VI. Developing Bonds

Enigma ﴾¿﴿ Story Arc: Revelation ﴾?﴿
 

VI. developing bonds 

Clubes headquarters
—  cairo, egypt; 24.7.2017

  Minjung had never liked travelling by portal. Not really. Sure, it was efficient and quick, teleporting one from one end of the earth to another, and it took only a second, but the side-effects? She had to steady herself for a minute before the world stopped spinning in front of her.

   And worst of all, Daehyun stepped out of the experience looking absolutely fine. 

   "Are you alright?" He had asked mildly, watching her lean against a table trying to get the banging headache out of her, well, head, as he brushed down himself, giving his denim jacket a little tug.

   "Could be better," She had managed to rasp, before she felt well enough to start walking in her heels without toppling over. And now, they were to head to the Clubes' Branch Head's office, where they were apparently due to report to. She gave a slight snort at that. Due to report to. That sounded so...stuffy. Not that it was a bad thing, but honestly the people here worked at a different pace. Diamantes was so much better. Faster. Quicker.

  Efficient. 

   At any rate, they were in Cairo now, and she supposed they had to do things the Cairo way. And so, they were currently walking down a dimly lit hallway towards one of the more desirable places in the building - the lounge.

   "I've taken the liberty of taking you to the lounge rather than straight to the Branch Head, Daehyun-ssi." For the first time since they have arrived, Minjung spoke, breaking the tense silence between them. "You see, the people of Clubes tended to not start working until 10 a.m. in the morning." 

    "Oh." Then, "Well, I suppose a cup of coffee won't hurt. It's probably going to be quite a long day ahead of us, anyways." 

    "I take it you fancy coffee, then?"

    "I would say people generally find it hard to survive without it," Daehyun replied with a smile, meeting her eyes, whose lips turned up before quickly facing forward again. "Besides, being a barista would make avoiding coffee hard."

     "Indeed." And as she spoke, Minjung stopped in front of a wooden door that seemed oddly out of place with the other modern furbishings of the building, and rapt smartly on it. "Our. ah, barista prefers the surroundings of his original dwellings, you see." She explained at Daehyun's raised eyebrow, before pushing the door open to the shout that affirmed their entrance.

     As soon as they stepped inside, Minjung allowed herself to take in the sandalwood and coffee smell that was so characteristic of the Cairo lounge; a smell which she associated with being back to Cairo again, be it for good or for bad. Despite the large amount of nuisances she dealt with on a daily basis there, somehow the moment she stepped into that place, all of the annoyance, impatience and frustration she had with anything, be it Clubes, CARDS, or even life on a whole, seemed to melt away the moment she take in that homely smell. 

    And right now, looking at the combination of Western and Egyptian furniture, where one could either lounge on an armchair or one of the fluffy cushions set at just the right height of the coffee tables, the fusion of patterns and protective runes etched on the stone walls, and best of all, the counter taking up one fifth of the space with the barista bustling around, Minjung honestly couldn't feel more at home, and let out a small sigh of content, before being reminded that there was, in fact, someone with her.

     Turning around to face Daehyun, who was staring in wonderment at the sight around him - honestly, who could blame him? - and drinking in the elaborate layout of the Clubes lounge, Minjung asked, "How would you like your coffee?" 

     "I'm sorry?" Having been jolted out of his stupor, he seemed slightly confused. "They make coffee sweet here. How sweet do you want it to be?" 

      "Oh, um, is there a 75% sweetness?" 

     "They call it miidly sweet, so yes, I think that's an accurate description. Wait here." And leaving Daehyun to the mercy of choosing a floor cushion or one of the armchairs slash sofas, Minjung headed straight to the barista, who, upon noticing her, gave her a slight bow of the head, before kissing either sides of her cheeks with a wide grin. "Sadiqi aleaziz! How I have missed you." 

    "Likewise, Nour, my dear friend. It seemed so long, too." And she greeted him warmly, but just as he was about to fall into his old habit of chattering with her for long hours on end, Minjung continued, switching to Arabic. "I'm on rather urgent business today, I'm afraid, so I won't be able to chat for long." At that, Nour's eyes widened slightly in disappointment. "I've also brought a colleague, so would it be possible to offer him a taste of that authentic Egyptian coffee?" 

    "But of course!" The barista cried, seemingly shocked that she would even ask a thing of him. "There is absolutely no reason we should not offer him the warmest hospitality that could be asked of an Egyptian. Here, now, how would your friend like his coffee? Ariha, I hope?" At that, she nodded with a slight smile. "Ah, your friend knows his coffee well! Stay here, sadiqi aleaziz, while I prepare your usual order. Your mazboot, your medium sweet." With which he said, with a twinkle in his eye.

     And while Nour bustled around in his kitchen, preparing the two cups of coffee Minjung had asked for, he continuously chattered away, asking about her life, her missions, and how her general health was going along, which she barely had time to fit in her answers before he whisked the conversation away to another question. Before long, the coffee was ready, and she was presented with a tray, where two tiny cups sat, piping hot and steam wafting out of them.

    "Nour sends his warmest regards and sincerely hopes you enjoy his coffee." As soon as she sat down opposite of Daehyun - who choose the floor cushions, an extremely wise choice - Minjung told him, placing the ceramic cup in front of him. 

    "You seem well-acquainted with the barista." The Seelie observed, before taking a cautious sip of his coffee and breaking into a smile, obviously pleased with the beverage. "One has to, what with grueling long hours and the constant demands of Carroll to attend to," The woman answered, at which he chuckled slightly at, before she too, tucked into her own drink, and there was a pleasant silence when the two took small sips of their coffees, watching the base slowly come alive with the numerous screens placed around the lounge, before the other gave a slight cough, demanding her attention. 

    "If you don't mind me asking," Daehyun started. "And I don't want to be rude." He wrapped his fingers around the mug, as if pondering how to word his question carefully. At his tone and the beginning of his sentence, however, Minjung started to frown, as he was obviously stepping into sensitive territory. "Why do you hate Underworlders so much?"

    At that, she immediately felt her pleasant mood sour away into something akin to mild irritation, and the warm haze of the morning melt away to sharp focus, though Minjung supposed the question wasn't altogether unexpected. Staring into the depths of her own coffee and seeing her own distorted reflection looking back at her, she wrapped her fingers tighter around the ceramic mug, thinking on that for a long time and letting the warmth creep up her fingertips, before opening and articulating her answer carefully. 

   "I don't...hate Underworlders." She began, still looking at her coffee, suddenly afraid to meet Daehyun’s gaze. “ ‘Hate’ is too strong of a word, I suppose. It’s...more of a dislike.” Minjung bit her lip, thinking whether she should confine to someone about her struggles. Emotions she had kept shut away for a long time suddenly started to simmer above the surface, and she swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in , feeling herself suddenly struggling for words. 

    "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Daehyun, probably noticing her apparent discomfort, hastened to say. At that, she looked up to reply that no, it's fine, when she saw the genuine concern in his eyes, before looking away immediately, and wondered, why she ever decided to doubt her own teammates, and whether it was really a good choice to keep herself shut away. 

    "Don't worry about it, it's just...it's complicated." She finally settled on the word, before giving a sigh, swallowing again and continuing on, "It's actually about my little sister. She - "  

   But what exactly happened to her sister was promptly cut short, because after her sentence, there came a huge crash from the floor above, which was exactly where the Branch Head’s office was. The two, immediately scrambling to their feet, were in mutual silent agreement that they should abandon their coffee and check out what was happening, which they did immediately after dashing out of the cozy lounge and up the stairs. 

    "Branch Head!" Upon bursting into the room, Minjung looked around, scanning the surroundings in one glance, before zeroing in to the collapsed desk at the far end of the office, where a disgruntled man was seemingly picking himself up and wincing. "Thank God." She had just enough time to hear Daehyun give a sigh of relief beside her, as she rushed towards the site of wreckage.

     "Khiana, what happened here?" She asked, disbelief colouring her tone. The Branch Head, a middle-aged man whose sun-kissed skin was a stark contrast to the piles of paper littered around him, gave her a sheepish look before hauling himself up, groaning slightly at what was probably pain from having had a section of his desk fall onto him. 

     "The desk probably thought I was unworthy of its use," Khiana replied, chuckling. "I'm sorry that you have to see me in such a state." He now turned to Daehyun, giving a warm smile and gesturing at the floor cushions that were set up as a sort of seating area for the office. "Now, never mind my desk. I believe I was to brief you on your missions, so please, this way." 

CARDS headquarters
—  turkey; 24.7.2017

  Yongguk wasn't exactly sure why he was asked to stay at base, much less being stuck with a seemngly desk job when the purpose of Wonderland was the opposite entirely, but he wasn't about to start complaining, or indeed, question Carroll's commands. 

    One thing he was sure about, though, was that his job definitely wasn't an easy one, and probably wouldn't be for quite some time.

    Staring at the piles of information littered in front of him, Yongguk gave a small sigh, and massaged his temples, convinced that searching for information was probably the most worthless method of locating the objects they were supposed to look for and retrieve before Gemini get their hands on them, despite CARDS having probably one of the best databases in the world. No, screw that; CARDS would definitely have the best databse, given the vast amount of resources they have at their fingertips, and the large network stretching to even the most remote place on Earth.

    The question now, of course, was which one of these sources were legitimate.

    The sound of doors opening jolted Yongguk out of his stupor, and he jumped badly, nearly upsetting the mug of coffee placed there to keep himself awake. "Relax, it's just me."

    "You." The annoyance in his tone was evident as the person behind him chuckled, and Alexander walked into his field of vision. "I take it you didn't miss me, then." 

    "No," Yongguk agreed. "I don't think anyone really misses you." 

    "That hurt," The other frowned, before his features relaxed as he stared at the research the leader was doing. "Any progress?" 

    "I've established one of the possibilities for the warlock's object." Yongguk pulled up a holo-screen, which he was using to record his progress while he worked; pictures of different symbols, but each sharing a similar design - a hexagram within a circle. There was also a rough sketch depicting the symbol being on a signet ring, which he pointed to. "The Seal of Solomon. According to legend, it was the signet ring attributed to King Solomon in medieval Jewish tradition, which apparently gave him the power to command demons and to speak with animals. It was also believed to be all-powerful, the ideal symbol of the absolute, and was worn for protection against all fatalities, threatsm and trouble, and to protect its wearer from all evil." 

    There was silence as Alexander seemed to absorb the information, and he neared the holo-screen, surveying it from all angles. It was after a long time before he finally spoke, probably needing some time to take in the paragraph that accompanied the photos, and to recall memory of it being mentioned from the numerous books he'd read. "I thought it was a just legend." 

    "That's what I thought as well, but you know the saying; 'all legends are true'. And besides," Yongguk added, resting his head on his palm. "Numerous religions had depicted this in their books, so it's likely some form of it existed. I've also pin pointed a possible location for it." At that, Alexander turned around to raise an eyebrow at him. Yongguk decided to intepret that as him being mildly impressed, and continued, "There was a temple Solomon built to honour Yahweh. Since medieval Arabic writers developed the legend that the ring was engraved by God and was given to him directly from heaven, he probably decided to keep it there when he died, as thanks to Yahweh." 

    "It might've been stolen by grave robbers or something then," The doctor frowned, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "No point in trying to track that down. It'll take forever." 

    "True. But there's no harm in trying. Anyways, the location I've thought possible was Solomon's Temple - " 

    " - which was destroyed ages ago - "  

    " - but where on its site another temple sits," Yongguk carried on, as if the other hadn't spoken. "Well, not exactly another temple, but its remnants. Here." He pulled up another holo-screen, this time a map; it was an aerial shot of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. "There are still remnants of the First Temple; Solomon's Temple - the Stairs of Ascent. It's possible that something might be found there. Or a lead to something." 

    "Maybe." Alexander didn't look convinced. "What about the Temple of Solomon in Brazil? It's a replica of the Temple of Solomon, right?" 

     "It was built in 2014 though; probably isn't worth investigating." 

     "They might have records about the actual thing." The other gave another sigh. "I don't know, Guk; this doesn't sound all that convincing to me. Don't get me wrong," He added quickly, seeing the leader prepared to jump in with another arguent. "I'm not saying your information isn't accurate. It's just that, well, this ring was lost for millennia. Religions write about it, yes, but they don't have physical proof of it. And besides, it probably isn't a symbol actually representing the warlock - " Here he suddenly broke off, before changing the subject hastily. "All I'm saying is, the Seal of Solomon might not be our item." 

      "And how would you know that, without proper investigation?" Yongguk raised an eyebrow. "It's the best lead that we've got now."  

       He thought he heard Alexander mutter something along the lines of 'no it's not' under his breath, but dismissed it when the doctor straightened himself, and said, "Well, do as you like. Just don't forget my warning. I'm going to get some tea; I'll be back soon to help you. Oh, and," Just as he was about to leave, Yongguk saw him turn around and add, "If you're going to be chasing down this Seal of Solomon, promise me you'll investigate Brazil as well." 

    "Fine," Yongguk shot back, turning back to his work as the doors slid open to let Alexander through, taking one last glance at the map he had pulled up, before sighing, and redirecting his attention to the next item on the list. 


Guess who actually updated haha

Anyways here's more...interaction? I suppose? Between Wonderland? It took me some time to figure out what their relationships should be and how it developed so yea

Also just for information I actually did loads of research for this chapter so :') But yes a bit of contextual knowledge; the Seal of Solomon is a thing and the info-dump I did here is true. Except for the location; I made up the part where it was located in the Temple Mount (it does exist and so does the stairs of ascent and the other temple in Brazil; the idea that the Seal of Solomon is in Temple Mount is my idea) 

Anyways I hope this was interesting enough :'3 

(And again, an idiot does not know how to title chapters) 

 
Like this story? Give it an Upvote!
Thank you!
Suhyo07
[24/05] enigma -- double update!!

Comments

You must be logged in to comment
hzhfobsessed
#1
Chapter 81: GASDHAHAH NOT THE CHOIS ING UPPPPP

i was not actually expecting minhwan to cameo LOL it's so funny and hOLY the siblings meet ;))))))

i gotta wonder whose side mother is on :eyes: because i don't remember if i ever said that in the app LOL

but yeah 's heating UP
jxxkwx
#2
Chapter 80: not me not remembering Alex’s past- oof. I gotta read back his history >< it was a nice gateway to reveal more of CARDS and Gemini’s past, I think it flowed perfectly. I think it’s interesting how they use to be allies and now are enemies.

also, I don’t know if I missed this completely from previous chapters but Helena towards Daehyun? I didn’t know she had such feelings, oof. I kinda like the drama LMAO

ALSO ALSO CARDS LET MY BBY REST ;-; he needs rest- look at his eyes! D;
imjaebeoms
#3
Chapter 79: i understand where you're coming from and I hope that you'll do what you want and go for it! in the end, this is your story - you get to decide what you should do with it :D

ps: pls add me to the list of future buyers of this book once it's published o.o the whole plot is too cool to NOT be an actual book

i too hope that in the future I'll be more active with feedbacks since I get how discouraging it is when you're writing but you get nothing back in return ;-; hope everything works out for you <3 sending headpats and hugs
jxxkwx
#4
Chapter 79: hello, author-nim!

it’s been awhile >< also, I do understand your feelings towards the ocs and your plot. it is up to you, as you’re the author. I’m sorry that you felt that way, and I hope that you’re able to write the future chapters with more positive feelings.

I would also like a copy of the book as well, so I can buy it and support you!

I hope all is well for you, and I will try to be more active. ♡
hzhfobsessed
#5
Chapter 79: that sounds good

i think the problem with applyfics (and why most ppl never finish writing them) is because it's annoying to make sure every character gets equal screentime while still keeping track of the plot

and then you get the ppl who don't keep up, which adds a whole nother layer of bothersome lol

but yeah mini revelation over, you do you!!!! it'll be fine either way (and i demand a copy once you publish ;))
wonpilist
#6
Chapter 79: yeet ig
i've just been: deceased
hzhfobsessed
#7
Chapter 78: ahhhhhhhhh that's a hard choice :(( i'd say go to school 2 since it sounds like a big hotshot (also because if you decide that you don't like your major, you can change and it seems like all the programs will be good!) but school 1 sounds really nice if you're DEAD set on your major. i'd say don't let the living situation influence you too much but actually ik those things can make or break a decision so i will simply not comment on it anymore.

also, 2hyun 4 lyfe ;)
hzhfobsessed
#8
Chapter 77: heeeheheheheheheheeeeee wucasi uwuu

no i'm not okay thank you for asking
hzhfobsessed
#9
Chapter 76: DUN DUN IN DUNNNNNNN

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW??? INTERNAL STRIFE????? BREAKING THE CYCLE OF HISTORY??????? STAY TUNED TO FIND THE OUT!!!!!!!!!!

if you are open to constructive criticism i'd say split up some of the bigger paragraphs; with this small of a font (yes i know i can turn off some sort of view but i'm old and dumb)it makes me eyes hurt to read so much compact text in one big long paragraph ;;;
jxxkwx
#10
Chapter 75: aww daehyun and hyunnie ♡ they’re so cute

I think spreading every now and then is good but you should also limit it >< I hope you rest even more )): I get what you mean by Asian parents comparing you to others ugh I’ve learned to ignore it tbh sigh I hope you feel better! ♡