Onew tried to coax Leo into coming with them. "You could come with us. I'm sure she'll be thrilled." He didn't want it to end so suddenly between them. He had seen cases of mistakes like this before, about guardians being with the wrong Superior since they're usually passed down the family, but it was the first time for him to see it become this complicated.

"They won't even say goodbye like a couple of children." Key told him earlier. "Are you sure this one's a hundred years old?"

"They're just having a communication problem." He tried to reason. Though he partly agreed.

It was just that Seohae's crime was something inexcusable. If Key knew that, he wouldn't be treating the matter so simply.

"No, thank you."

Onew sighed. "This would be a good excuse, Leo. I'm sure they'll welcome you."

"You don't know that." He didn't want to come in fear of facing their rejection. "I'm sorry but I'm not going."

"Are you really not planning to at least see them one more time? You're making it look like you don't want to have anything to do with them anymore." Onew didn’t know how to fix this. Jae Ren was too proud and confused to come to Leo herself and the latter was too indecisive. Too fearful. "They're your family. You owe at least a goodbye."

"If I do that, I might not want to leave."

He's afraid of second-guessing his decision. He realized. Sadly, Onew knew Leo didn't have a choice even if he wanted to stay. "So you'll let them think you don't care?"

"They'll move on faster that way." Leo shrugged. "I don't want to keep them from living happy lives."

This is impossible. They really think they're doing the right thing. "All right. I'll leave you alone for now." He didn't think he could say anymore to convince him. Even Key couldn't make him budge.

"I think you're being too much of a busy-body, hyung." Taemin suddenly said as they walked back to Jae Rens. "It would be better to just leave them alone." He carried his medicine bag with him, equipped with enough to give someone a few years or so of life.

"Why would you think that?"

"Because they're still young." He reasoned. "They won't learn anything if you keep shielding them from mistakes. And I'm sure you know what's written in the observer’s reports about her."

Onew just remembered. "Isn't that more of a reason to help her?"

The Observers Report were reports about the new citizen to be invited to Sanctuary. They were watched for three to seven days and are observed for their behaviour, personality and habits. It was to know how to approach him or her. Or it.

"Not really."

"They said she had no sense of danger." The older remembered first being told he was to be pulled out of his field-work to be the host of this special-case Witch. At first, he thought they did it because of his ties to Jaekyun.

He found out it was because Taemin was too occupied with his previous task for the council to even contact him. Onew was the second choice and if his youngest brother had been available, he wouldn't be here right now. He wondered if the younger knew that.

Guiltily, he felt relieved Taemin was too busy at that time.

"But she's also a 'walking bleeding heart'." Taemin made quotation marks in the air. He seemed to have found it funny how the reports were saying contradictions about Jae Rens personality was amusing.

The report had mixed opinions. At first she was cold and stoic, yet as the report grew longer, she was then characterized as a warm person.

Only to those she holds close. Onew had observed from months of being with her. She was emotional, even the situation with Leo proved that. But she was also considerate enough to let him go if he wanted to.

"I'm telling you hyung, it's best we don't interfere with them. I admit, she has told me... things." Things that are stupid and dangerous, Taemin thought."But that only means she needs to learn from her mistakes by herself."

Onew didn't know if he should agree. It was true that Jae Ren was still too young and sheltered. She had only known she was a witch for no more than two years.

But isn't that more of a reason to protect her?

As if the younger knew what he was thinking, he said, "Nothing is ever going to happen if you keep treating her like a child. Nothing's worse than knowing you can live forever only to be stopped by the limitations someone else put inside your head." He sighed. "Last time you tried to 'protect' somebody, it didn't end well, did it?"

"That was different." He denied.

"Is it?" Taemin gave him a look. It was a long while since Onew saw such an expression on his face. "You're trying to protect someone who doesn't need your protection. Doesn't that sound familiar?"

Onew stubbornly stayed silent.

"I'm not going to fight with you about this, hyung." Taemin shook his head, annoyed by the older’s defiance. "But I'm just going to remind you that protection is something you give to someone who's too weak to face anything," He said, "And help is given as an option for the strong. Which one do you think Jae Ren needs more?"

They didn't talk for the rest of the way. Of course, it would just be another of the many conversations they had throughout the centuries of being together that wouldn't be settled. Even so, it stuck to Onew's mind.

Whenever his brothers talked back at him, it would mean he was either wrong or they just didn't support his idea. It didn't happen much, which was why Onew kept thinking about it.

He didn't want Jae Ren to do anything dangerous. Was that too much to ask?

Of course it is. In today’s society? He sighed.

“There’s nothing wrong with a little guidance. Just make sure you’re guiding her to the right path.” Taemin quietly added. “I don’t want her to turn out like Jaekyun.”

“Neither do I.”

“Then stop helping her the same way you helped Jaekyun.” The younger retorted. “Really, hyung. Times change so you should too.”