(a/n: New poster and it's amazing! <3)

                Though their conversation ended on a slightly awkward note, Jungkook had to admit that after it, Yoongi seemed… less guarded. He didn’t know that he’d call the vampire friendly exactly but there was a definite shift and it was one he was quite ready for. The day after, he did explain the whole fast travel thing as well.

                According to Yoongi, the shadow paths were not exactly an easy method of travel. There were no road maps so to speak and accurately arriving at new locations was ‘pretty bloody difficult.’ It was also, apparently, not a safe place for humans. “The shadow paths are not exactly empty and many things in them hunger for the vitality of such defenseless creatures as yourself.” The fact he’d delivered that statement with a wink did not make it any less frightening.

                There was a day or two in the week that followed where Yoongi had to step out with the other vampires on a Coven mission, but that gave him time to get his friends at the bread shop up to speed.

                “He really threw you to the wolves, didn’t he?” Sandara laughed with a single loud clap.

                “Some people just like to stir the pot,” Liza added with a giggle, though she shook her head and gave Jungkook a raised brow look.

                “Yeah, but I understand why he did,” he shrugged. “And it was a conversation that I would have had to have with them sooner or later.”

                They nodded in tandem at his explanation but Sandara wasn’t so keen to let it go. “Fair enough, but he literally left you alone at your parents.”

                Jungkook smiled softly to himself and nodded in agreement. “He let me stay,” he clarified. “I could have gone back with him if I wanted to,” he promised, though his nod was not as assured as he would have liked.

                “Did you want to?” Liza asked, leaning against the doorway, bright eyes curious. He ducked at the question and shrugged without looking at them. “Oh! You did!” she squealed, giggling as she practically danced in place.

                “It’s not like that,” he rushed to explain, holding both hands out in denial. “I-” he started to say before the door chimed and they had to turn their attention to the customer. And he didn’t get much chance to finish his explanation until later in the evening when things slowed down again.

                “Okay. We know he’s your mentor, but do you maybe have a thing for him?” Sandara pressed as they were cleaning up. Her focus was on the glass she was cleaning but her voice carried more than easy enough to hear.

                “I don’t know,” Jungkook admitted with a grimace and a shrug. “I mean,” he huffed, pausing in his sweeping. “He is attractive and he can be funny sometimes,” he admitted. “When he isn’t being lazy and standoffish anyway.”

                “Do you think he likes you?” Liza asked, sticking her head out from the back where she was unloading the dishwasher.

                That question earned a groan and an eyeroll. “Hells if I know,” he sighed. “Though he did seem pretty happy when I told him I was going to stay.” He paused and added, “Happy for him anyway.”

                Sandara laughed lightly and stopped to lean over the counter with her chin resting on her hands. “Sounds like there might be something there.”

                “Really?” he wondered, giving her a confused look. “I figured he was just glad another of his trainees didn’t fall through.”

                “Oh?” Liza wondered, coming all the way out of the back. She shared a look with Sandara and they both demanded at the same time, “Spill.”

                He flinched back and looked between the two pairs of eyes focusing on him. With a shrug, he gave them a brief rundown of what he’d learned from Yoongi himself and the other vampires. His mentor could be stingy with personal information – he still didn’t know about his parents after all – but the others had freer tongues.

                “No wonder he’s hard to read,” Sandara scowled once with a shake of her head.

                “Are you sure he’s had three other mentees and none of them panned out?” Liza asked as she handed Sandara her bag and coat so they could start getting ready to leave.

                Jungkook shrugged. “That’s what Wonho said. I know the last one transferred out after meeting someone, but the others I’m not sure about.”

                “Huh,” the older woman chirped, scratching at her cheek before throwing her hands up in an open shrug. “Maybe he’s scared,” she added, sharing a look with Liza.

                “A Rank 3 vampire. Scared?” Jungkook snorted, waving the idea away dismissively.

                Liza handed Jungkook his coat too before she shrugged as well. “I don’t know. Power doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Especially when it comes to any sort of relationships.”

                “Right,” Sandara agreed, wandering close to sling an arm over Jungkook’s shoulders so they could walk together out the back, though the height difference made it awkward. “In the meantime, just play it by ear and see how things unfold, I guess. I mean, you can always come dish to us if you need a listening ear,” she winked, pulling a small laugh from him.

                “Oh yeah. Speaking of that,” he started, holding the door open for them as they stepped out. “My schedule might be changing a bit more since the Coven wants me to spend more time with them before the end of my trial run.”

                “Aw. You really will be leaving us,” Liza pouted with a disappointed expression.

                Jungkook shrugged helplessly and shook his head. “I mean, it’s possible I can work after I become a vampire. If I become a vampire,” he amended with a slightly worried frown.

                “You’ll both be fine,” Sandara laughed once, smacking each person on the shoulder. “If this is really what you want, it doesn’t seem like they’d have any reason not to admit you right now,” she assured Jungkook with a warm smile. “And as for us,” she added, glancing at Liza. “It’s not like we haven’t handled the store by ourselves before. Besides, finding help isn’t usually that hard,” she chuckled, nudging Jungkook’s arm with her elbow.

                “Speak for yourself,” Liza grumbled. She leaned closer to Jungkook with narrowed eyes and muttered, “Just when I finally started to like you, you’re gonna make us find another small town normie to build up from the bottom.”

                Caught between not knowing if she was being serious or joking, Jungkook’s brows scrunched together in faint concern. “Sorry…?” he trailed off uncertainly.

                Sandara shoved her companion with a loud snort. “Liza,” she warned.

                “What? I was just kidding,” she explained quickly, waving her hand at Jungkook as if to dismiss the words.

                “Obviously, we’ve gotta work on her deadpan look,” the older woman laughed once, nudging Jungkook so that he smiled in hesitant agreement.

                “Not my fault you can’t read my humor,” Liza grumbled, crossing her arms and huffing once.

                “Don’t be like that,” Jungkook urged, glancing between the two of them.

                “Like what?” Sandara asked brightly, a smile warm enough to rival the sun magically appearing as she turned her full attention to Jungkook. “Never mind,” she added, checking the door to make sure it was locked before she grabbed Jungkook’s wrist and started pulling him along. “Since this might be one of our last shifts together, we should do something. Let’s go!” she urged, making eye contact again before she leaned over to wave at Liza with a warning look.

                “Go where?” Jungkook asked as he let himself be pulled along.

                “I don’t know! We’ll figure it out when we get there!” Sandara answered in exuberant delight. Even Liza was inclined to laugh along with the statement, albeit quietly.

                Admittedly, having a night out with his friends, which included Yugyeom after they arrived at some sort of music hall, was quite an enjoyable experience. It didn’t hurt that Yugyeom had a knack for tempering Liza’s prickliness and Sandara could steal all the attention in the room if she wanted to. It probably had something to do with the fact she was a satyr’s daughter but Jungkook could almost do anything and no one would pay him any attention if Sandara was putting on a show. At least in human crowds anyway.

                The thought made him wonder what it would be like if he wasn’t human anymore. It made him more pensive than he would have liked to admit. But he wasn’t given a chance to think about it too much. Yugyeom and Liza swung by to pull him to the floor and promptly helped him forget about whatever concerns he might have had. All in all, it was one of the better nights in the tail end of his humanhood.

                In the months that followed, as promised, Jungkook spent more and more time at the Coven. That also meant he spent more time around the other vampires, but especially Yoongi. As his mentor, the vampire was bound to guide him in the next steps and they went on fairly frequent outings, when Yoongi wasn’t called away to help with coven business. It seemed as if they were busier of late, but when he asked, no one, not even Wonho or Sanghyuk, would give him an answer. So he was left to wonder and remain at least slightly frustrated by the lack of his full membership.

                But on the bright side, when Yoongi wasn’t away, he was almost literally by Jungkook’s side. Close enough to touch but never touching of his own volition unless he was guiding or giving instructions about something. A touch on his shoulder and a hand pointing in front of his face showed him a building in the Purple District. “That’s a good shop for vampire supplies if you don’t want to go to Yejin’s place. The prices are higher but the owner is a vampire and is more directly knowledgeable about such things,” he explained in an almost offhand manner.

                Jungkook nodded with a quiet sound of understanding and studied the building from afar. It looked like most any other tourist location and it certainly had enough baubles in the window to draw the eye but apparently that was mostly a front. When he was a vampire, he would have to make sure to check it out sometime.

                At a café in the Rainbow District on the magical creature side, he explained, “This is the best place in the city to get a Crimson Smoothie. It will be one of the first places we come when you become a vampire,” Yoongi promised with a gentle smile. The expression made Jungkook’s stomach do a tiny flip flop and he nodded in quiet agreement.

                Another outing found them wandering through the Red District. Even during the day, such a visit bordered on scandalous for the formerly-from-a-small-village Jungkook, but Yoongi acted as if it was completely normal. For a vampire, it was. “You’ve already been to the Hunters’ Quarters. Likely you’ll come back here a few times,” Yoongi snorted once and nodded. Further in, he pointed out another building that looked a bit more flamboyant with obvious hints of red, faintly suggestive designs etched on the exterior. “If you want non-judgmental company or pillow talk information, you can visit Indecent Pleasures. Don’t let the name fool you,” he smirked with a slightly toothy expression.

                Jungkook’s cheeks flushed at the teasing jab and he retorted with an embarrassing squeak, “I wasn’t thinking anything.”

                “Uh huh,” the vampire laughed, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. “Whatever your preference, I’d recommend seeing Seohyun,” he shrugged, removing his hand, to Jungkook’s slight disappointment. “The succubus is delightful company and a wonderful source of possible information. For the right price,” he added, giving his mentee a meaningful sidelong look.

                It took him a second to catch on but then it clicked and his mouth dropped open in an immediate, “Oh…” As they continued past, he stared at the building with a thought bubbling up from his mind. “Have you ever…?” he began to ask before he let the question fade, embarrassed to finish.

                Yoongi seemed to realize what he was inferring without any trouble though and he stretched his arms over his head. “You should ask her sometime. I have no doubt she’d love to tell you any number of stories.”

                The flush in his cheeks extended to his ears and Jungkook ducked his head in further mute embarrassment. He couldn’t tell if Yoongi was referring to stories about himself or stories in general and he didn’t care to ask for clarification. Though he could practically feel the vampire’s amusement at his almost painful discomfit. “You’re terrible,” he grumbled under his breath.

                He flinched when Yoongi answered, “I know.” Jungkook hadn’t meant for him to hear it. “But… I’m also here for double duty. Wait…” he trailed off as he tried to identify a good spot for waiting, “over there,” he pointed at a spot near Indecent Pleasures but just out of the way to be not obviously in the open.

                “Huh?” Jungkook blinked, feeling out of sorts at the possibility of being left alone.

                “Coven business,” Yoongi shrugged as he guided Jungkook to said spot. “I’ll be out in a minute. If anything happens, just shout. I’ll find you,” he stated simply with a nod.

                When Yoongi stepped inside, Jungkook became acutely aware of the fact that he was suddenly noticeable again. When traveling with the vampire, he usually maintained some sort of distracting ability but now… he felt eyes on him. Curious eyes. Maybe even some dangerous eyes… Awkwardly, he pulled his shoulders back and tried to put on an air of being bored. He wasn’t sure how successful he was but Yoongi had told him, on more than one occasion, not to show when you were nervous or scared. Especially in the Red District.

                He didn’t know how long Yoongi was gone for but he jumped with a gasp when the vampire seemed to appear beside him. “I’m back.”

                “Yoongi!” he yelped, exhaling sharply with a frown.

                “Miss me?” the vampire teased, offering a half-raised brow in inquiry.

                “Shut up,” Jungkook grumbled, not willing to admit that he had. Or at least he’d missed the feeling of safety around the vampire. As soon as he had returned, the veil of being unseen came back as well, bringing a definite degree of peace.

                Yoongi chuckled low in his throat and brushed fingertips against Jungkook’s shoulder. “Come on. We’ve got another place to see before we call it a day,” he encouraged.

                Jungkook grumbled under his breath but didn’t offer any meaningful objection. He couldn’t quite help the thought of what payment Yoongi had given Seohyun but… neither did he think the vampire would say. So he just didn’t ask this time as he followed along instead.

                North of the Red District, Yoongi took Jungkook to a diner that seemed to be a favored spot for magical creatures and humans alike. For being relatively out of the way, he couldn’t understand why until the vampire mentioned the cook. “There’s an elf that’s been the cook here for decades. She can work wonders with anything you give her. Their O Positives are pretty standard but it’s a good place to listen and pick-up bits of info,” he shrugged, nodding at the quaint looking building. The Fay Den. “Like fade in and fade out. It’s an allusion to when they used to have a magical barrier around their primary lands that only the Fay could cross with ease.”

                “Oddly poetic,” Jungkook laughed once, smiling when he saw a glimpse of who had to be the elf cook just behind the kitchen counter. It was only a brief look but she was slender, almost waiflike, with raven hair and pointy ears.

                “Considering you work at a bread shop called Pan’s Pan, you ought to have realized that many magical creatures enjoy plays on words,” Yoongi commented dryly with a sidelong look at his mentee.

                Jungkook shrugged and ducked his head slightly with a mumbled, “I still think it’s poetic.”

                “Come on then. You should get a bite while I talk to Fei,” he encouraged with a gentle nudge towards the door.

                “More coven business?” Jungkook wondered as he reluctantly followed along.

                “As usual,” the vampire shrugged. “Just think. You’ll be a part of it too in a couple months,” he winked, pleased humor suffusing his face before it stalled at a new thought. “If you still decide it’s what you want anyway.”

                 Jungkook could tell he was trying to sound flippant or dismissive, but there was something worried in the tone. “So far so good,” he promised, reaching out to place his hand on Yoongi’s arm reassuringly. He couldn’t be positive, but it seemed as if the vampire started to smile at the admission. But then it was gone and they were moving inside once more. A cheerful young man with the name tag of Hoseok greeted him and got him settled while Yoongi disappeared into the back with enviable ease. The conversation at the diner took longer but the food was pretty good overall and Hoseok was cheerful company when he wasn’t attending other tables. Even if he was out of the loop, it wasn’t a bad way to spend an afternoon.

                On another day, they wandered through the Green District and Yoongi pointed out where he could talk to a Ghillie Dhu. “If you need information from the natural side of things, Shownu is the person to come to. But… he is not here as often as you might like,” Yoongi grumbled, looking around and sniffing subtly for the missing creature. He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Jungkook to keep the sound from carrying. “He tends to keep an eye on Sanctuary. Soft spot for children that one,” he whispered, the sound of his voice so close to Jungkook’s ear sending a slight shiver down his spine.

                “I-I see,” he stammered once, wincing at his nerves. He caught Yoongi’s raised brow and laughed once with a quick shrug.

                In the Blue District, the vampire pointed out a kelpie that was known for being a good source of information in general. “Jongdae can track down almost anything near a water source especially, but you have to be careful with him. He’s a Neutral so he’s just as likely to sell your presence with him to the highest bidder too,” Yoongi shrugged as he offered a small wave and a plastic smile at said kelpie when he noticed them nearby.

                “Is he really that… business oriented?” Jungkook asked in wonder as he wanted to return the smile that looked guileless. A gentle nudge to his ribs kept him from offering more than a small upward turn of his mouth and a nod in acknowledgement.

                “If you can make him promise, he’ll abide by it. Getting him to make a promise is another matter altogether,” Yoongi grumbled with a slight grimace. “I do need to talk to him too, but preferably not with you at my side.” When he noticed Jungkook’s confused and somewhat hurt look, he shook his head with a frown. “I can’t trust him not to wag his tongue about you. Or worse, invent stories to entertain himself.”

                “Ah,” Jungkook nodded once, letting the concern fade away as his gaze trail from the brown-haired kelpie with slightly narrow eyes to Yoongi’s profile. Other than the possibility of a wagging tongue, they could almost share a certain mentality with the promise contingency.

                “What?” Yoongi asked when he realized Jungkook was looking at him.

                “Nothing!” he answered quickly, shaking his head and focusing on the rest of the district.

                The White District was home to a bird person they sometimes utilized for more old-fashioned messages or reconnaissance. “Over there. That’s her,” Yoongi pointed across the square where a young woman was perched on a bench with a book in her hands. Shadows flickered all around from the handful of flying denizens above, but she was more absorbed in her book.

                “At least she’s easy to notice,” Jungkook shrugged, taking in the ombre hair of brown to wheat to strawberry colored at the ends.

                “Handong can be a little finicky. If you don’t give her something interesting, she’s not as likely to try and help,” Yoongi explained with a slight shrug. When Jungkook looked at him for more of an explanation, he went on, “She’s bored of this world. Odd for a bird person, with their somewhat shorter life spans. Relative to a vampire anyway.”

                Almost like she could tell they were talking about her, Handong lowered her book and peered over the top to make eye contact with Yoongi. She raised a brow in mute inquiry, but when he waved her off, she moved the book back into place, dismissing them just as quickly.

                “So is she a… Neutral?” Jungkook wondered hesitantly.

                “No,” Yoongi shook his head. “She wants to go home.”

                “Home?” he mused, frowning at the thought. Then he gasped in sudden understanding as a faint memory returned from a snippet of his humanities and magical creature’s class in high school. “That home?”

                Yoongi nodded once in mute agreement. “She doesn’t have the power to do it, but it is what she desires.”

                Jungkook shuffled in place hesitantly before he looked at Yoongi. “Who would have the power to go home like that?” When the vampire raised a brow curiously at him, he shrugged and explained, “The teachers never could say. Well, it depended on the teacher,” he amended with a grimace.

                That made Yoongi snort once and he nodded in understanding. “I’m not sure myself. No one I know has ever managed it. But…” he trailed off, chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully. “If anyone could, I would think an Exile or perhaps a Mage with enough stored power.”

                “Only those two?” Jungkook wondered with a curious tilt of his head.

                Yoongi laughed once and shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not something most of us try,” he admitted, frowning at the continuing thought. “I’ve heard some of the oldest creatures have managed to simply fade out of this realm but as for making a door… it has the potential to cause a lot of damage in the aftermath.”

                Jungkook made a face at that part and sighed. “Do you ever wonder if Magic might come back and take some of the magical creatures away like it did after the Great War?”

                “Where are all these questions coming from?” Yoongi laughed once, reaching out to swipe at Jungkook’s head and rough his hair once.

                “Ack!” Jungkook flailed, feigning irritation. On the inside, he was rather pleased by the exchange and the laugh in response. “I don’t know. You were actually answering them this time,” he admitted, meeting Yoongi’s gaze.

                For a moment, the vampire seemed mildly surprised himself. “Huh.” Then he nodded and waved at Jungkook to follow. “Come on. We’ve met most of everyone interesting for now. And it’s getting warm today,” he complained, raising his hand to shield his face from the sun overhead. Heading into May, the chill had completely disappeared from the air and the afternoons could get warmer than preferred. And as Jungkook was starting to learn, if there was one thing Yoongi didn’t like, it was too much heat.

(a/n: And I'm finally back! Sort of. Things have gotten a little crazy on this side and this update took me forever to get out of my head and on paper. If the beginning is a little weak that might be why. Hopefully I'll do better about the next update though so keep your fingers crossed. If you're enjoying the story, I'd love to hear what you think or if you have any questions. There's a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes but I'm always curious about what readers are predicting or thinking that might happen. Either way, I wish you happy reading and I hope that the next update finds you well in turn. Thank you and have a great day!)