Today was finally the day and Namjoon half wished it wasn’t. Just today, he’d received word from Fei about some of the power players in the city starting to move decent chunks of money around. She didn’t have a reason why yet or where the money was going, but it was worth checking out. Unfortunately, it was just one more thing to add to the pile, and that was on top of the ceremony this evening…

                Keeping his attention turned away from that task, he frowned as he stared at a map on the wall of his office, the surface full of marks and notes and various writings of different ages. The most recent were from the Mage work in the southern part of the island where the wendigo had been scented and the wood elf had disappeared but there was a new mark in the water to the East as well. Handong hadn’t found anything on her requested flight but she had made note that it felt strange, which he thought was worth keeping an eye on for the time being. With the money moving, it might have a connection but it was still far too early to say.

                 He was glad Yoongi had been able to talk the bird person into it. The outlandish claim of a ‘possible conspiracy to establish a secret location for potentially nefarious purposes somewhere that might be in this area’ had been just enough to pique her intrigue. Since there had been something off, even if it was unconfirmed, she’d extended her offer to assist again if they should call, which was a boon in and of itself. Her info with the tidbit he’d also been able to get from Seohyun about whispers of an unusual ebbing and flowing of power on the island itself made for additionally unsettling news. Potentially. It could all just be coincidence but that was hoping on luck far too much.

                “And with creatures like Kazuya and Yongmin being noticed and followed again, that does not bode well for the coincidence argument,” he sighed, scratching at his bottom jaw with long fingernails. When nothing changed, even though he’d spoken aloud, he tilted his head to the side and sighed. “You can come in, Su.”

                Almost like he was chagrined at being noticed so easily, Jungsu quietly stepped into the office with his head slightly lowered. “I figured you might have been thinking aloud.”

                Namjoon snorted once and turned to look at his second. “Since when have I done that?” His slightly withdrawn posture did not speak well of his news.

                “Never too late to start,” Jungsu shot back, conjuring a half smile and a shrug. Namjoon raised one sharp eyebrow in response and Jungsu wrinkled his nose back at the coven leader. “I know. Not what you want to hear,” he nodded, chewing on his top lip, as he usually did when he had unfavorable news. “You were right about the rumor mill on the black market but it’s exclusive clientele only,” he exhaled with a grimace.

                “So Changmin was able to find out something,” Namjoon murmured in thoughtful relief. It had been a bit of a gamble but it had paid off in the end. Not related to the money issue but still a lead to follow for different reasons.

                Jungsu shrugged again and ran a hand over short brown locks. “When you’re something like him, just acting like you’re with the in-crowd will made certain tongues wag,” he conceded irritably. “Not enough for specifics but enough to confirm someone has been looking to sight on Kazuya in recent times.”

                Namjoon groaned quietly and threaded his fingers behind his neck as he dipped his head. “Any word from Chen lately?” he asked in a quiet voice, closing his eyes before he decided how he wanted to react. He could almost feel Jungsu’s silent shake of his head first.

                “No. He’s still digging. So long as the reward stays higher than the competition, he’ll keep at it,” he reminded the elder vampire.

                “You needn’t tell me that,” Namjoon laughed once, regrettably tired. “You’ve called Wonho and Sanghyuk in today, right?” he asked, though the question was unnecessary.

                “Of course.”

                “Good. Have them go see the Crone. Let them deliver the message her… assistance,” he couched the word carefully, “has been offered as payment.”

                “On a turning night?” Jungsu asked hesitantly. “Won’t that leave the Coven more unguarded than usual?” he couldn’t help but ask. Namjoon merely turned to give his second a steely eyed glance that spoke volumes. Jungsu ducked his head and nodded in understanding. “Alright. I’ll give them the message.”

                Namjoon waited for Jungsu to step out before he bared his fangs at the wall in helpless frustration. There were too many stirrings of old familiarities that did not bring comfort this night. And if tongues had wagged about the ceremony for this evening, he’d much rather have the younglings under a certain Crone’s protection should things go south. For more than one reason at that…

                He stretched his threaded fingers in front of him with a series of light pops and groaned. Part of him almost wished something would happen. Almost. It would give him a chance to work off some of the tension that had been building since the Mage case showed up. With Yixing’s direct appearance, it had only gotten worse since then and his brief sparring session with Yoongi hadn’t done much to alleviate his own issues. But such wishful thinking was only good for inviting trouble, and on a night like this – a turning ceremony with Yoongi, it was best not to tempt such things.

                With a glance down at his desk, he grimaced at the picture of a particularly well-known djinn. Heechul was very likely the originator of the query into Kazuya’s being a target but he only had conjecture and gut instincts to go on. If he was right, though, the Revolutionaries were up to something again. Oh, they usually were and most of their plans never panned out to any large and successful degree, but every now and then…

                “Feh!” he scowled once more, shifting his attention to eye the transfer request still on his desk with a critical squint. Again. It should have been a good thing – another high-level Rank 3 interested in joining their Coven – but at this time… it was suspect to the vampire lord. No red flags had gone off and yet… he was wary all the same. Perhaps because there were no red flags. Most vampires around that rank had at least one. The coven leader speculated for a moment longer, chin caught between his fingers and eyes narrowed before he shook his head and waved it off.

                There was nothing he could do about any of it right now. He did pull out his phone and send a quick message to Hakyeon, but then he turned it off and stuffed the device back in his pocket. He had more important matters to focus on this evening. Like the joining of a new member and the official ending of Yoongi’s current anxiety issues. “For now anyway,” he reasoned, laughing at himself. For a vampire as old as Yoongi – or really any vampire over three hundred years old, it was a little strange that he was still anxious about things like this. But Namjoon understood why, better than most. It was part of why he didn’t want anyone else here in case something did happen. Not that he expected anything, but it was infinitely better to be safe than sorry.

                With another extraneous exhale, he forced himself to relax. “Alright, coven leader,” he told himself with a falsely cheery grin. “Show time.”

                The basement was quiet, eerily empty, and it seemed as if it might have been slightly lackluster for the situation if Jungkook’s expression was anything to go by. “Nervous?” he couldn’t help but ask the human who had been strangely quiet most of the night.

                “A little,” Jungkook admitted, ducking his head and rubbing at the back of his neck self-consciously. “I just thought there’d be more, you know?” he added, gesturing to the rest of the room. Even the stone tables that had been here for the last demonstration were missing.

                It made Yoongi laugh once. “Like pentagrams and blood-stained tools?” he teased with a toothy smirk.

                “No!” Jungkook denied just a touch too quickly. When Yoongi kept looking at him with unblinking eyes, he wrinkled his nose and admitted, “Maybe a little.”

                “Hah!” That was genuinely amusing to the vampire. Humans had quite the imagination when it came to things they couldn’t find answers to and the bevy of inaccurate movies about vampires (or a fair few other magical creatures too for that matter) hadn’t helped with useful information in recent times. “You already know the basics,” he reminded the other man, keeping a thoughtful look on him.

                “Of course I do,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down. “And I know you told me yesterday to make sure,” he added, glancing up to meet the vampire’s eyes. “I just thought it might be more ceremonial or… magical,” he couldn’t help but sigh, shoulders slumping just a bit.

                “It is magical,” Yoongi reminded him as he took a step closer. He almost laughed at the way Jungkook’s head bobbed up at the comment. “Insofar as you would understand magic anyway,” he added, reaching out to grab his mentee’s hand and pull it out to turn it palm side up.

                “I don’t- ow!” he yelped when Yoongi quickly drew a thin red line across the bare surface with a sharp fingernail. “What was that for?!” he demanded in uncertain frustration as he tried to yank his hand back.

                Yoongi held tight and then turned his free palm up to mirror Jungkook’s. “Magic,” he winked as a thin red line briefly appeared on him and disappeared from Jungkook’s at the same time.

                Jungkook’s jaw dropped open before he abruptly gasped, “I knew it!” Yes, Yoongi had done minor healings before but he’d never shown how it worked exactly. Jungkook looked up like he was going to say something else but then Namjoon’s voice interrupted easily.

                “Getting started without me?”

                Yoongi dropped Jungkook’s hand and stepped back as quickly but nonchalantly as he could. “Just waiting for your late to arrive,” he countered, glancing at the elder vampire with a knowing smile.

                “A Coven Leader is never late in his own Coven,” Namjoon grinned with boyish dimples dotting his cheeks.

                “Yeah, yeah,” the younger vampire waved dismissively, acting bored.

                Namjoon rolled his eyes and shook his head before he glanced at the all too flat floor. “You couldn’t even be bothered to raise the dais for this?”

                “And spoil the surprise?” he answered, glancing at Jungkook just in time to see the slightly widened eyes dart between them.

                “Is there actually an altar for this?” he asked, one hand gesturing at the floor and the other floating between the two vampires.

                Yoongi looked at Namjoon meaningfully and the elder vampire opened his mouth in a bemused, “Ah. No, youngling,” he chuckled, wandering casually towards the wall to press a button behind one of the large pillars before walking back. “The dais is simply more comfortable than sitting on the floor and the knife is more sanitary than, say… Yoongi’s nails,” he teased, dark eyes landing on the younger vampire with poorly concealed amusement.

                “My hands are not dirty,” he grumbled, crossing his arms in an echoed imitation of Jungkook earlier. Namjoon merely shrugged wordlessly, earning a small laugh from Jungkook in the process.

                “Oh,” Jungkook murmured, his eyes glued to the circular platform that rose from the floor and stopped at about knee height. Perfect for sitting on. His eyes tracked Namjoon as the elder vampire moved to press another spot on the side of the dais this time. A shallow compartment opened above it and Namjoon removed a small, ornately carved box. The imagery was reminiscent of flying bats and the changing moon. Without a word but with a very pointed look and an emphatic gesture at the box, Jungkook turned to look at Yoongi.

                “Fine!” he grumbled, throwing his hands up. “We have one box that looks vaguely ceremonial for this process.” He would have been more annoyed by Jungkook’s smug and victorious smile if it hadn’t been so amusingly cute in that moment.

                “What about the knife?” Jungkook asked, bubbling excitement welling as he crowded a bit closer to Namjoon and waited for the coven leader to open the box.

                “Alas. That is pretty standard fare,” he announced, opening the box with a quiet click and removing a short narrow stiletto with his slender fingers. They both heard Jungkook’s quiet sigh of disappointment. “With weapons, it’s usually better if they do not look particularly… noticeable,” Namjoon consoled him.

                “Those do tend to be magical or cursed and no good ever comes of them,” Yoongi echoed, walking over to sit on the dais. He wasn’t sure how well he hid his nerves but Jungkook didn’t seem to notice. Namjoon might have, though the coven leader was infinitely harder to read, and not just because Yoongi couldn’t hear the sound of a changing heartbeat or breathing pattern at any given moment.

                “Ready?” Namjoon asked, diverting his attention to Jungkook as he gestured next to Yoongi.

                “I think so,” Jungkook admitted, his body language tensing up all of a sudden.

                Namjoon gave him a gentle nudge after setting the stiletto back in the box. “Yoongi told you what to expect, did he not?” he questioned, a curious glance darting to the other vampire.

                “I did,” he defended himself immediately, trying not to fidget at Jungkook’s final vestiges of hesitation.

                “He did,” his mentee confirmed with a quick nod. He shuffled closer but didn’t sit down yet. “Are you sure I can’t stay awake to see how things happen?” he wondered, looking up at Namjoon from a partially ducked face.

                Both Namjoon and Yoongi grimaced slightly. “It’s not a process you would enjoy,” the coven leader promised, shaking his head.

                The honest and causal admittance obviously made the human nervous. “Will it hurt?” he wondered, echoing the very human fear of pain they all had before this process.

                Yoongi let the barest of warm smiles grace his lips then. “Not before we make you sleep.” When Jungkook seemed to hesitate for a moment longer, Yoongi carefully extended his hand, sharp fingertips partially curled in open invitation. “Do you trust me?”

                He could only imagine how many thoughts had been going through Jungkook’s mind lately. After his encounter with the Exile, he’d been shaken. Not afraid but it was clear something so inhuman was disturbing on a level Yoongi couldn’t understand. He hadn’t really spoken to Yoongi about it, though he knew the human had discussed it with his work friends recently. Yes, he’d followed his mentee around more than usual of late, but he too had been shaken by the encounter with the Exile. Just… in a very different way. And even now… that uncertainty lingered. And continued to linger as Jungkook looked at the vampire’s hand and then at his own.

                “I trust you.” His warm long- hand extended to rest in Yoongi’s and the knot of worry in his belly started to unravel quickly.

                “Good. Have a seat then,” Namjoon encouraged, gently steering Jungkook to sit down beside Yoongi. He waited for the human to settle, shifting in place on the hard stone as he tried not to look at the man beside him or their still lightly clasped hands. “Yoongi,” he commented, gesturing at the younger vampire.

                Yoongi studied Jungkook’s profile and waited for him to turn and look. Only then did he move. Wordlessly, he curled his fingers around Jungkook’s wrist, pressing the tips lightly against the bare skin for a second before tracing them up his arm and shoulder to rest against the equally pale and soft patch between his neck and his shoulder. He didn’t miss the way Jungkook shivered at the silent question.

                In an equally silent response, Jungkook’s left hand hovered over his right arm before rising up to rest lightly atop Yoongi’s. “Here,” he whispered, meeting the vampire’s eyes with an all too human flush to his cheeks.

                Jungkook’s choice made another knot in his gut unwind and Yoongi allowed a smile to tug at the corners of his mouth. “Okay,” he whispered back, content with the knowledge that too was a sign of trust. He could feel Namjoon nearby, waiting and watching, but it otherwise seemed as if it was only them in the room at that moment. With his hands, he gently urged Jungkook to turn away from him, left hand resting on his waist and right curling over the nearest shoulder.

                This close, he smelled so good: the scent of naturally warm flesh tinged with salt and the hint of metallic tinged fluid just beneath the surface. Yoongi saw the back of his neck quiver reflexively, nerves making his muscles jump in tiny minute movements. He placed his lips against Jungkook’s shoulder, almost a kiss as he heard a tiny gasp, felt the sharp inhale under his hands. His mouth opened and sharp fangs pierced the delicate skin.

                The small sound of surprised pain mixed almost sinfully well with the heady taste of Jungkook and he closed his eyes to savor it. Sips from a drink or a glass gave hints of the song threaded in another creature’s essence. Drinking straight from the source could be like experiencing a masterful symphony in real time – powerful, vibrant, intoxicating. Yoongi’s hands moved to embrace Jungkook further, encouraging him to relax into his embrace.

                To his unspoken joy, Jungkook did. Weight pressed against his chest as tentative still warm hands ghosted over his own. He bit down just a little harder and immersed himself in the twilight of Jungkook’s humanity. Living warmth curled against him and caressed his cool body; the unique vitality of magicless life danced on his tongue; the dual rhythms of each breath and heartbeat sounded steadily, increasing little by little with each passing moment.

                In contrast, it was almost sad as he experienced the waning that followed. The lessening warmth and the rapid patter of sound that was often hounded by the beginnings of panic and fear. “Yoongi?” Jungkook whispered, a note of the undesired emotion rising up as his hands tightened against the vampire’s.

                It was time. “Sleep,” he commanded, pulling his mouth away from Jungkook’s neck so the word would be clear. Immediately, Jungkook went limp in his arms, hands falling away to rest in his lap and his head lolling against his chest. Yoongi caressed his hair with gentle fingers, lost for a moment before he remembered Namjoon was there. Self-consciously, he dropped his hand and then looked up at the elder vampire as he approached.

                “Well done,” he praised, carefully grabbing Jungkook’s nearest wrist and turning it over to eye the pale, bluish tinted skin. With his other hand, he grabbed the stiletto and drew a straight deep line down the length of his forearm. Blood welled sluggishly, despite the depth. When his attention turned to Yoongi, the younger vampire held out his preferred arm and waited for the identical cut. With stoic care, Namjoon placed the stiletto down and then guided Yoongi’s arm below Jungkook’s mirroring the cuts in their skin. “The rest is up to you,” he encouraged, a warm smile gracing his face as he looked at the two before him.

                He did not stay though, for which Yoongi was glad. Every turning was intimate by its nature. But this one… he could at least admit to himself he wanted it to maybe be a little more. Keeping their arms clasped together, he cradled Jungkook closer and settled in to wait for the next part. To wait for Jungkook’s human life to end as his heart and lungs virtually stopped; to wait for his body to try and ‘fix’ the wrongness of Jungkook’s magicless one; to wait for the newly infused magic of his blood to convert Jungkook’s humanity to vampirism.

                It was always a long wait, but hopefully this time would be worth it. That was all Yoongi could hope for as he felt the Jungkook-that-was slowly transform into the Jungkook-he-wanted-to-be. It was also all he could hope for as the usual tiredness moved in to overtake him. Having shared his own liquid vitality and personal energy, albeit borrowed from Jungkook, to complete the process, Yoongi was very much nearing a soft limit. He did not need to sleep, but right now, next to Jungkook, it was an appealing thought.

                “Sleepy time,” he murmured as he scooted back on the dais and pulled Jungkook with him so they could more easily lie out on the flat surface together. His arm became a pillow for the other man’s head while he bumped his nose against the back of his neck. Even as a new vampire, he smelled good. Different from before but no less good all the same. “Alright, Kookie,” he whispered, drowsily closing his eyes and pulling the other man closer with his free arm. “Wake me up when you do.”