Considering Jungkook was still a normal human that followed the typical day and night cycles, and was also in the process of looking for a job, he and Yoongi worked out a schedule for meeting times. Yoongi was far more flexible, though admittedly, he didn’t like meeting during the day. But unless Jungkook was staying at the coven, which only happened twice a week, any other meeting times were generally expected to be in the afternoon or early evening.

                After their first week, it became apparent that Jungkook knew a lot about trying to become a vampire and the basics of vampirism, but was quite lacking in the specifics after the change occurred. That second bit was quite expected though. Yoongi would have been surprised if he’d known more.

                “So just to recap, you’re staying at the coven every Friday and Saturday night and we’re meeting during the week on Mondays and Thursdays,” Yoongi stated, tapping his finger on the café table they were currently sitting at. He’d chosen one that was a bit out of the way so they wouldn’t have to deal with a large crowd and was satisfied with the few patrons present. No other vampires, two humans, and three magical creatures, none of whom would actively try to listen in or cause any trouble.

                “Right,” Jungkook nodded, gloved hands wrapped around an iced coffee. That he was drinking something cold in this weather made Yoongi wonder, but it made the human happy, so there was that. “Though when I find a job, that might change again,” he warned quickly and shrugged.

                “Yeah, yeah,” the vampire huffed in amusement, mouth quirking to the side. “Humans and their jobs.”

                “Sorry we have to earn money the hard way,” Jungkook grumbled, one side of his mouth curling in an annoyed frown. “It’s so not fair that most magical creatures don’t even need to work,” he added, lowering his head to bite the straw so he could take a drink.

                “Well, when you’re as long lived as we tend to be, you learn a thing or two about investing,” Yoongi explained with a snort, though even he’d had a bit of an easy road there. His parents had been particularly good about investing and he’d inherited all of it… That didn’t mean he didn’t know what to do though.

                “I know,” the other man sighed, shoulders slouching at the reminder. “I’d ask you for advice about investing but there’s a very good reason you’re not technically allowed to share that information with a human.”

                Yoongi gestured with his hands in a helpless motion and nodded. “There are many written rules about that and there are just as many unwritten rules to keep track of as well,” he said, twisting his mouth in slight irritation. A great many magical creatures had extended lives, but it certainly felt like vampires were restricted more than most. Then again, it could have been just because there was a certain sect of humans that had done a pretty good job of trying to vilify them, which made other humans wary at best. “Mostly we work because we get bored,” he continued, glancing at the light brown skinned elf behind the current counter. “That, or creatures like fairies and elves tend to enjoy talking to just about anyone.”

                “When I become a vampire, I won’t work for at least a year,” Jungkook laughed to himself, swirling the contents of his cup and making the ice clink noticeably. “The jobs I have done have not been fun,” he grimaced and shuddered.

                The reaction made Yoongi smile despite himself, but he didn’t comment. Instead, he focused on the time. “Speaking of a year, remind me. Why do we have a trial period for people that want to become a vampire?” he pressed, leaning forward on the table with his fingers linked together.

                “That’s an easy question,” the human mumbled in disappointment.

                “Well,” Yoongi prompted, waving his hand permissively.

                Jungkook sighed and tilted his head to the side in obvious irritation, but he did answer. “The trial period is very much for both the human and the vampires. One,” he held up his index finger and glanced at it. “This gives the human a chance to better understand what it means to be a vampire. Feeding, weaknesses, rules and whatnot,” he added, waving his other hand in a circular motion. “And two,” a second finger rose to join the first. “It’s for the vampires to make sure the human is a good fit even after the initial vetting.”

                “Exactly,” Yoongi winked and sat back in his seat. “Because the last thing any of us want is a new homicidal vampire running amok and giving the rest of us a bad name.”

                “That actually happened didn’t it?” Jungkook asked with curious eyes.

                “In the past, yes,” the vampire answered honestly, a quick nod accompanying the word. “It was just before my time, but Namjoon could tell you about an instance or two. It’s partly why vampires are so… eh… regulated,” he offered, reluctantly settling on the word. “Trials for newbies, no turning sprees, and any Rank 3 or higher has to be in a coven or contracted with a city - somewhere.”

                “Because they can make new vampires,” the other man pointed out quickly, ducking his head to hide his smile when Yoongi gave him a raised brow.

                “Yep. And we have to let the city know when we get new members,” he added, staring at the human intently. Jungkook’s face turned thoughtful and Yoongi knew he had another question on his mind. “What?” he asked when it seemed he might not say anything again.

                For a moment, Jungkook pursed his lips in silence. But then he took a breath and spoke, “Does that also include children? I know it’s easier to turn a human and that’s what most vampires do, but I do know they can have kids.”

                Yoongi’s nose twitched and he glanced down at the top of the table. “Why? Do you want children?” he said to avoid the question. “If so, you should probably do that before you try to become a vampire,” he advised dryly.

                “It’s not that.” Jungkook waved the suggestion off. “It’s just that, the covens have profile information but unless you look at the registry at Admin’s Tower, you can’t tell if a vampire was born or turned. They kind of seem like unicorns,” he laughed once, leaning back in his chair. “Almost impossible to find.”

                “That’s because humans killed most of the unicorns during the Dark Ages,” Yoongi stated flatly, his gaze drifting back up to focus on the man in front of him, no trace of amusement present.

                Jungkook cringed in embarrassment and dropped his head. “Sorry. Human joke,” he mumbled with a wave of his hand.

                “I know. But it’s not funny,” the vampire reminded him. “None of the human jokes about us magical creatures are,” he added in that same flat tone. When each successive word made Jungkook shrink down just that much more, Yoongi wrinkled his nose and gave a quiet sigh. “Mostly. There are some exceptions,” he murmured, making the human look up in surprise. “Just not that one.”

                “Sorry again. I’ll try to remember that in the future,” Jungkook promised in a quiet voice, sufficiently chastised to Yoongi’s liking.

                Yoongi nodded and then frowned thoughtfully. He could elaborate on the unicorn issue or… he could go back to the previous question. While he’d rather continue to avoid the topic, vampire issues were more relevant to the trial period. They could discuss the brutality of ancient humans later if they really wanted to. “As for vampire children, yes. They do have to be registered too. At birth.”

                Jungkook’s face was an obvious question again. “How?” he asked without prompting this time, his finger pointing in the air.

                It made Yoongi chuckle. “The only thing you need to know about it right now is that, like humans, a child can only be made between a male and a female, though same couples can make it happen with an appropriate donor or surrogate. The same steps apply otherwise, and then some, but it takes both of them in a different way,” he shrugged, snorting at the nonplussed look on his potential trainee’s face. “What? If you become a vampire, I can tell you more then. For now, we’re secretive for a reason. Again, regulated,” he reminded the other man with a not excited hand wave.

                “Fine,” the human grumbled, sitting back in his seat. A new thought occurred to him then though and he sat up as if a light bulb went off in his head. “Do vampires ever adopt?”

                The question was so unexpected it literally made Yoongi laugh. “Yes,” he smiled, the expression genuine. “Most vampires cherish children. And not for food,” he stated bluntly, warning that idea off immediately.

                “Obviously,” Jungkook scoffed with a snort.

                “You know that, but a staggering amount of humans don’t,” Yoongi reminded him with a head tilt and a slow roll of his eyes. “It’s next to impossible to adopt a human child for that reason. Though they do make very good and acceptable fosters in some areas,” he added with a brief and confused shake of his head. “On the other hand, vampire parents don’t mind taking in other magical creatures. It used to be far more necessary in the past,” he murmured as his gaze turned a bit dark.

                “Ouch,” he winced sympathetically, able to imagine why that might be the case quite easily.

                “Yeah,” Yoongi murmured, mouth thinning at the parallel thought. “Still think magical creatures are lucky?” he suddenly asked, surprising the other man. His face blanked on a possible response and he blinked several times as he tried to think of an answer. “It’s alright,” Yoongi laughed once, waving off the need for a response. “We’ve all got our problems, like you said.”

                Relief washed over Jungkook then, his shoulders slumping as he exhaled. “Can I ask you one more question?” he wondered in a soft voice, looking at the vampire out of the corner of his eyes. Yoongi nodded mutely in permission. “Were you turned or born a vampire?” he asked bluntly, making Yoongi’s brows rise.

                Then he frowned and blinked in mild irritation. “Asking a vampire that is like asking a human woman her age. You shouldn’t. Not at this stage anyway,” he added when Jungkook cringed again. “I will say, if you become a vampire, you can ask again.”

                “Yeah?” he responded with a shy smile.

                “Yeah.”

                The easy answer seemed to settle Jungkook’s mood again and he sat up with a bit more energy. His dark eyes darted out the window, squinting against the sunlight before he glanced back at his companion. “So… you’re weaker during the day… Do you think I could beat you in an arm wrestling match right now?” he asked with a playful grin.

                “Nope.”

                “Aw. Let’s try,” he challenged, placing his elbow on the surface of the table preemptively.

                “No,” Yoongi denied again, laughing once as he crossed his arms over his chest.

                “Come on,” the human teased, wrinkling his nose playfully. “Unless you’re worried I might actually win.”

                “I’m trying to save you from the embarrassment,” the vampire promised with a wry smile.

                “Seriously though! I’ve gotta have a chance with it being day and you being this small,” he laughed, gesturing at the vampire’s undeniably slender person.

                “Oh,” Yoongi commented, one brow rising as he slowly unfolded his arms. Without another word, he locked gazes with Jungkook and placed his elbow on the table, waiting expectantly. By the human’s slightly widened eyes, he seemed to have realized he made a mistake. But having issued the challenge, Yoongi wouldn’t let him back out of it now, even if he had to compel him to follow through. With a quiet whimper and a cringe, Jungkook grabbed Yoongi’s hand.

                The human learned two things that day. One, even a sun weakened vampire was significantly stronger than any regular human. And two, it was never a good idea to mention anything about Yoongi’s size. Especially in any disparaging or dismissive fashion.

                During the beginning of their trial period, there were many other things Jungkook learned and confirmed from what he already knew or what was general knowledge. Many of the stories about vampires were a bit off the mark or downright outrageous. “Any of those vampire movies you’ve seen are generally way off,” the vampire laughed.

                “I know, right? Bursting into flames? Come on,” Jungkook chuckled, his grin wide and open.

                “We don’t like the sun but that’s because we are creatures born of shadow and fire,” he explained with a sage nod, expression distant as he remembered tidbits of a story someone told him a long time ago.

                “Oh?” By the sound, it was obviously news to him as well. In all likelihood, the humans had probably not been good in passing down that history. After all, there definitely was a group, albeit a small one, that was trying to push the idea that humans came first and magical creatures were the aberrant mutations.

                He nodded in response. “That’s also why holy symbols and such don’t affect us either.” Jungkook’s smirk was encouraging. “Contrary to some human beliefs, mostly those of particularly strong faith,” Yoongi snorted with a shake of his head, “we did not rise from the dead and we aren’t necessarily evil beings.”

                “No worse than some humans,” the other man conceded with a depressed nod.

                Yoongi didn’t argue. “It’s partly why we don’t much like water either. Well, that and we sink. Really well,” he added with an exaggerated hand motion dropping down. “We don’t have to breathe so it’s not really a problem but it does getting stuck at the bottom of a lake. And if it’s deep water…” he trailed off with a pained expression. “That much pressure just hurts.”

                “Ouch,” Jungkook cringed, hand resting on his chest as if he was trying to imagine the feeling. “Okay. So what’s the deal with garlic and silver then? And thresholds!” he added as the thought struck him, almost like he’d remembered a scene in a movie.

                “Thresholds are a remnant of actual Magic law,” he explained, biting his lip thoughtfully. He didn’t know if he should explain why though… Jungkook had been with him for about two months now and so far, it did indicate that he’d likely stick around for the duration. Eh. This one wasn’t too big a secret. More an inconvenience in truth than anything. “It comes from a time when magical creatures and humans weren’t on such good terms. The magic has weakened but it hasn’t faded entirely,” he explained with a flippant wave of his hand.

                “Huh,” the human chirped in surprise. “I never would have guessed.” His raised brows looked almost comical, but then they dropped as his focus shifted. “What about garlic and silver. There are so many different stories about them…” he trailed off with a long suffering sigh.

                Yoongi chuckled. “So true. But most are exaggerated. Again. Garlic is just a really strong smell. You try getting a whiff of it when your sense of smell is as good as ours,” he stated dryly, lips pressed together in a thin line.

                “I take it you’ve had to deal with garlic before?” Jungkook asked with an amused look he failed utterly to hide.

                “Oh yes,” the vampire grouched, flicking his fingers across the table like he could banish the memory somehow. With a quick shake of himself, he redirected his attention to the other topic. “Silver is more like an allergic reaction. We have different responses to both, to be fair, but usually, neither cause any lasting harm, especially the older you get. I do get hives if I touch it though,” he explained with an accepting shrug. “So if you have no problems with them now, you might if you do turn.”

                Jungkook wrinkled his nose at the thought but then shrugged, much like Yoongi had earlier. “It is what it is. Some humans have worse reactions to stranger things,” he reminded the vampire. He was good at doing that. Raised in the human world, there were many common comparisons he could draw with little trouble. Yoongi’d had to actively learn about them growing up. “I understand the weaknesses, but what about food? Vampires aren’t undead so why can’t they just eat normal food?”

                “Well, we can but it doesn’t do anything for us. We usually just have to throw it back up later. We aren’t undead but it is more like our bodies are in a state of perpetual stasis. Especially during the day. We can put something in but nothing really happens,” he explained. “Blood though… that’s always been something of power. Mages use it in their magics and succubi and incubi do as well. Many creatures use blood and humans often thought it modified their powers in the past too. For them, it didn’t really work, but for us, it does.”

                “And it doesn’t matter where you get the blood from, right?” the human pressed, eyeing the hallway that would lead towards the kitchen area.

                “Nah. Blood is blood. Fresh blood tastes better,” the vampire clarified quickly, “but if it bleeds, we feed.” He flashed his teeth, fangs appearing briefly as he amused himself with the unintentional rhyme.

                “That just sounds wrong,” Jungkook cringed with a laugh, gaze lingering on the obvious fangs. Yoongi didn’t usually show them around him.

                “What? It’s true.”

                “Still…”

                In the third month of their trial, he finally found a job – working at a bread shop. “Make sure you don’t get fat there,” Yoongi teased when he found out.

                “I can get fat if I want to,” Jungkook retorted quickly, though he ducked his head in mild embarrassment and gave the vampire a sidelong look.

                He was starting to learn the human enough to know he wouldn’t, even if he could; carbs were his weakness but he had too many fit role models he wanted to aspire towards to let it get too out of hand. It was, however, fun to mess with him from time to time. “Seriously though. You’d best enjoy it now since things will change if you turn.”

                “No more bread?” he asked, the embarrassment giving way to a new crestfallen look.

                “I suppose you could but I hope you like it just as much coming back up,” he stated simply. The legitimate shock was enough to make him ask, “Having second thoughts?”

                “No…” Jungkook murmured in immediate response, though it was far from reassuring. It was just one more thing he had to come to terms with letting go of or changing significantly in his life if he did go through with becoming a vampire.

                On the other hand, his work schedule meant that their schedule mostly remained the same since he worked in the mornings and early afternoons. But with the job, he also started making more friends. Yoongi had no problem with this – humans should have friends, especially when they moved to a new city, and they started popping up in their conversations. It was fun being the listener for a change. But he did start to take note of new ‘friends’ that began appearing in their conversations too. It was right around the time he was expecting it though so it wasn’t a complete surprise.

                Yoongi held up his hand to stall Jungkook’s flow of words. The human stopped abruptly, startled for a second. “What?”

                “I’m gonna stop you there. I’ve gotta ask. Have you told them you’re trying to become a vampire yet?” he wondered, trying to hide the soft grimace by forcing his lips to relax.

                “Yeah…” Jungkook answered hesitantly, his expression instantly wary. “Why?”

                “Remember what I said about vampires being secretive?” he asked instead of answering directly.

                “Yes.”

                “Humans know a set amount of information about us. A lot of it contrived. And humans turned vampires know even more but then fall under the written and unwritten rules of vampirism. Potential trainees,” he added, pointing at Jungkook meaningfully, “fall into that gray area.”

                “Oh, I get it,” Jungkook forced a laugh as he wrestled with whether Yoongi was being serious or not. “They’re my friends but not my friends,” he clarified, face still showing that he rather hoped it was a joke.

                “Some of them might well be,” Yoongi conceded. “It’s just that there are a fair few people – humans especially – that don’t really like vampires. The same rules that help keep them safe also make them trust us less,” he added with an irritated eye roll.

                Jungkook’s face was clouded as he frowned at the vampire. “Why just vampires?” he demanded, searching for something that would help make it make sense.

                “Not just vampires, but mostly us. Again, we’re one of the only creatures that can actually make new ones without doing things the old fashioned way. Tends to make others nervous,” he answered with narrowed eyes and a thin mouth.

                “They’re not like that,” Jungkook denied eventually, expression dropping as he turned the possibility over in his mind.

                “I’m just saying, be careful what you tell them and pay attention to what questions they ask,” he added, looking down and waving his hand to show that was the last he would say about it. He’d be surprised if all of them were his friends but it was possible. Incredibly unlikely but still possible. Not that he’d be able to convince Jungkook of that right now. Tartarus, even he’d wanted to believe otherwise the first time Namjoon explained it to him when he was finally allowed to turn his first human. As with most things though, it would just have to be something that was figured out and dealt with in due time.

                “And life arrived with hunger and ferocity,” Minzy intoned, her voice shifting in tone to match the lilting pattern of a story teller. Her hands rose to gesture at the floating planet in the air. It seemed as if translucent filaments unwound from her fingers to curl around the blue and green sphere.

                Hyuna’s lips curved into a proud smile as the Anansi began to create her own illusion. It was her fourth time experiencing the story, but her first trying to narrate, and she was doing beautifully. Filaments weaved together as fluidly as smoke, creating a flapping creature that started to circle the planet. She had to hide her chuckle at the appearance of the beast – Minzy had been watching too many western fantasy movies apparently – but the sentiment was the same.

                “Dragons were the first children to be gifted with life.” Minzy’s dragon was brown like the earth and it roared as it breathed a tiny spout of flame.

                “Dragons?!” Chan gasped in surprise and awe.

                He wasn’t quite a child anymore – none of her children truly were – but the information was amazing enough to merit such childlike wonder. Most of her children acted similarly the first time they saw the dragons themselves. Jennie adored them every time, three times now, and Jisoo still tried to hide when she saw them. The fairy had no love of dragons – they frightened her – and she was trying very successfully to curl under Byunghyun’s arm. Dutifully, the nightmare eater held her close and watched with thoughtful eyes.

                “Almost as many kinds as there are stars in the sky,” Hyuna couldn’t help but add, glancing at Minzy to help with the next conjuring. Together, they brought an army of dragons into existence: from the tiny two legged ones that had a closer resemblance to a lizard like chicken, to the two legged wyverns soaring the skies, to the myriad of massive drakes lumbering on the ground.

                “For a time, Magic let the dragons be while it turned its focus elsewhere,” Minzy explained, fingers moving to show the dragons interacting. Some formed herds for safety. Others hunted them. Many lived on land and in the sea and high above the mountains. “And though the dragons were magical and amazing and ruled the world for a millennia, changing through time…” The shapes changed form to become creatures more recognizable as what the humans called dinosaurs and their distant kin. New creatures appeared to pop up like massive predatory cats and wooly mammoths along the way. “… when Magic turned its gaze upon them again, it saw they were not what it had hoped for. Only a handful had gained true intelligence in all that time and the rest remained naught but beasts,” the Anansi went on, her voice wistful.

                “What happened to them?” Chan asked in a breathless whisper, eyes still riveted to the illusion. “Magic didn’t kill them, did it?” he wondered in open mouthed horror as he looked around the group for confirmation.

                Mingyu gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and then nodded down at Minzy who was ready to tell the next part of the story. “No. Magic didn’t kill them. But…” she added, waving her hand to pluck the vast majority of dragons and creatures from the air. “Magic did remove most of them. It left only the most intelligent that wished to stay and the smaller kin of dragons to allow a better balance of life to continue.”

                “But… where did they go?” he couldn’t help but ask, head tilting in curiosity.

                “To other realms better suited to their natures,” Hyuna explained with a quick wink, though neither she nor the knowledge keeper offered an illustration of such places.

(a/n: As you can see, I'm turning vampire lore a bit on its head. haha I'll probably be tweaking other creatures here and there too, but so it goes. ;) Hopefully you're enjoying the story so far though, and please look forward to the next update. Thank you!)