Rose had been quite nervous going to the university for the first time but she got used to it pretty quickly.

Kris had shown her around the university, introducing her as his cousin to anyone who asked. She attended his classes with him, getting impressed every time he started his lectures.

He had a very serious face, so it came across as somewhat angry but, she found, Kris was actually kind of a dork. And more than half the female population in his classes was heavily crushing on him, even though he remained woefully oblivious to their advances. A couple of girls even tried to chat her up at first, in hopes of getting his favor or find out some of his likes and dislikes.

Rose fended them off easily, considering this was exactly how girls used to approach her regarding Leo, even though she’d been quite young at that time. It was actually kind of funny.

They met up with the rest of the group for break and then, back to classes. All in all, the day was fun.

It was Xiumin’s turn the next day. Rose was a bit apprehensive because she was not sure how Star would take it. But she shouldn’t have worried.

Not only was Star on her best behavior, eager to impress Choomin but Xiumin, too, had made it his mission to make up for lost years with her.

He had cooked her favorite breakfast – something their mother used to make for them, apparently – and Star came to a halt, shocked.

‘It’s not as good as mom’s but I hope you’ll like it.’

It wasn’t until later that Rose understood he had talked to her in their secret language; apparently, they used to do that as kids to avoid their mother finding out about their mischiefs. The only reason she had understood was because of Star.

That was like breaking a dam. Star tackled Xiumin into a hug, blubbering and crying, and then hugging him tightly again. Xiumin laughed, patting her head and continued talking to her in their language. Star sniffled and replied.

Rose decided to recede as much as she could, so Star could spend time with her brother. Xiumin thanked her quietly as Star’s distinctive black markings appeared on Rose’s skin.

Rose had never heard Star talk so much, so coherently. She was like a little kid – or well, she was a little kid – who had so many fun adventures to talk about. A few times, Xiumin looked like he would burst into tears – like when Star narrated how she had managed to kill her first monster and learned to fight the Bad Things in the Bad Place, waiting for Choomin to find her. He kept touching her, patting her head, brushing back her hair, squeezing her hands in encouragement. He didn’t tell her stop talking, even when Star continued to talk with full, only smiling fondly.

‘You want to come to work with me?’ he asked when Star finally quieted to take a breath.

She nodded vigorously, smiling brightly. ‘I can?’

‘Yes,’ Xiumin replied, smiling. ‘But you have to let Rose hide you.’

‘Okay!’ Star agreed eagerly, receding immediately.

‘Thanks for doing this,’ Xiumin told her.

Rose shook her head. ‘It’s nothing.’

True to her promise, Star was very well behaved in the Black Pearl, even if she was curious about everything. Xiumin let her do what she wanted, only asking her to stay out of the way when the rush of customers came in. Later, he brought her some dessert.

‘Try this,’ he told Star, who poked the ice-cream with her finger. Xiumin tutted, handing her the spoon. ‘Use this.’

Star smiled shyly before trying the ice cream. Rose couldn’t help but enjoy the sheer wonder Star experienced in the smallest of things, like how the ice cream melted on her tongue and made cold.

‘What is this?’ Star asked, eyes wide.

‘Ice cream’, Xiumin told her, obviously enjoying her reactions.

‘I want more!’ Star declared immediately, digging in.

‘You can have as much as you like,’ Xiumin told her and the burst of joy that went through Star made Rose tear up.

‘What? Did I say something wrong?’ Xiumin was clearly panicking.

Rose shook her head. ‘No, I just... you reminded me of Leo right now.’ She smiled to show she really was all right. ‘Star is very happy with the ice cream.’

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ Xiumin asked, eyeing her closely. ‘It can’t be easy for you, having to switch back and forth like that.’

‘Star is being a very good, I know I can trust her.’ Inside her, Star puffed with pride. Star is good.

Rose smiled. ‘As long as I don’t have to worry about hurting anyone, it’s not a problem.’

Xiumin stared at her for a while. ‘We’ll do something for the both of you, I promise.’

‘Thanks.’

‘If you guys are done with your heart to heart, can you come and man the counter, Xiumin?’ Lily came over to them. ‘Go on now, I want to spend some time with my sister!’

‘She is my sister too,’ Xiumin retorted, getting up. Lily shook her head, grabbing Rose’s arm. ‘Nope, only mine!’

‘She’s so jealous,’ Xiumin complained to Rose, laughing when Lily stuck her tongue at him.

‘Go away!’

‘I’m leaving, geez!’

The interaction between them set Rose’s nerves at ease. She had been worried that with Leo gone, Lily would fall back to her stubborn ways and go back to ignoring Xiumin. But apparently, they had settled things between them. Somewhat.

………………………………………

Days passed quickly now that she had something to look forward to. At first, the Legends were a little apprehensive about ‘babysitting’ her, as Sehun had sulkily put it. But as things progressed smoothly without any signs of Star acting up or Evil trying to make her do things, they settled into it comfortably.

The girls had been friendly to begin with, welcoming her into the group almost immediately. The boys also took to her a lot easier than she had expected. Probably because she had voluntarily given herself up for scrutiny and that had cleared up her intentions for them.

The only issue was, as D.O shared over his delicious cooking – she was taste testing his cake for his next date with Kyra – that Evil was being too quiet and that was never a good thing.

‘It’s like the calm before the storm,’ he explained, holding the spoon out for her to try. She dipped her finger in the icing he was holding up, tasting it. it was delicious and she told him that.

‘I don’t get it, though…’ she said after a while. ‘Isn’t it a good thing that Evil isn’t bothering us anymore?’

D.O stirred his batter thoughtfully, adding in a dash of vanilla. ‘It could be,’ he replied eventually.

‘But?’ Rose prompted.

‘But my gut says otherwise.’ He side-eyed her. ‘I never doubt my gut.’

‘Is there any way I can help?’ she asked. Star was quiet as she was wont to these days.

D.O shrugged. ‘You’re already helping a lot; It can’t be easy, being supervised all the time.’

Rose shrugged back. ‘I feel safe. It’s better than doubting myself every second of the day, scared I might do something or hurt somebody I love.’

She sensed Star stirring, the regret of attacking Leo still there and tried to soothe the girl – she had been scared; but that did not change the fact that Rose was happier this way.

Star is sorry, Lose.

I know, she told her just like she’d done previously. I know.

She got to know all of the Legends individually. Sehun was an actual sweetheart even when he tried his hardest to be bratty; it showed in his gestures like carrying Tiffany’s stuff or bringing her food when she was getting cranky or letting her dote on him, just so she would feel secure about their relationship. He was initially surly with Rose but after a while, started making snarky comments under his breath that made her laugh. Later, he offered to show her his dancing, which was rather odd but according to Mei, that was his green light for friendship.

Kai was… not what she had expected. He came across as rather intimidating, in a broody, mysterious kind of way. But in reality, he was very sweet and the only things he really cared about were Mei and Luhan, dancing, and the rest of the Legends, in that order.  

Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Chen, apparently, were a package deal because she spent her time with the three of them in almost the exact same way. With Chanyeol, she also got to hang out with Nara as well, who was far more curious about her than anyone else so far and was very eager to recruit her for her research. Chanyeol explained that it was her way of saying she wanted to be friends.

Baekhyun was a child at heart and he really brought out her childish side as well. They spend the day pranking his friends and having the time of their lives

She was actually quite nervous when it came to spending the day with Chen because… well, because. And she was kind of expecting Star to take over. To both of their surprise, however, Star stayed mute and in the background. That was highly unusual because Star tended to react to Chen’s presence even if she didn’t do anything.

This time, however, Star hid herself away. Chen frowned, looking worried but he didn’t say anything about it, changing the topic and pretending that everything was okay.

Rose was actually very curious about this, about what Chen and Star had going on between them. She had an idea that the other Legends didn’t know about this but he was obviously keeping it quiet and call her stupid(ly in crush) but she trusted him. He obviously had his issues but he, also obviously, wanted to keep the Legends safe.

Luhan, much like Shadow, was preoccupied with Mei and Kai, football and the rest of the Legends, in that order. She had fun with him because a) he was a professional player and watching him train was something else; b) his team took it on themselves to show off because ‘there’s a lady in the house’; and c) Mei, who was sulking because she couldn’t come to ogle Luhan as she had a quiz.

Tao was also a lot like his Shadow, snarky, bratty and intimidating in looks only. He had her and Raina act as his stand ins for training in the morning.

Lay was the last person she spent time with. He was sweet, if a bit dazed. She felt comfortable with him, with his disarming aura and gentle personality. She expected him to be the musician he was but it was a serious shock to the senses to watch him dance with such ferocity.

With Star keeping quiet and Evil not showing any signs of coming, Rose had a chance to grow into herself. Kyra was helping her continue therapy despite her reservations, coordinating with her previous therapist and continuing along the same lines as he had recommended. It helped manage her anxiety tremendously and gave her self-esteem a serious boost.

She also started having less and less of those nightmares, like the one where she had seen Chen getting tortured. She was glad because she never wanted to experience anything like that again. There were a few times when she did wake up but she didn’t remember anything. And when she tried talking to Star, the girl satisfied her that everything was all right.

Hongbin, Leo’s friend from the police, was kind enough to bring her things over. He also used that opportunity to apologize to her, smiling sheepishly as he explained the evidence that cleared her name.

‘I guess I was a bit… too enthusiastic about my first case.’ He smiled, dimples denting winsomely into his cheeks.

Rose stared, a little star struck, before a blush painted her face. ‘Uh, that’s okay. Everything is fine now.’

He smiled again, this time in relief and Rose eeped girlishly. He really was too handsome.

‘What’s going on here?’ Baekhyun had his gangster face on when he stepped close, crossing his arms and all but glaring at Hongbin. ‘Is this guy bothering you, Rosie?’

Rose blinked at the nickname. ‘No, he was just returning my stuff.’

Baekhyun kept glaring at Hongbin. ‘Well, he’s returned it, so it’s about time he left.’

Rose frowned. It was bad enough that Leo was always ready to beat his chest when it came to Rose and any guy interacting with her; what was Baekhyun’s deal?

‘I was talking to him,’ she replied curtly. Baekhyun quit his glaring to look at her in surprise. ‘Huh? But-‘

‘But?’ she repeated softly. Baekhyun stared at her for a few moments before sighing. ‘Fine, whatever. Don’t stand in the doorway if you’re gonna talk, geez.’

He left, still grumbling under his breath. Rose shook her head, glancing at Hongbin. ‘Sorry about that. He’s usually very nice.’

He smiled, shaking his head. ‘It’s okay. I should get going anyway. If your or Lily need anything, do let me know, alright? I’m just a phone call away.’

Rose thanked him again and waved as he left. She turned around in time to see Baekhyun tackling Lay into a hug. Shaking her head at his weirdness, she went to find Lily.

Lay patted Baekhyun’s head, laughing a little as his Shadow whined and dug his head into his shoulder. ‘Is everything okay?’ he asked, carding his fingers through Baekhyun’s hair.

Baekhyun shook his head before backing up and looking at Lay balefully. ‘How can you stay calm at a time like this?’ he asked, pouting sulkily.

Lay smiled, knowing where his Shadow was coming from. ‘She’s not ready yet and worrying about it isn’t going to help.’

‘I don’t like it,’ Baekhyun declared, pulling his Shadow into a big hug. ‘You have to learn to put yourself first, or people will eat you up.’

Lay smiled softly as Baekhyun continued to grumble, still hugging him. He heard things like ogling at his dimple when you’re right here and foolish girls, giggling when Baekhyun started cursing out the poor policeman.

‘I know what I’m doing, Baekhyun,’ he told his Shadow.

Baekhyun looked doubtful. ‘Do you really?’

Lay shrugged. ‘There is always a chance that I’m wrong but…’ He smiled, flashing his dimple at Baekhyun, who poked it with his finger. ‘…things have a way of working themselves out.’

‘Hmph.’

………………………………………