a little too closely any day. And even if that stubborn pain in the is upset, I'm still proud of you, little one."

The goddess laughed. "Of course it's okay to have hot chocolate and cupcakes. Would I ever offer you something and then not give it to you?" Still chuckling, she shook her head. She was mean, but not that mean. And never to Youngmi, anyway. She adored the angel. Eden sometimes said she spoiled him, but Reina wasn't responsible for discipline, just for training—the only time she'd really been mean to Youngmi was when he had just come back from dying and she'd forced him to run an extreme number of laps for making her cry.

Okay. So perhaps she didn't always show her affection in the best way.

"Going to have to get up to make the hot chocolate, though," the goddess continued. She planted her feet on the floor and shifted her arms, one tucked under the angel's thighs and the other around his back so she could stand up, holding him with the iron strength she was known for. She knew it would be a funny sight to outsiders—a tiny woman carrying an angel with six wings that was taller than her—but she'd hauled around bigger men than Youngmi. He wasn't an issue.

@✠　Reina Thor Poor Reina seemed to have had a long day. Maybe the proposition of cuddles that Youngmi wanted to give, would help her relax too. He padded over to the sofa, settling down at one end so that he could easily peek over and watch her and she busied herself with making coffee. He shook his head at the offer though, giving her a little smile. “No coffee for me, thank you.” An even more hyper and chaotic angel was not a good idea, at any time of the day. And also probably not when he didn’t feel good, and wanted to curl up and sleep cuddling someone.

“Was your day okay? Tell me about it, you look tired.” He called out, his arms resting on the top of the sofa, staring towards the kitchen with a hum. When Reina returned from the kitchen to see him again, he was happy to sink back into the couch’s cushions. It seemed with droopy wings and tired eyes the angel couldn’t hide his emotions.

As though gravitated towards those who would give him cuddles, Youngmi gradually shifted bit by bit towards the thunder goddess, until a few minutes later when his arms were around her and he was clinging on with his head tucked into her shoulder. He usually preferred to ask before he leapt on someone for a lot of hugs. But maybe not today. “Hey, please don’t beat anyone up over anything! Especially not if anyone upset me!” He insisted. The angel didn’t stir from his spot. “And don’t break their limbs, because it’s painful.”

A small huff left the angel. Throwing himself against his friend already made him feel a little bit better. “I got another month put on my flight ban,” He admitted, twisting his neck to shoot the limp six wings a condescending glare. “Because I accidentally upset an ice guy and he said I wasn’t allowed to walk down the mountain, we had to go on a slide, because he was upset with me. So we did, but something happened and we fell- and it was really high up, Reina! And I didn’t want to fall! I didn’t even realise they came out, they just did, and it meant I didn’t break anything!! Except the wrist of the ice guy, but I fixed it again..”

His chatter was soft and rambling, explaining it all to the goddess with many a sulky huff. “I know Klahan is just worried though, but I thought he might’ve been a little proud that I’d almost got it, even if it was by accident that I went against the orders.” By that point, Youngmi was looking upset again, but blinked at the shorter woman’s words and slowly nodded his head. “Would it be okay to have hot chocolate and cupcakes?” He asked, a bit hopefully. Coffee was bitter, but hot chocolate and cupcakes were sweet, and it was widely known that sweetness was the way to charm the angel into happiness.

@✠　Lee Youngmi ↳ ᴀᴜɢᴜsᴛ 16, 2051
↳ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: call me back - chase atlantic
↳ ʀᴇɪɴᴀ: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/62/71/73/6271735eca5f91bfb67c17a2a346a424.jpg

The Dream Guard's resident thunder goddess was returning from a long patrol that had not gone well. She'd broken up four fights, gotten involved in a gang conflict and stopped an assault, and now she was finally home. Exhaustion had settled into every muscle, bone, and nerve ending in her body. Dragging herself into the elevator felt like a chore, and stepping out on her floor felt even worse. She ed her jacket as she pushed herself through the hallway, steps closer to stumbling but the goddess had too much pride to say she was staggering from how dog-tired her body was.

Reina fit her key into the lock of her door and jumped out of her skin when Youngmi's voice sounded from behind her. That, she thought grimly, was a testament to how out of it she was—their baby angel managed to sneak up on her. "Youngmi," she exhaled, leaning her head against the door as the lock clicked open. "You scared me."

With a sigh, the goddess pushed her door open and stepped inside, holding the door for Youngmi. "Come on in," she instructed gently, stifling a yawn. "Let me just kick my shoes off and start a pot of coffee. Make yourself at home," she added, pointing at the couch in the living room. She pushed the door shut, hung up her keys, and toed off her shoes, padding into the kitchen on her stocking feet. Reina tossed her jacket over the back of a chair, pulled a rubberband off of a hook in one of the cabinets, and tied her hair back as she bustled around to start a pot of coffee. It would help her wake up some.

She poked her head into the living room. "Do you want some coffee? Anything to eat?" she inquired. Looking at Youngmi now that they were inside and she was no longer in her boots and she was beginning to be more alert with the scent of coffee brewing in the air, she could see the upset in his frame and she wanted to kick someone's as soon as she saw it. Her features pulled into a frown, she stalked into the living room and sat down beside him, coffee forgotten for the moment. "What happened? Who do I need to pummel? I told you I'll break the limbs of anyone who makes my birb sad."

Reina's brain was running a mile a minute, coming up with awful scenarios of someone bullying her poor baby angel—her poor, sweet, innocent baby angel who couldn't hurt a fly—and the thunder goddess was practically fuming, but she could destroy lives later. Right now she needed to take care of the Dream Guard's favorite feathered baby. "No coffee," she said decisively, "hot chocolate and cupcakes."

@✠　Reina Thor Youngmi felt like a burden. He always seemed to cause problems, without even meaning too. The problems seemed to occur most commonly around his wings. Klahan was only worried about him, but after a month’s rest, Youngmi knew he was ready to try again. Besides - this incident hadn’t been his fault. When spiralling down so quickly that his lungs and mind couldn’t keep up, was he supposed to just let himself break all of his bones in a snowdrift, instead of trying to slow his fall with his wings? /He’d thought he’d done it for a moment/. They’d moved in time with each other, filling the angel’s heart with a hope. That he wasn’t broken, that he would fly again. But Celes had told people about the chicken boy’s bad flying, and that meant he was in trouble again. He hadn’t meant to - if it hadn’t been a life and death situation, he wouldn’t have done it. He respected Klahan far too much to go back on his orders on purpose.

And that made the punishment all the worse.

Youngmi sat on the edge of his bed, a picture of misery. Curled up, wings tucked close, face hidden in his own feathers. He was very much like a stressed bird needing confirmation that everything was going to be alright. He’d gotten halfway through throwing clothes onto his bed before he’d paused and grown even more upset. He didn’t really want to leave. He didn’t want there to be any bad feelings in the guard. They were his family. But the barracks felt oppressing when he was upset. Even when he knew he had so many trusted people around him, he didn’t feel safe enough to sleep indoors, to explain his reasoning, his little things that led to big things.

He was the bright sunshine of the guard. He couldn’t let them see him upset. Lee Youngmi was the light of the guard. And he wouldn’t be upset over something as silly as not being allowed to fly, he insisted to himself.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps down the hallway of the barracks. He crept to his door, wings drooping awkwardly. Reina! His favourite thunder goddess. She always made him feel safe and sound. If any of the guard was the bird’s mother figure, it would be tied between her and Klahan. He padded down the corridor, slipping round the corner; and followed her all the way back to her quarters. It was only when they were there that the angel made a noise, coughing a little bit before he spoke. “Would you maybe be free to hang out for a little while..?” Like a child asking if their friend could come out to play, the feathered creature looked hopefully at his friend.

@✠　Jeom Daesung A short huff left the young man as he paced the wall at the edge of the rooftop. It was a favourite place of his, the breeze ruffling his hair like an old friend, as free as a bird. But he was in no mood to revel in the beauty of the height, instead he scowled to himself. He got onto the wall, pushing himself to his feet. He heard the regular hustle and bustle of the street below, but up on the roof of the barracks, it was peaceful. Youngmi’s mind was cloudy again, and sometimes it could help, balancing along the wall. It had been a whole month. Two months, almost. And yet, the entire fight still ricocheted around in his mind, an unending loop of ‘what could I have done to prevent it?’ He’d been dazed with a complex situation - a member from the gang that he’d promised himself he’d keep safe, had been taken hostage for a few moments, putting her life at risk. He’d wanted to make sure she was safe and sound. But the person holding her hostage had been a friend.

An unfortunate friend, who the world had done badly. In consequence, that friend had turned to the life of a hunter. Part of Youngmi blamed himself - he should’ve never let a child wander off by himself, even if he’d been more of a child himself in the fact that he’d been entirely new to earth’s rules and concepts. He sighed again heavily, letting his foot catch on the edge once or twice, purely for the adrenaline factor. Should he have killed his old friend? He didn’t know. Finally, Youngmi looked up with round eyes to see the door to the stairs close, a figure now joining him on the roof.

He’d needed advice, and who better to go to than one of the people he looked up to so much? The Dream Guard was full of people Youngmi admired and would happily give his heart to if that was what they needed, but Daesung had been a good friend for more than a while. “Hello,” He called, a little smile on his lips as he paused his anxious pacing. He’d asked the angel to join him for a while, because Youngmi needed to talk about some things. “Sorry for asking you to come up here on such short notice, Daesung, I just wanted to chat a little.”

@✠　Reya —
Seravena made sure to give Reya a little pat on the head before lifting up her purse and draping it over her shoulder, “let’s go then, shall we? We’ll be back before anyone even notices we’re gone.” She linked arms with Reya, walking out of the armory without a moment more wasted.

She knew Reya was probably nervous, so she tried to calm her, “Nobody’s going to be upset with us for taking time to ourselves. Part of our job is to stay happy and relaxed so that in times of crisis, we can focus all of our energy on fighting. No need to be so stiff! We’re gonna have lots of fun, and then we’re going to come back and train again.”

@✠　Seravena Eslinger The words repeated in her head, ‘work isn’t twenty-four seven.’ Although it was so simple, Reya hadn’t thought of it like that before. It felt programmed, to serve the Dream Guard, to live and to die for it, but having fun with Seravena sounded more tempting. She might’ve been an angelic being, sure, but at that moment she was like the little devil on Reya’s shoulder.

Reya watched as Seravena packed away the pocket knife, still weighing her options. She should stay and keep to her duty to the Guard, but the urge to go was overwhelming. The thought of shoes for her bare feet and more colorful apparel in place of her usual white, it’d be a new experience. Technically, she should go to learn these things, to be mentored. “Um.” But perhaps she ought to stay since Seravena’s absence may require her to fill in. Then again, she’d drown in guilt if something were to happen to Seravena, on or off duty. She was her friend. “Y-yes, I’ll go too!” With a little hop in her step, Reya hurried to Seravena’s side, a place she hoped to stay forever.

@✠　Reya —
Seravena waved her hand, “life isn’t work twenty-four seven! I mean just shopping for fun. New clothes, I need new shoes, makeup- that kind of stuff. Plus,” she motioned to her height. She was a stark five feet even in her flat sneakers, “It’s kind of embarrassing to be this short all the time. So new platforms are definitely needed.” She folded the switchblade and tucked it into her purse that sat on the floor by the entrance.

It was because she was so competent that she felt safe with a simple pocket knife. Her motto when fighting was ‘work smarter, not harder’. Use the attacks against the attacker. “So, would you like to come with, my friendly ghost?”

@✠　Seravena Eslinger “Shopping... as in, for supplies?” Reya tilted her head to consider the notion. Why hadn’t this task been assigned to her? She could have easily completed mundane chores so that more active members like Seravena didn’t have to. Or perhaps it WAS assigned but she had forgotten? Unlikely since she’s been at the barracks all day. Her memory had been intact and at its peak so she wouldn’t have forgotten a support assignment.

Her thoughts returned to Seravena when the glint of the switchblade caught her eye. “I suppose it’d do fine,” she answered. The thought that someone as competent as Seravena would want a measly pocket knife for protection confused her even more than her previous, especially since Reya would join her in her errand, but she wasn’t one to question the other’s judgment. “Perhaps we could even stop at a cafe of some sort, if you haven’t eaten yet.”

@✠　Reya —
“I have been training all day, I just needed to get away for a moment.” Seravena confided in the other, draping herself against a piece of empty wall. “But I was hoping to go do some shopping today, actually. I don’t have any assignments that need to be taken care of.” She walked towards Reya, “would you like to join me?”

Seevie knew that that Reya was trying to be more “human like”, which she admired. She worked so hard to try and be “normal”. “Since I’m going out I just wanted to keep a little something with me to protect myself.” She picked up a small switchblade from a glass case in the room, flipping it open, “this should do, don’t you think?”

@✠　Seravena Eslinger The ghost’s eyes followed the sparkle in Seravena’s wings, curious as to why they appeared so magical in a relatively dull room. Regardless, it only further solidified Reya’s respect for the other. “I haven’t done much,” she replied. “I spent some time observing people outside the barracks but... I haven’t actually spoken with anyone, really.” It was a self-appointed mission to be more human-like, to learn more about life outside the Guard and their duties, but it proved to be difficult when she found more comfort in allies like Seravena.

“Are you going somewhere today? I don’t... normally find you in the weaponry.” Reya approached her slowly, watching her through the mirror. “I could come with you... if you don’t mind, I mean.” As a member of the Dream Guard who wasn’t normally the first to be called for situations the required combat or the like, she thought it necessary to tag along for any field work. But for Seravena in particular, she enjoyed the company.