JAEHYUN

Welcome back little bird

Jaehyun willed himself to remain passive, as if the sudden change in the air was something that didn’t bother him. Jaehyun could feel it the moment they entered the room, the darkness that oozed out of Ren was suddenly out of sight. The ice in Jaehyun’s veins seemed to vanish, deteriorated by an invisible gust of hot air. The realization gnawed at him like a nightmare unfolding.

Silent stones.

The walls must’ve been built with silent stones to nullify any form of magic, tricks, or gifts. That must’ve been the reason behind all this.

“I hope you don’t mind” The man said, striding towards them with confident steps. “This is common protocol”

He gestured all around, as if saying that a gun pointed to the head was not dangerous. The man was regular built, a little shorter that Jaehyun, not a strand was out of place on his perfectly combed hair. And yet, despite all that, Jaehyun noticed he had nothing kind on his face, not even the smile that formed on his lips.

“I have a favour to ask of you” Ren said in a tone Jaehyun has never heard her use.

“Bold of you to assume that I cater to favours, little bird” The man raised brow at Ren as he stopped infront of them. His eyes scanned Jaehyun for a brief moment, as if weighing whether he was worth the time, before turning back to Ren. “My my, what a clever disguise”

Jaehyun had to calm his nerves and mask his surprise, if this person could see through disguises and still be confident in a room filled with silent stone, then they were in for some trouble.

 “I’ll only say this once” Ren’s piercings glinted in the light as she suddenly closed the gap between her and the man, staring him down like his discovery was not a threat. “Don’t try and test my patience. You wouldn’t want to know the creative things I can do with just a table leg”

In all the years they’ve spent together, Jaehyun has never heard Ren speak with such threat and cool rage. Never.

There were times that their troublemaking tendencies would cause her to snap, but she’d never spoken to them in such manner. And her threat, he would never doubt her skills with just a table leg, despite being their technical support, she knew advanced combat protocol because it was part of the job, being under the military and all, but the way she spoke it, it was like she’d done it before and would like to repeat it again if given the exact amount of push.

This unspoken familiarity, the taunting, the tension, Little bird.

The man was the first to step back, though he still managed a smile, his eyes were a little shaken.

“You never change” The man said as he waved a hand in the air, the leash on Jaehyun’s power seemed to loosen, but still he felt the tug of it. He tried to call the ice in his veins, but it was like calling into a well, replied only by empty echoes.

“You can nullify gifts” Jaehyun whispered in realization.

“Jiyong, at your service” The older man smiled, taking in Jaehyun’s shock as a compliment. “Might I say, your face tailor does wonders. If it weren’t for that horrible posture, flat chest and deep voice, I would’ve mistaken you for a real girl”

“He’s got a trained eye” Ren said, answering the questions that formed in Jaehyun’s head. “Jiyong’s magic allows him to nullify any sort of magic or trick, making him see the true form of his victim.”

“Ren!” Jiyong said in mock disbelief. “Now that is rude! You can’t go on telling other people the extent of my abilities. Haven’t I taught you anything?”

He taught Ren? So they do know eachother! But to what extent?

It was the first time Jiyong addressed Ren by anything other than little bird and the first time Jaehyun has noticed the warning look he gave at Ren.

 “Quit playing games” Ren almost barked, there was no hiding the irritation in her tone. “Will you help us or not?!”

There was a momentary pause. Jaehyun could barely feel his own heart beat as dozens of plans formed in his head.

Should he try to run for those ruby hilted knives or the long spear? He could try knocking Jiyong out of balance, giving Ren and him just enough time to escape. But what of the information they ne