Laeri ran quickly around the corner, trying to quiet her thoughts along the way. For a brief moment, she considered running straight toward her room, but she immediately dismissed the idea. There was too much open ground to cover. 

Instead, the increasingly nervous girl dashed around the second corner and hastened down the hall aways before ducking into the nearest room and closing the door silently. She pressed an ear to the door but pushed away from the surface and shook her head when she realized that she was more likely to feel the power surge before she heard footsteps. The sound of someone clearing their throat brought the human's thoughts to a screeching halt, and she froze uncertainly. Eventually, her eyes skimmed the room, stopping on the figure behind the desk who was staring questioningly at her. She bowed skittishly to the man who had bought her from Sebastian. 

"Is something going on that I should know about?" Doojoon asked with slightly raised eyebrows. 

Laeri stared at him for a minute with a look that probably screamed 'scared rabbit' because his brows furrowed in concern. Quickly, she decided on a response. 

No. Everything is fine. 

He looked at her skeptically with a confused face until a sneaky smile slipped over his face as the epiphany hit him. "You're hiding from someone, aren't you?" He laughed when the girl gave him a wide-eyed look and added with a whisper, "Don't worry I won't tell. And no one comes in here but me, so you're safe in this room."

She let out a slight sigh in relief. Looking around the room some more, she realized it was like someone had just taken a desk and shoved it into an existing sitting room. The desk was a few feet from the left adjacent wall to the door and facing out with a chair behind it, so whoever was working could see visitors without turning around. A couch sat against the back wall with a chair to its right and a rug underneath to pull the area together. A skinny bookcase climbed the wall to the left of the couch. 

"Oh!" the demon exclaimed suddenly. The human startled at the abrupt interjection. "Sorry, you can go sit over there if you want. I should have said that earlier." He grinned sheepishly at her. "There's some books that I like on the shelves over there. They're mostly fantasy, sci-fi, and adventure, but don't tell the others that I read those. They'd never let me live it down." She walked over and sat on the couch, making the lock-my-lips-and-throw-away-the-key gesture to show that she wouldn't tell anyone the secret. He smiled thankfully and turned back to his work. 

Laeri watched him for a while before turning to the bookshelf. After a bit of browsing, she saw a smaller book titled Supernaturalist. Raising an eyebrow at the title, she plucked the novel off the shelf and curled up comfortably on the couch, turning to page one. 



Hyunseung waited until he was sure he could just make out footsteps tapping down the marble steps. As the sound faded, he silently walked out to the steps himself. He glanced down the open area and strained to hear any noises that sounded like footsteps down the halls. When he was positive it was clear, he sped down the hall, stopping in front of the library door in a few seconds. The demon took a single breath before he shoved open the door and walked in. 

Kicking the door shut with his foot, he crossed his arms and looked up at his target. "Junhyung, will you come down here for a minute?" he asked with a glower, trying not to sound too irate. 

The mage stared in his direction for a while. "That depends," he said, finally. "Are you mad at me, Hyunseung?" He raised an eyebrow as he continued to float right where he was. 

The elder sighed. "I don't think I'm mad at you specifically. I think I'm mad at certain circumstances. So can we talk?" He ran a hand through his hair aggressively as he waited for a response. 

Junhyung slowly sank toward the ground, landing gently on his feet in the middle of the room and shoving his hands into his pockets. Hyunseung took several steps forward, so the two were close enough to have a conversation without an awkward amount of space between them. There was a slight stand-off as the silent battle for who would start began. 

"What did you do to her?" Hyunseung asked gruffly with a glare, feeling his anger rising back up now that he was confronting the issue. 

Junhyung immediately picked up on the other's train of thought and bristled. "I'm not sure that's any of your business," he said defensively.

"It is absolutely my business! If you've done something to scare her so much that I can't help her, you need to tell me!" the medic returned angrily. He was dealing with a lot already, trying to help the terrified girl feel safe. He did not need Junhyung adding to it and making her more scared than she already was. 

The mage's answering glare showed his displeasure at the reprimand. "I thought you weren't mad at me, Hyunseung, and you aren't the only one trying to help her, you know."

The elder sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He reigned in his emotions and took a moment to regroup. "I know. I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do with this girl. It's so hard to get through to her, and I don't want to push too hard and make her end up catatonic. It's even harder to avoid when she's as scared as she's been lately."

Junhyung looked hard at the other for a long time before he decided to ask, "Did she tell you directly that she was afraid of me?"

Hyunseung looked thoughtful for a moment. "No, but I could read it clearly enough in her body language. When I asked her why, she wouldn't answer me, so I'm asking you." The last word was punctuated with a barely suppressed growl. 

The mage pressed his lips together in thought before sighing. "I know why she got upset, but I can't tell you."

The elder's face flashed through surprise and confusion, finally settling on irritation. "What do you mean you can't tell me? She trusts me more than anyone else here!" he snapped, sounding just a bit hurt at the unspoken accusation that Laeri couldn't tell him something but could talk to Junhyung about it. 

The younger raised an eyebrow at him. "I didn't find out because she 'trusts' me. Don't go pushing her to tell you either. She'll come to you in her own time. I gave her an ultimatum, and if it gets too serious, I promise I will come tell you personally. Alright? Don't try to pry it out of her." He huffed a last warning under his breath as he walked toward the door, "If you're truly worried about her going catatonic, I can assure you that doing so would only ensure that ending."

Hyunseung stood frozen where he was as Junhyung walked past him, the implication hitting him full force. If it was as serious as the other had said, he would have to tread very carefully in this matter. The mage wasn't one to keep secrets, and he did care quite a lot about the humans they saved. He thought it was better this way, and he was probably right. Hyunseung contemplated all this, his face masked with shock and worry. "Wait," he said quietly just as the mage reached the door. "Where are you going?" the medic asked as he turned decimated eyes onto the other. 

"I'm going to find her and talk to her. Don't eavesdrop."



Laeri turned the second to the last page of her book, completely absorbed until she finally felt the stare that had been aimed at her for the past five minutes. She looked up quickly and swiveled her eyes to the demon watching her with an amused smile. Sitting up straight, she slipped a finger between the pages and placed the book down on her lap. 

Her master shook his head a little. "No, it's okay. Go ahead and finish the last couple pages. I just finished a minute ago, anyway." 

The girl looked at him skeptically but soon returned to the pages of the paperback book. She frowned, not quite pleased with how the book was ending. Just as she closed the book and reached to place it on the shelf, a muffled rumble rang through the otherwise silent room. Her eyebrows shot up as she quickly put the book down and turned to look at the chuckling demon. 

"I'm sorry. I haven't eaten dinner yet." He grinned with only a little bit of embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck. "I hate to rush you out of here, but I need to lock this room and apparently eat something."

The human nodded with an almost-there smile and walked toward the door, once again taking more care with her steps but hiding the slight change in her gait. She waited by the door until Doojoon finished putting everything away and came over to open the door. He held it open while she walked out, closing it behind him and turning a silver key to lock it. 

"Are you going back to your room now?" he asked as he slipped the metallic piece into his pocket. He received a hesitant nod. Her master smiled and gestured down the hallway. "I'll walk with you part of the way."

Sure enough, he trailed next to her until they reached the fork where the corridor broke off through the window room. The girl bowed politely, waiting just long enough to catch the wave sent back in return before turning and crossing the room as quickly as she could without looking suspicious. There was a feeling of eyes on her back that gave her shivers, but she didn't turn around until her feet settled at the top of the stairs. She gave a small wave to the demon still watching her and vanished down the corridor. 

Laeri slowly walked down the hallway, making sure she didn't sense anything amiss. She kept an eye out for Hyunseung too, because she knew that he would probably keep his promise if he caught her out of her room several hours after she left to go eat, especially since she wasn't really a social butterfly. After that appraisal, her steps quickened in their attempt to bring her to her room in record time. Stopping for a quick relieved sigh once she was within a few yards of her room, the girl allowed herself to relax in preparation for sleep that would take her away to sail on tempest-tossed waves under a night sky of the darkest black imaginable. A brief curse at the necessary evil that was sleep crossed her mind as she took the remaining steps up to her door, opening it quietly and carefully. She turned and closed it as she reached for the switch that would send the room into brilliant light. 

The human turned around with a sigh, closing her eyes and leaning back against the wood frame. Her eyes flickered open, and a second later her back was pressing hard into the door while her mind reeled, suddenly screaming with confusion and overwhelming panic. Her face snapped toward the ground as she tried to stifle her rapid breathes and stop the incessant trembling that crept over her skin. The figure on her bed sat up, and she felt an icy gaze pierce through her, pinning her where she stood. 

The demon stood up and grimaced as his hands clamped over his ears. "I guess we're back to be noisy now," he muttered under his breath. He walked a bit closer, unintentionally towering over the fearful girl. "You should calm down before this gets serious." The noise started to die down slightly in the mage's head. "Now, are you panicking because you were surprised to find a demon in your room or because of me specifically?" When he didn't get a response, he added, "If you think clearly about your answer, I can pick up on it." He caught the faintest whisper of Thought Projection... out of the chaos and nodded, though it went unseen. A moment later the storm of words quieted a bit more, but an answer only came in the form of hesitation and attempted deception. "Alright, mainly me. You should know better than to try to lie with your thoughts. Calm down, or I'll have to take you to see Hyunseung."

Laeri froze in terror as her fears resurfaced in a whirlwind that she hoped was too loud to sort through for individual thoughts. While her panic renewed and strengthened at the mere declaration, she tried harder than before to pull back the control of her body. She breathed slowly, nearly blacking out but forcing her heart-rate lower and avoiding a panic attack or worse. As she recovered, she stood up straighter and shook off the urge to cower back down against the door. 

Junhyung gestured toward the bed and said, "Go sit down. We need to talk." The girl slowly leaned away from the door and took timid steps toward the bed, venturing as far away from her master as she dared as she did so. She sat down gingerly on the edge of the mattress, her master following and sitting as well. "Do you want to tell me why you freaked out on Hyunseung earlier?"

The human stared at the floor, pressing her lips together and wringing her hands. She focused on masking her thoughts with more chaos than was probably necessary, judging by the slight flinch from the other. It was becoming harder for her to avoid the question as silence hung between them, but she didn't want to make her fears made known out of fright that they might become reality. 

Luckily, the demon took pity on her and voiced his own assumption instead of forcing her to announce her own. "Were you afraid that I would tell Hyunseung about this?" His hand brushed carefully over the scar on her abdomen, causing a full body shudder to shake through her. A slight affirmative drifted through his head and he nodded. "That's what I thought when he came to confront me about scaring people." He noticed the panicked energy flooding his head and immediately put a stop to it. "I didn't tell him anything, and he's not listening now. I checked before I started talking to you."

Laeri relaxed slightly, but she was still wary of the other. He may have guarded her secret from Hyunseung, this time, and he may not take advantage of it himself, but he would tell someone eventually. That would be game over for her. Tears pricked at her eyes as her fear of the future crashed over her like a tsunami, washing away her peace of mind and throwing her into ceaseless trembling. 

Junhyung couldn't make sense out of the terror rolling of the girl in waves. He did what he could to calm her, but it had proved abortive to attempt this through physical contact. He scowled at his lack of prowess for soothing with words. "What's wrong?" A jumble of thoughts hit him, making him jerk back out of shear discomfort. He could feel out a common thread, though, and used that to his advantage. "Are you still worried I'm going to tell Hyunseung? I'm not going to do that unless it becomes absolutely necessary to keep you safe."

This time the jumble cleared as it hit him. He dug out something along the lines of

But I can't handle any more of this! I'm not ready, I can't do it! I barely managed to mention the scars on my legs, and I shut down. I don't want to get in trouble.

She curled her knees up and pressed her hands to the sides of her head, covering her ears and trying to block the barrage of memories and thoughts threatening to send her spiraling down into despair as tears spilled down her face in streams. The demon set a hand on top of her head, and she felt the chaos slowly drain away until she was only left with the panic that was causing the tears to pour over her lashes. The hand brushed down over her curls before settling on her shoulder and dragging her into a warm embrace. 

"I'm going to tell you exactly what Hyunseung told you. Baby steps are okay as long as you're improving. As long as you're at least talking to someone about your injuries, I don't see any need to tell Hyunseung anything. Just trust me when I say that we only want to help." 

It was the most the girl had ever heard her master say in one go. She leaned her head against his shoulder and let the residual shudders travel through her body. With a sigh, she dropped all her tension and focused on cleaning up the mess in her mind. A hand brushed down her spine gently and back up again. 

"I will warn you that Hyunseung wants to tackle this next," Junhyung said softly with another down her back. "Can I look at your ankle now? That was the main reason he came to yell at me." A disgruntled look crossed the his face as he stared at the far wall. 

Laeri nodded and allowed her body to be dropped flat on the bed as the mage stood up and turned around. He held a hand over her torso as he moved a little closer to her feet. "Don't panic, and don't move. If you do, I'll restrain you which I don't think you'd like." The thought of dark magic pressing heavily over her entire body entered the human's mind, and she quickly shook her head, resigning herself to staying very, very still regardless of any misgivings. The demon held his right hand out over her injured ankle and a white light grew in the palm of his hand, his eyes glowing lavender as he used his power. He lowered his hand, so the light bathed the afflicted area. The girl flinched and tensed all over as a horrible chill pierced through her skin all the way down to the bone, but she didn't move, forcing herself to endure the discomfort. She held her breath until the hand raised back up and the light dissipated, releasing her from the cold. 

"Well, it's just a sprain. Stay off your feet for a week and keep that ankle wrapped. You shouldn't have any problems after that." Laeri relaxed at the news and let her eyes drift shut slowly, heart still thrumming harder than normally after the slight scare. She felt the bed shift and cracked an eye open to see her master now sitting next to her on the bed. He made a strange face, and she felt a thought push into her head. From the message, she understood that the blind demon wanted to touch her face, so he could 'see' what she looked like. In return, she closed her eyes and let herself relax to show her consent. 

Fingertips brushed across her forehead and down her nose. They traced carefully along her hairline and around her jawline. Pressing just a little near her ears, they trailed over her cheekbones and across her lips. The fingers felt along the fine hair of her eyebrows and softly over her long, delicate eyelashes. "What color is your hair?" She thought as clearly about the color as she could to give the right picture. "Your eyes?" Another thought sent across with the blue in picture form. "You're very pretty, aren't you?" 

The girl froze for a moment in surprise and confusion. She sat up a bit, causing the hands hovering around her face to fall away. A questioning silence met the room with surreal volume. Junhyung looked in her direction for a while, as if trying to find a reason behind the hesitation. "It's just an observation. I didn't mean anything by it. Did it bother you?" The human looked away and fell back onto the bed, the slightest whisper of 'yes' slipping out of her mind though she tried to block it. Her master watched her as she stared at the ceiling. "Shall I tell you a story?"



Laeri was starting to doze off as the mage continued his story when there was a quiet rap on the door. It cracked open a bit, and Gikwang's face popped up in the space. His eyebrows shot up when he noticed the other demon. 

"Junhyung-hyung, why are you in here?" he asked with obvious confusion. 

The other retorted, "A better question would be: why are you here, Gikwang?"

The younger opened and shut his mouth a few times, trying to come up with a logical explanation for his whereabouts. His eyes blinked rapidly as he finally gave up on his attempts to formulate an excuse. 

Junhyung stood up and walked toward the other demon. The girl gave him a questioning look when he turned back to glance at her. "I'm going to go to my room."

Gikwang immediately rushed to say, "Yeah! It's late I should head ba-"

"Stay here." He looked in confusion at the elder who then explained, "If you're just going to sneak back later, there's no reason to leave now." The mage walked around the other and headed out the door, muttering something under his breath that went unheard. 

The remaining demon turned with eyebrows raised to the human still sitting on the bed. She shrugged and patted the bed next to her, an open invitation that made a huge grin break over her master's face. He quickly shut the door and bounded over like a puppy before running back to turn off the light as well. When he returned the second time, he flicked on a lamp on the side table and crawled onto the bed. The girl gave him a fleeting grin as she curled her legs up to pull the covers over her body. Gikwang noticed the splint and immediately jumped in to help raise the blankets to which she responded with a grateful smile. 

"Does it hurt?" he asked with a concerned look. Laeri shook her head quickly to reassure him, but he still looked hesitant. "What about your arms?" 

She held them out, so he could see the healthily healing cuts along her wrists. He froze rigid and growled at the back of his throat. The human immediately recognized the warning sound and tried to decipher what was going on. She noticed the brand on her wrist, still faintly visible, and snatched it behind her back. Her master was still rumbling slightly and his eyes were fixed on the spot the mark once was. She scooted back a bit on the bed nervously, glancing at the door and trying to calculate how quickly she could run if need be. 

It proved to be unnecessary as the demon got a hold of himself and breathed out a sigh. "I'm sorry, that was bad. I didn't mean to scare you; I just couldn't control the instinct." The girl nodded slowly, still unsure about how much to relax. She knew how demons could get when they were possessive. "I promise I'm okay," he reiterated, holding his hands up in a truce manner. 

He opened his arms and made a pouty face until the human gave in and moved closer to him, so he could wrap her up in a hug. She tucked her head against his chest and listened to the slow, calming beat of his heart. Gikwang suddenly took her hand and dragged it up towards his face. Sensing danger in the works, Laeri tried to pull her arm away, but he just smiled at her and pecked the tip of her nose, effectively distracting her and halting her resistance. He looked at the brand on her wrist for a full minute, making the girl increasingly nervous though his heart rate stayed slow and calm. Her master sent a smirk in her direction before pressing his lips gently to the mark. 

She froze completely still, not liking how close his teeth were to the life-sustaining vessels under her skin, a sheer layer easily ripped through by anything even slightly sharp. His lips parted and his tongue flicked across her skin, making her turn immediately bright red. The demon at the skin, not hard enough to hurt, but it still made the girl uncomfortable. She flinched and paled as she felt teeth scrape dangerously against her wrist, making anxiety rush fast and furious through her body and prompting her to pull her arm away. The male just smoothed a hand down her other arm to calm her as he continued abusing her skin with his lips and tongue. 

With a final , he pulled back and smoothed a thumb across the red circle now covering the brand. He smirked at the complete and utter dazed look on the human's face as she looked at the mark. Her eyes fluttered over to his face, but as soon as she locked eyes with him, she turned a brilliant shade of rose and shoved her face into his chest. Gikwang just chuckled and wrapped his arms around her as she hid. 

"I'm sorry if that upset you. The brand was driving me to near insanity," he said quietly. "I thought it would be better to make my own mark rather than growl at you all the time."

The blonde peeked up at him, cheeks still a rosy pink. He nipped at the end of her nose, making her tuck her face back into his shoulder in embarrassment. He nudged her back up to make sure she was only embarrassed and not scared or hurt. "All good?" he asked, trying to look into her eyes. She looked up from the covers long enough to nod, face still flaming. The demon laughed a little. "I'm gonna need a bit more than a nod to believe you."

I am fine. It did not bother me too much. You do not need to worry. 

Her face gradually lost color as she signed. Her master relaxed and smiled, reassured that he hadn't irreparable damaged their relationship by accident. "Hmm, didn't bother you too much? I think it bothered you quite a bit, judging by the blush on your cheeks," he teased playfully, poking her sides and making her squirm. He grinned at the smile that spread over the girl's face. She started laughing as the poking escalated to full out tickling. When she couldn't take it anymore, she started frantically pushing the demon away from her signing 'stop' when she could. They sat a couple feet apart panting and letting residual laughter fill the air, gradually calming down enough to breathe normally. 

"Alright, come here. We should sleep now," Gikwang said once the room was quiet again. He smiled brightly at Laeri who gave in as he held his arms out again, crawling over and falling into his embrace. She yawned and allowed her master to rearrange the covers over the two of them comfortably. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered, "Goodnight, lovely," just catching the smile that fluttered quickly across her lips.

A/N:

Okay, so this chapter ended up turning into 3rd person by the 4th paragraph. That's why it's not in 2nd this time. My brain actually refused to allow it to happen. 

A few of you are probably really happy because I managed to catch 4 of them in one chapter! More importantly we have the return of Doojoon in this chapter. Anyone else notice that he was getting neglected? I felt bad about that but it just wasn't in the cards. sigh~

Next Chapter is going to be fun for me. You know what that means right? Lots a violence. This is your warning and I'll have one at the beginning of the next chapter too.

Comment replies:
@Stalker (cuz you gave me permission this is your name): Introvert? join the party~! ^^ when in doubt do what I do, remember even if the authors think you're an idiot, you are an idiot that commented, so they will love you unconditionally~.I love you for commenting~ You makes me smilez
@Panda!: (If I call you Cat bear just ignore it! it's an inside joke~) OMG YOUR COMMENT MADE MY WEEK! I had honestly been feeling a bit down but you brought me right back up ^^ You have restored my faith in humanity~ Good For You!

Alright, I don't think many people scroll down this far so I'm gonna skip the language stuff because I need to sleep. 

Writing prompt for the lucky few who don't ignore Author notes: How did you find my story? I'm really curious because it's not always right when I update, so I assume a few are actually doing tag searches for specific stuff. Tell me your stories *says the greedy author*