Giving her hand a small and gentle squeeze before turning to look over to his sister and her lover, not anymore phased by them two being together. He had someone whom he loved and he was always happy for the two of them anyway.
Turning back to Val, he kissed her forehead. "Thet look like they're having fun. They wont mind, I'll just text them if anything. I go out a lot without saying anything anyway" he smiled at her next comment. "I could use that. I'm starving. But I need to make a trip to a friend out in the forest." He says already heading out, eager to leave already. Eager to be alone with her.
But not for that reason if course!!! Thatd be a plus though…
She nodded and smiled, following him out of the school back towards the forest territory line.
"ah you mean Cas? I ask Zizi about older vampires. She said she hadn't heard of him but that she did catch his scent every now and again when she ventured into that area." she said, walking with Min through town. "when am I gonna meet him, hm?" She asked, smirking up at him and raising an eyebrow, stepping carefully as they entered the forest. At one point she just took off her shoes and walked barefoot through the forest.
"oh also, I forgot to ask earlier, how's you're mom? You told me she would get discharged after the night of Nathan's death, is she doing well?" She had grown somewhat attached to Mrs Yeon ever since the night they had planned the attack on Min's step father. she knew she would never be able to replace her own mother, never wanted to replace her in the first place but she liked having someone to talk to that was outside of her pack. Val would tell her all sorts of things, trying to keep the fact that she and Min weren't exactly human a secret for now just until she was more comfortable. She would mostly talk about Min or just life in general, hoping one day to spark recognition about her son one day.
He was taken aback a good bit by the mention of Cass, as he stopped for a second and looked at her. "Oh…uh yeah." He stammered. He must have told her about him, but he didnt remember doing so. But then again, he was a bit hungry and he became more and more forgetful during those times.
He chuckled at the mention of Zizi catching his scent. "Yeah, hes careless about leaving his scent for the wolves. Hes not an ounce scared of them. Nor is he threatened by them, but that's only because hes just too.nice for anyone not to like him really" Min-Hyuk shrugged. "We can meet him now.if you'd like?"
"Oh, mom….shes doing alright. Still doesn't remember me but that's fine. I think it would be for the best if she didnt. I'm a bad luck charm to her. Well…that's what my dad said before he left in korea. But yeah, shes doing fine." Min let out a sigh. Thinking about how his.mother had forgotten him and how much of a disappointment he was to.his dad before he died….well.Min-Hyuk had taken it all pretty rough but hes accepted it now. There was no.point in crying over a spilled glass that's already dried
She nodded along as he spoke, tilting her head up to the sky and catching a glimpse of the moon overhead through the canopy of the forest. "I'd love to meet him. he seems like a very nice person from what you've told me. You're sure it's alright though? we can always come back when it's not a time we're hungry." She bit her lip slightly, already smelling the scent of prey, her instinct to go after them only growing stronger.
She looked back up at Min when he began talking about his mother. She squeezed his hand gently and ran her thumb over the back of it. "I'm glad she's alright but Min, you're not a bad luck charm, not to her and not to anyone. You aren't some puppet for others to control, nor would I consider you the guy to let other ever control you. You are you're own person. Despite what others did to you in the past, you chose to live you're own life. you're dad was wrong. Anyone that has met you and thinks of you as anything less than a genuinely good person is wrong. Yes we all have our flaws, some more than others but those are inevitable, whether you're a vampire, wolf or a human." Val would never understand why people, including a child's own parent would choose to hurt their kid in any way. what gain did they get from hurting an innocent like that? She shook her head of the thought, frustrated with the world at the moment and shifted, letting go of Min's hand pacing in a few circles before returning to his side and pressing her head in his hand
He sighed and listened to her without a word, until she shifted. "Hm, thanks. But um also, I alot of times if I cant find any "prey" I go to him. Here follow me and I'll show you." He says running his fingers through her fur before making his way into the forest. He was never good with his feelings, nor his words so he didnt say anything more about what she had said. It was sweet of her though and he appreciated it.
Soon they were a bit deeper into the forest, Min-Hyuk still in his fancy clothes. Oh Cassius was going to love seeing that. He was like a big brother to Min, so he was most definitely going to tease him.
Soon they came upon a house, a huge one at that. Vines had overgrown it but you could see the light of a fireplace from one of the stained glass windows.
Min looked back at Val then knocked on the door, the growling of his stomach now in his ears.
The dark oakwood door opened to a tall figure. Darker skin but blonde hair and yellow eyes, standing at about 6'4" and a bright smile that lit up anyone's mood.
"Min-Hyuk!! Welcome back kiddo! Oh, you've brought a friend huh? Oh is this the gal you were talking about? Oh and what's with the getup? Did you come from a ball or something? Haha, well I'm guessing you didnt come just to see me. Come on in and I'll get you something to eat" he says all in one sentence. Cass tended to do that a lot, but Min was still a bit….startled.
"Um….one thing at a time Cass. Thanks though" he says walking in, waiting for Val to go first though
Val trotted beside him as they made their way to Cass' home. She made note of the path as they walked through the forest just in case she wanted to visit him again. her own hunger was going the deeper she got into the forest, now an abundance of prey available. She glanced around as they made it to a smaller clearing with a house near the middle of it. She took a few cautious steps towards it, the smell of vampire as well as blood and herbs filled her nostrils as she stood beside Min. She didn't mind the vampire smell much anymore but it still was a shock to her that one would be this close to the pack territory. She sat beside Min, still in wolf form in case anything were to happen, she'd be able to fight in this form much better than in a dress. She gazed up at the man who opened the door, arching an eyebrow when he mentioned Min speaking of her before hand. She had to admit he was a very handsome looking Vampire, as most were said to be but like Min, he seemed to be more attractive in personality than in looks, though the looks did help. She was a bit taken back when he didn't question her presence or the fact that she was a wolf but she took it as a plus. With a respectful bow of her head, Val slowly walked inside, taking a sniff around before settling on the ground near the window
Min-Hyuk looks back at Val once they made they way inside. In front sat two twin staircases lined with red carpet, leading up to two bedrooms on each side and a long dark hall looking as if it were a void no one dared to go inside.
To the left was the living room, shaggy red carpet that smelled of vanilla and roses, rather expensive old, yet well kept furniture included a sofa, a rocking chair and a gold and red laced carpet in front of the calm smoldering fire place. It was all very expensive old timey looking things.
Min-Hyuk never got used to his place. If he could, he would live here with him.
To the right was a checkered floor kitchen, Cass was proud of himself for buying more modern appliances.
"He was a Duke in the 1800s. If you were wondering" Min leaned over to Val and whispered. "Also. It's okay. You dont have to have your guard up. You can trust him. He says hes aquatantances is Zizi too" he smiled
Cass turned around with a smile, a cup of tea in his hand waiting to offer it to Val once shes shifted.
His features even more noticeable in this light, the candle lit chandelier hanging from the main entryway. A practically chiseled jawline and nose, rather full lips and black freckled splattered upon his face and his hands. He wore a nice white button up, the sleeves rolled to his elbows and black jeans. His platinum blonde hair had fallen in front of his yellow eyes a few times before blowing them away. He set the steaming mug on the small stand by the rocking chair in front of the fire and pulled his hair back into a ponytail
She gazed around at the cozy home, intrigued by all the older items and the beautiful ambiance they brought to the place. Cass himself looked out of place in the piece of past that was the house, in his more modern styled clothing, though she could defiantly see him in the clothes of history just as naturally. She looked towards Min and nodded, taking a deep breath before standing and shifting in her place. Once relaxed, she settled back down next to Min. "Forgive me for being, as Min said before, guarded. I truly mean no offense, I haven't had the best encounters with vampires in the past, though that seems to be changing." she offered a soft smile and nodded her head once again in thanks to both Cass for offering her the drink and to Min for bringing her.
"You have a beautiful home. All the furniture and pieces must have taken ages to have collected." she mused, taking a cautious sniff of the tea before taking a small sip.
"You know my grandmother?" she asked curiously, focusing back on the vampire. "Not to pry or anything but she's never mentioned knowing a vampire within the forest."
He leaned on the back of the sofa and looked over at the two kids. He always saw Min as a little brother. He was almost 200 years old as Min was only around 17.
"Well this house is definitely old, a lot of the things in here had been since I was born" he softly explained "oh and no worries. I dont blame you one bit." Cass smiled. An accent more appearent as he talked, leaning more towards British or English.
Cass, being the chatter box he is, continued to talk. "Oh, I've run into her a few times, proven I'm nice and I took my leave. The packs around here knows me. Well not around here, as it's your territory. But there's been more before you and on the other side of town…well the entrance there's a forest divided by a road into town. There's a small pack there too. Of about 3. The rest were killed by hunters and the survivors fled. I'm friends with them. Unlike a lot of vamps, I'm a friendly. Neutral if you will" he smiled.
"Oh, I'll be right back." He smiled and went down another dark hallway and dissapeared, but about 10 seconds later a creak of a metal door sounded through the halls and from a concreted basement.
Min turned towards Val, grabbing her hand and giving it a small squeeze. "Hes like a brother to me. But a bit annoying with all of the talking he does. Oh, but you should here all of the stories he has to tell. Its fascinating. Hearing from someone with so much experience and time."
She nodded as Cassius spoke, intrigued to find out that he was friends with the other neighboring pack. She had visited the other pack a few times when she went to meeting with Chire. She had heard of the attack and was devastated to find out that only three of pack members had survived, having had friends in the back before hand. Chire had always wanted to join the packs together, though the other pack had always polity refuse both wanting to stay independent in honor of their lost pack members as well as to not attract the vampires that had killed them off to another pack. She shut her eyes for moment, sending her prayers and her gratitude to the pack before perking up once again when Cass stood and headed down the dark hallway. Only looking at it made her feel uncomfortable, so she was glad when Min started a conversation. She laughed when he mentioned him being annoying, reminding him very much of her own brother.
"I'm sure he does. It must be nice to have someone to talk to that can relate to being a vampire as well." She gently rubbed her thumb over his hand as she looked around, trying to avoid looking at the dark hallway. She knew cass was a good person, but somehow the though of an eerie basement with seemingly heavy doors that could trap something or someone in altered that perception she had of him
He sat down on the sofa in front of the fireplace and looked at her from where he sat, grabbing her hand and pulling her in a bit, looking up at her. Oh, she was so gorgeous, he could look at her all day and night long and never get tired of her beauty.
But he tried to not mind that as he could tell she was a bit uneasy about the fact he was still a bit sketchy.
"Creepy right? Dont worry, that's just where he stores the blood. He works at the morgue not far from here. And that's why I can always come here if I need any emergency….well blood. He used to kill. No wolves in case you were wondering. But he spent the last…60 years choosing not to kill anyone. It was too much of a hassle he says. Making sure nobody found out. He says it was easy. But it was easier to just do this. You can even come down there and look for yourself if you want to. It just has freezers filled with bags down there" he says, trying his best to reassure her. He really wanted her to like him and not to be wary. There wasnt anything to be wary of. Well he knew Cass had secrets, plenty of which he hadn't told him. But none that were too bad. Yeah, he accidentally killed his whole family and all of the royals that lived with them and.he fled. But he wasnt going to tell her that unless she asked Cass and.cass wanted to.tell.her. which definitely would, but he didnt know if she would ask.
She leaned into him content with being in his arms. She was surprised and a bit relieved to hear that Cass hadn't killed in nearly 60 years. "That's innovative, as well as effective, the morgues get rid of bodies they don't have space for and you guys get a reliable food source." She was glad that Min could come here as a source for blood instead of killing people. She shook her head at his offer, her hunger only growing as she remained in place though she was alright for now, the blood would only increase that urging to hunt. She knew Cass wasn't entirely innocent, she could smell the underlying regret around the home but she also knew he wasn't a man to fear or at least to be scared of.
"I'm glad I met him. He seems like a wonderful man and a very caring person." She said and meant it, truly believing that despite the regret, Cass had learned from whatever mistakes he had done and had turned in the wise and compassionate man he was towards Min as well as to the other beings in the area.
He was glad she understood, a small smile on his face as she spoke. He heard footsteps coming up from the stairs and he stood once again, slowly though. Kissing Vals cheek before he heard Cassius' voice humming along to a rather old sounding song.
"Awe, young long" he says sweetly, missing being in love. In his hand was a bag of frozen blood. The hand it held it in had a glove on before he slipped it off and set the bag on the counter, opening the bag and setting it in the microwave.
He turned around and walked up to Min, ruffling his thick wavy mess of hair with a peppy smile. "I didnt think you had it in you!" Cass laughed before turning to Val. "You got lucky. Hes one of the vampires in this state that actually has a warm heart" he says, metaphorically of course.
"Oh, you must be hungry too huh. Do you want anything to eat darling?"
"really?" She smiled teasingly at Min "That would have been great to know before all the threats and the name calling." She laugh and stood with a shake of her head "while the offer is greatly and truly appreciated, I think I'll let you two eat while I hunt for a bit." She returned the kiss on Min's cheek and bowed her head to Cass in a silent 'that you' before opening the door and shifting. She turned her head and let out a bark before trotting in a small circle and running off to find prey.
She eventually made it into the thicker part of the forest where she knew prey was abundant. Letting her instincts take over her more human side, she let out a low growl and crouched down, pressing her belly low to the ground. She spotted a young dear near a few trees, practically cornering it in. She couldn't smell the mother or father anywhere which was great for her. Usually she would be able to hunt the smaller deer while her pack members drove the other deer away. Sending a thank you to her ancestors for a hearty meal as well as a thank you to the deer for giving it's life so she may live another day, she took a deep breath and launched herself at the small deer, hearing a yell from the creature before her teeth sunk deep into it's neck. With a quick jolt of her head, she dislocated it's neck and let it slump to the ground. Sniffing around to make sure no other wolf was near, she settled comfortably in the small clearing and happily ate her fill, planning to come back later to retrieve the rest for her pack.
He leaned into her lips a little with a boyish grin before he watched her leave. "Be safe plesse" he says nervously, though remembering who she was. He knew she could take care of herself but he was still worried. He was always overprotective over the ones he loves.
Once she was gone, he turned to Cass as he walked into the living room from the kitchen with a mug full of the syrupy dark liquid.
He handed one to Min as he set a pitcher down on the coffee table, taking a mug of his own and leisurely drinking it.
Min cleared his throat and looked up from the mug, "she doesn't trust you" he says calmly.
"Well she has no reason to do so. I'm a vampire. A sketchy one at that. I have plenty of secrets nobody knows about. Shes good to judge from the cover." He says carefully with a smile, his tone relaxed but dangerous as he took another sip.
"What secrets? Other than killing people" he asked raising an eyebrow. What was he hiding?
"You dont want to know. But just know this" he finished off his cup of food as if it were simply tea and set it down on the coffee table before licking his lips rather seductively. It sent shivers down Mins spine.
"Theres a reason I tell you not to ever go down any hall in this house" he says leaning back in his seat and pouring himself some more blood from the pitcher.
Val took a detour back home, needing to change and to let Chire know where she would be for the rest of the day. When she told him about Cassius, she felt as if his guard slightly went up. She tried to reassure him as best he could, but he was her big brother.
"Val, I know Min would never put you in direct danger but a vampire who's lived in this forest for centuries is bound to come with some background and some secrets. He wouldn't tell Min everything, maybe for his own privacy or for the safety of both Min and everyone else." he reasoned, leaning against the wall next to her room, waiting for her to change.
"I know, but he doesn't seem like a bad person, and no that's not me being bias towards vampires. He genuinly seems to care about everyone and he's sworn off drinking any living beings blood. yes, a few things about him do seem slightly suspicious but I'll be careful. if at anytime i feel uncomfortable, I'll leave." she reassured, coming out of her room in a black graphic t shirt and some simple jeans. her makeup was scrubbed off but a bit of black smudging remained around her golden eyes. "I'll be careful, I promise." she hugged her brother and headed out again, shifting back into wolf form and making her way back to the house. Thinking that the boys were still eating, Val remained outside in her wolf form. She found a patch of moss in front of the home, curled up in a tight ball and rested her head on her paws, taking the time to rest and relax.
Once Min finished his fill, he stood, a rush of a sort of headache come to his head. He got dizzy but he didnt mind. Cas it was nothing. Just his senses. Right? He had just found out Cass is most likely hiding something dark and that made him nervous. Cass's voice sounded less welcoming and more dangerous as did his yellow snake eyes.
"Uh…I think I heard Val out there. We better get going too. But thank you really. Ill come around some time later to just hang out." He says loosening the collar of his fancy outfit.
Once outside, he looked to Val, and to his relief she was there. "H-hey. Sorry I took a bit. We can go now though" he says with a stumble, leaning against the wall a bit but he didnt seem to be questioning it
She picked her head up when he heard him coming and immediately went to his side, worried whimper coming from as he leaned against the wall she glanced up at Cass’ house before crouching down and nodding her head behind her, gesturing for him to get on. She didn’t know about Cass’ secrets or about his sudden changes in innocence but she didn’t fully trust him as with ever Vampire she met. She didn’t want ask for his help in case Min’s nervousness was caused by Cass. She believed he wouldn’t hurt Min but she also believed that there were more important things to the vampire than keeping Min’s innocence when it came to the two’s relationship.
Min-Hyuk looked at her with gratitude, "I'm fine. I think I just stood up too quickly. Low iron is more a lifestyle than anything now" he says rolling his eyes.
He stood straight smiled at her "so hey, did you get any food?"
(Sorry its short)
She shifted back into her normal form and looked him over carefully before taking his hand in hers and pulling him into a wall.
“Yeah, a small deer on the outskirts of The territory. I’ll bring the other half back later for the pack.” She ran a hand through her hair and guided him around the forest until they got to the abandoned home. She broke out into a smile upon seeing it and stared up at in wonder, excited to see how it was inside
He stood in his tracks when she started to wander, looking up at the abandoned home. It was a decent sized house. It looked like an old farm house, the windows still in but cracked and dusty. He stepped into the building with Val, looking around. The furniture was turn along with the plastic sheet over them. Everything was awfully dusty and rickety, Min left footprints in the dust of the creaky floorboards he was afraid would fall through in second.
"We should fix this place up or something" he says to Val with a little grin
She wandered in a little more, coming to stand in the center of the room. "really? with what skills between us?" She waved a hand in front of her, trying to get the floating dust away from her before she got a full on sneezing attack. " okay maybe at least a thorough dusting."Managing to finally get her allergies under control, Val wander over to the stair's and peeked up, smiling when she saw a few rooms. Slowly, she made her way up, shifting in the middle in case anything was anything that was up there.
When she finally made it upstairs, she sniffed around, sneezing a few times, accidentally bumping into a plastic sheet that covered a bookshelf which fell on top of her. With a yelp she shifted and yanked off the sheet, still sneezing a bit. once she stopped, she looked up at the bookshelves and ran a gentle hand along the spines.
"Hey, I'll have you know I have plenty skill. I could easily fix this place up. All I need is time" he huffed, crossing his arms before the shelf fell.
Before Min could even help her, she had helped herself and he once again felt useless. But it was whatever. It didnt bother him too much. He was just glad she was safe.
"Are you alright?" He asked cautiously
She laughed and nodded “yeah I’m good,” she scanned over the book again, drawn in by their intricate design and intriguing titles, some not even in English. She took a peek over at Min and tilted her head, walking over and gently taking his hands in hers. “Are you alright?” She asked softly, brow furrowed in concern. “You’ve been…off…ever since you went to talk to Ryuu. You’re sure everything’s okay?” She looked up at him, cupping his cheek with her hand and stroking over the skin with her thumb
He was taken by surprise at her words, then followed by her actions. But he only leaned into her touch. "Yeah. I'm fine. Ryuu has his doubts and to be frank… doesn't trust you yet. I mean, you didnt trust me at first either and neither did I you. So I can see where hes coming from. Hes protective over my little sister. But he doesn't know you like i do. But he'll grow to like you. And hey, my sis already seems too" he says kissing her forehead. "I'm fine. Trust me"
