forum "How come you haven't run away from me yet?"//oxo//Closed

Started December 12, 2020 by @knightinadream group

tune

After a bit more looking around, she remembered that her uncle would not be here. They needed to go beyond the marketplace and to the more residential streets. Jimin tugged the coat more around herself, shivering slightly. She wanted to at least see him before it got too late in the night.
She looked back at Kangdae, and couldn’t help but notice how he seemed to look at the people around them with a hunger in his eyes. As if he was choosing who would be his prey. After he spoke, she blinked, her mind focusing on his words. The first thing she did was raise her brow. “Oh? You brought money with you?”

Kangdae could not resist losing himself in the moment, in the crowd amongst all of his subjects. Whether these people feared him for being their ruler or a blood sucking monster, that didn't matter now. They didn't know. Even the few officers or soldiers that passed by them, none blinked an eye at him. But he glanced at each and every one of them, taking in their appearance, the smell of the blood coursing through their veins, the side of their necks…He enjoyed being out here.

Looking over at Jimin, he whispered to her, "Everything in this kingdom is…or soon will be…mine but…" Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a little red satin pouch. It hung down as he held it by the handles. "I did bring some money with me for tonight," He grinned while shaking it. The coins clinked together even as he slipped the pouch back into his pocket.

"Is there anything your heart desires, my love?" He asked while looking around at the vendors' products, "Rings, bracelets, necklaces, combs, fans, earrings…" Kangdae shrugged as he continued to look at the things they pass by. "Is there anything that stands out to you?"

She now raised both brows in surprise. “Oh! Well, smart of you to slip that in. But…” she looked around at all the well-crafted accessories on display. “It’s been so long since I had the privilege of choosing from such luxurious items…”
Jimin bit her lip as she studied the items. Nothing immediately stood out to her, if she was being honest with herself. There had been a time when she had no trouble with choosing, but it was far in the past. She glanced up at Kangdae for a moment before returning to the accessories and jewelry.
“Perhaps… this?” She pointed to one of the combs. It was fairly small, with flowers and butterflies engraved into it. “It’s wooden, so it won’t hurt you.”

"It is alright," He smiled, "Take your time. There are many wonderful items here, but none are as wonderful as you." With his arms behind his back, he leaned over to see what she was pointing at. It was a pretty comb. He liked the artwork engraved into the wood. The comb wouldn't hurt him. Kangdae moved over to stand next to her. Looking around, he made sure that no one was glancing in their direction before quickly kissing Jimin on the cheek.

A set of jade rings caught his eye. He stared at them before looking back at the comb. After calling the merchant over, he turned to Jimin. "Alright, I'll purchase this for you." As he spoke, the sound of laughter filled his ears. In the distance, he saw a troupe of masked entertainers preforming. Kangdae gestured over towards them, "How about you go over and watch the clowns while I take care of this, yes? It looks fun."

Jimin let out a soft chuckle. “Well, I’m not an item, am I?” She muttered. She blushed faintly as she felt his chilled lips on her cheek. Her hands moved to pull the overcoat more around her head.
Following his gaze, she furrowed her brow at the jade rings before looking back at Kangdae. “Thank you, love.”
Could she wear the comb in the open without being noticed and questioned about it? She doubted it. Perhaps she would just wear it by herself or with Kangdae. The flower was innocuous enough, but a new comb, out of nowhere? It would be disastrous and embarrassing if it was discovered that she had snuck out of the palace.
Worry crept up inside her. Kangdae would have had to do more to get her attention; a touch of the shoulder or something similar. Once he did so, and she registered the presence of the performers, his voice managed to bury her thoughts.
Jimin hummed to herself. This was quite the novelty for her. Even as a child she didn’t recall seeing people doing tricks and pulling jokes like that. She looked back at Kangdae and sighed a little. It would be good to get her mind of things. She didn’t say much, but went over to investigate the masked performers.

Pretending to not think about or look at the rings, he gazed over at the merchant for a second then back at Jimin. "No, you are a dream. Sacred. A divine intelligent woman," He breathed while staring at Jimin. Kangdae stood still, watching as she walked away.

"You know, that brothel you keep staring at is full of spies paid by the Song family, Your Highness," a deep voice pointed out. "The blood isn't worth the troubles that that snake will put you through after this. Besides, their blood is riddled with things that will make you as mad as he is. Very very mad."

Kangdae blinked. The comb was gone and so were the two rings. Looking up, he met dark crimson eyes staring back at him. A slightly taller, pale young handsome figure wearing all black stood behind the booth. Kangdae assumed that this "man" appeared to be around the same age as him and Jimin, if not slightly older. Just above the man's collar, he could see two faint puncture wounds on the side of his neck. "Do I know you?"

The vampire shrugged as he finished making one necklace, "Perhaps. I've known you for quite some time." He smiled before starting the second necklace; it was oddly comforting in an eery way. "Look. Don't think about it too much, Kangdae. It's not necessary."

"What? Why are y-" Before Kangdae could say another word, the vampire placed the necklaces and comb in front of him then held out his hand. "Who are you? You are not the merchant…" He said while slowly reaching for his money.

The other vampire looked back over at the merchant drinking then said to Kangdae, "I know, but he's supper tonight and it's only fair that his family receives his earnings…" He just stared at the crown prince till he was handed the coins.

Gazing over at Jimin, Kangdae sighed. He took the two jade ring necklaces, shoved them in his pocket, then held the comb in his hands. Despite not fully seeing the other vampire, he could feel his gaze on him. "And to answer your question, Your Highness," He heard the other vampire whisper while leaning over, "My name is Wonho."

By the time Kangdae tried to look at the vampire, he was gone. For a while, his eyes scanned the surrounding area in an attempt to locate him and the merchant but neither were there. Still, he was able to find Jimin in the crowd. Slowly, he made his way towards her.

There was a small crowd forming around the performers. Jimin carefully weaved through to get a peek. Her eyes widened as she took it all in. One of the clowns looked to be very flexible, bending over backwards and forwards, doing the splits and such. Another was more of a magician, revealing coins hidden behind the ears of onlookers or making objects disappear. Another was juggling balls and throwing batons.
For a moment, she couldn’t decide where to look. The juggler with his spinning batons and balls caught her eye the most, so she focused on that for a while before looking over at the others. She tried to stay back, she didn’t want any attention on her. As Jimin watched the performance, she was able to relax and even enjoy herself. It was like she was getting a bit of her childhood back.
After a while her eyes drifted, studying the many common folk standing around her. A chill came over her, and she saw something in the corner of her eye.
A woman stood a few feet away, but her head wasn’t covered. Her hair hung long and loose, and was she floating slightly above the ground? Jimin strained her neck to look closer when the woman turned her head. Jimin froze, fear striking her heart.
She had no face. The woman seemed to face her straight on, yet with no eyes, no mouth, no nose. Jimin clapped a hand to her mouth to keep herself quiet, backing away from the crowd. Something brushed against her and she flinched, before looking up and realizing it was Kangdae. Without thinking she grabbed his robes, pressing against him and holding him tight. When she looked back, the faceless woman was gone.