“How the hell does this stick so much with me?” Sana gritted her teeth. She’d thought everything was fine while lying down. The moment she got to her feet, warmth coursed through her—uncomfortably. The nausea was still there, steadily growing stronger. 

“It’s like a sensitivity you have to curiosity,” Dahyun replied. “That, and some of it is still in your body.” 

“So I stop asking questions?” 

Dahyun smiled. Sana thought it was one of the most beautiful things she'd seen in years. “Normally I’d say no, but it might help.” A small furrow appeared in her brow. “I would help more, but there’s a risk of you experiencing a deep melancholy if I would.” 

They started to go down the stairs. 

Sana remembered the weeks after Dahyun had left. She recalled the ache in her mind and body that never faded. 

“Is that how you felt when the second core emotion came?” The next wave of dizziness passed over her. Sana nearly toppled over her feet.

Dahyun’s grip on her tightened. Sana was still unaccustomed to non-vampires being so strong, unless they were werewolves. 

“I’ll answer your question, but for the moment, no follow-up ones,” Dahyun said. Her eyes were almost playful. Sana could feel the changes happening. 

Then they were downstairs. Momo and Nayeon were there. It wasn’t hard to figure out that something was troubling Momo. Even if she wiped it away, the moments where that struggle showed through was enough. Sana wished she could do something to help, but Momo probably wouldn't let her in. Not yet. 

“For just a moment,” Dahyun turned to her, “you must temper your curiosity.” She scrunched up her face. “I don’t like saying such a thing.”

"I know." Sana laughed and poked her cheek. “But I get what you mean. After this, I’ll bombard you with all my questions.” 

She nodded. “I hope you do.” 

Sana felt another change. It was a warmth that was very different to that of curiosity. If she concentrated on it, she saw flickers of purple coming from Dahyun. 

Her heart swelled at the sight of it. 

“Alright,” Dahyun squeezed her hand, “we’ll sit down, you'll drink something, and I’ll answer your question.”

Nayeon already had a cup ready. She looked at Dahyun, her brow raised. 

“This is very very normal for us now, but do you find this disgusting?” the semi-eldest asked. “Not gonna lie, I found it nasty at the start.” 

Dahyun looked at the blood. “It’s nothing I’d add to my diet,” she said. “but if I’m not mistaken, blood doesn't taste metallic for you?”

Sana could feel how Dahyun’s curiosity rose. Seeing it made her a bit dizzier. 

“No,” Sana said. “Sometimes it almost tastes like real food for us.” Once she’d tasted blood that was incredibly sweet, almost like a fruit. 

“And it keeps you alive,” she added. “Though how blood ought to do that physiologically, I’m not sure.” Then her eyes lit up, the illusions of brown falling away as she did. “Perhaps you’re able to process the nutrients better in the blood itself, though,” her brow furrowed, “a vampire’s brute strength and such doesn’t quite disappear when you’ve not drunk anything.”

Sana smiled. “You’re gonna think we’re bad supernaturals, but I’ve never actually considered the ‘how’ when it comes to our diet.” 

“Which you shouldn’t,” Dahyun said. “At least not now.” A pause. “And I rarely stopped to think about how immortality ought to work. Too many questions tended to overshadow it.” Her brow rose. “To your question, however, when the sadness became a proper part of me, the mere thought of it had made the feelings worse. It drained me, so much so that I didn’t want to do anything at all.” Her eyes grew thoughtful. “It frightened me. So I withdrew from that part of reality completely.”

Sana felt dizzy again. She wanted to know if Dahyun had properly confided in others or just handled it alone as she would now. But no, she had gone to Rila then. Rila had helped her. Sana had seen a few seconds of how things used to be. In the memory that she’d seen, Rila had seemed as kind and warm as Dahyun had. What had changed?

Then a comfortable sense of cool flowed through her. The scent of mountain air strengthened. Sana relaxed. A small sense of heaviness settled over her. 

“You are terrible at not being curious.” The edge of Dahyun’s irises were dark blue. It was a small change, but still a change. 

Then Dahyun pulled her hand away. The cool feeling remained, but it wasn’t that heavy. 

“So what did you talk to Gerst about?” Momo looked from Nayeon to Sana. 

“She had an idea.” Dahyun almost sounded eager. A smile played on her lips. Green flickered around her. 

Sana’s nose burned then. How had something like this made Dahyun happy? How had Sana managed to do that with four words?

But Dahyun didn’t know everything. Sana hadn’t told her everything. Wasn’t that as good as lying? She didn’t want to lie to her. It felt wrong. So wrong. 

“It’s something we’re gonna know more about when he comes back,” Nayeon said. 

The response was rushed. Sana almost commented on it. Then she realised why Nayeon was trying to change the subject. Just explaining what she’d told Dahyun—what would that mean for Momo? This was a connection no one understood. That meant Sana barely had an idea about why it existed. What would Momo think?

Dahyun stood then. “I’m getting something to read,” she looked down at her, “I’ll be right back.” A small twitch of her lip. Then she walked off. 

Momo was frowning at Sana. “What are you planning?” she mouthed. 

“Later,” Sana mouthed back. Another case where she didn’t want to lie. 

When Momo found out about everything, Sana would have to hammer in how ‘everything’ didn’t suggest any more than what it was. She didn’t know where Momo stood now. Sana was still taken aback by what Momo thought about Dahyun’s situation and she had no idea what was going through Momo's mind about everything else. She also wasn’t sure if she was supposed to ask her about it. Momo shut down when she was confronted by it.

Maybe Sana just had to give her the headspace to figure it out. No matter what the decision ended up being, it had to be made at some point. Of the things Sana had learned, of the choices she’d faced, one of the most important decisions had been telling Dahyun what she felt. She didn’t know what would’ve happened if she’d stayed silent, only that everything would’ve been worse. 

She knew what she wanted Momo’s choice to be. Sana wanted Momo to be honest with herself and Dahyun. She knew that Momo loved her. She also knew that if Momo turned away for selfless reasons, she’d be setting herself up for years of regret. And she'd be turning away from someone wonderful.  

The sofa’s cushions sank beside her. Dahyun pulled her legs up and propped her Greek mythology book on her knees. 

“You’ve too many questions in your mind,” the fairy murmured. There was a tiny surge of the sadness in Sana, quelling the uncomfortable warmth once again. “Ask one of them. Some sort of closure should help.” 

Most of the questions Sana had weren’t ones to ask. Not now at least. She thought of the things she still wanted to know about Dahyun, about her life before. 

“How similar are elves to fairies?” Dizziness surged, but it was quickly roped back in. Through another small amount of sadness. 

Dahyun smiled then, fully. “Our ears are just about the same, except perhaps theirs are a bit longer,” she replied. “There are some whose magic extends to the elements as is the case with other fae. I have never seen any with magic like that of my clan nor those like the mental fae. At least to that extent.”

The thought was calming. Not even more who could strip the control of a person away. 

“They specialise as well,” Dahyun said. “If that makes any sense.”

“Like snow and sea elves being different?” Momo asked. “White hair versus blue skin?”

“Sometimes it is so,” a small pause, “but it goes deeper than that too. Their magic isn’t always specific to their blood. I know a few who had control of the elements, but developed ties to the moon.”

“The moon?” Sana repeated. She ignored the weird warmth that returned. Dahyun was right. She at this. 

“With some, I know that moonlight makes them stronger,” Dahyun said. “A part of me has wondered whether or not this had any connections to the myths of Selene or Artemis.” She traced the edge of a page, her eyes full of tenderness. "None can control the way the moon crosses the sky, for reasons only obvious to me now.” A chuckle, followed by a small surge in the scent of hazelnut. 

It was such a specific scent, but Sana couldn’t think of any reason for it. She couldn’t draw many connections between mountains or forests either. 

Just wondering about it made her head feel heavy. 

Dahyun took her hand. Her skin was cool. She continued to speak. “It is quite the sight to behold. Either they glow, or it seems as though they hold the moon in their eyes.” And there was the disconnect, one that coloured Dahyun’s words. Where there should have been awe, there was nothing. 

Sana had nearly been caught up in all of the changes she’d seen, but that was a reminder that not all was well. Not yet. 

“What kind of magic?” Momo sat down on Dahyun’s other side. Sana was happy she was closing some of that distance. 

“It’s almost like this,” she made a small shard of calm, “they can make light, usually that of the moon, into something tangible.” Her brow furrowed. “At the time, I only know it fascinated me. Now I see how ludicrous that may sound, especially regarding how they manage to, essentially, create mass from the intangible.” She looked at the shard then, as if seeing it for the first time. “As can we, it would seem.”

Momo summoned a piece of ice. “It’s like this. Shouldn’t be possible at all, but here it is.” A shrug. “It’s like the universe. No definitive answer for why or how it exists. It just does.”

Dahyun smiled. “Though some dispute that fact entirely.” Her eyes were still glued to the calm. “But to think, I take this from something I deem a separate world, one that others would call a separate layer of reality.” She pursed her lips. “Just think about everything that breaks off from there. The new questions that spring up.” Her eyes widened, and Sana could feel her curiosity swell, as well as her excitement. 

“It could overturn just about every science class,” Sana said. The existence of vampires would do that too, as well as Sana and Momo’s lives before they turned. They’d been able to achieve feats that would’ve beliefs deep into pits of uncertainty. 

Dahyun looked at her, her black and grey eyes surprisingly bright. “I know we can't reveal magic to humans, but just imagine what great thinkers could do with the new information? They might even find the explanations we've been looking for.” The pieces of calm disappeared and her grip on Sana’s hand tightened. “I’ll stop right there.”

Immediately, the sickly warmth faded, replaced by the feeling of cool air blowing on her skin. The sadness itself wasn't pleasant to feel, but every other facet of it was a comfort to Sana—the scent, the temperature, and knowing that it was Dahyun’s. The familiarity of each filled Sana with a sense of safety. That balanced the heaviness that was settling itself onto her shoulders. 

“So let’s take our mind off of being curious.” Nayeon also plopped down on the sofa. “Can we watch something while you read?”

Dahyun nodded. “As long as it’s not with the colourful monsters. I’d like to watch that as well.”

“Mina wants to watch it with you too,” Momo said. “Twilight?”

Nayeon groaned. “Not happening.”

“Kill-joy,” Sana shot back. “It wasn’t that bad.” 

She sniffed. “It’s a generational thing. You’re too young to understand.” 

Dahyun let out a short laugh. 

Nayeon looked very smug. “I say we watch True Blood.”

Sana wouldn’t have minded, but the show could be gory and explicit in other ways. Nothing she wanted Dahyun being confronted with any time soon. Maybe it would’ve been fine, but that was would be something to ask another time. 

Momo’s expression showed she’d realised the same thing. “Gossip Girl it is.”

For a moment, Nayeon looked confused. Then her brow rose. She nodded. 

As Nayeon was getting the show up, Sana saw Dahyun lean over to Momo. 

“I still need to finish those books you gave me,” she whispered. 

A small pause.

“You still want to?” Momo sounded as if she was in disbelief. 

“Of course,” Dahyun said. “Initially I thought I didn’t want to, but something has changed. I’m interested to see what else will happen.” Her fingers danced across the paper, as though she was making an entirely new pattern. 

Sana didn’t say anything. This was between them. She desperately wanted Momo to see what she saw. Dahyun was still with them. She wanted her to see that this was still the Dahyun they’d fallen in love with. 

A moment of silence still passed. Momo was scrambling for something to say. Was it because she was seeing something that clashed with what she thought? Or just that she was taken aback by Dahyun’s newfound curiosity?

“We’ll,” Momo trailed off, her voice almost shaky. “We’ll buddy read.”

“Buddy read?” Just from the tone, Sana knew what sort of frown would be on Dahyun’s face. 

Nayeon was taking long to find an episode. Sana was happy she was delaying. 

“You read the book together,” Momo replied. “And talk about it.”

“But you’ve already read it.”

Momo’s voice sounded warmer now. She was smiling. “I like rereading stuff. You pick up on details you didn’t notice the first time.”

“Truly?”

Sana could feel Dahyun’s interest rising again. It made her feel that warmth that didn’t belong to curiosity. 

“Yep,” Momo replied. “But first,” she paused, “you have to read the series for the first time.” 

Dahyun laughed softly. “Right.” She stopped tracing patterns on the book. “We start that tomorrow?”

Nayeon started the next episode. 

“Definitely,” Momo murmured. 

_____

“So it’s an extension of the soul?” Dahyun asked. She was looking at her hands, upon which several different shards emotions lay. “But isn't the patronus silver—perhaps white?” One of the emotions rose into the air. Its colouring was like a pearl. “That’s pride, not happy emotions.” She narrowed her eyes, as if she could find the answer in the emotion. "It can be happy, but it can also be tied to something malevolent. Many can be defeated just because of their pride." 

There was a double meaning to that sentence, but Momo didn't comment on it. 

Instead, Momo said, “I don’t think the author was writing with that perspective in mind.” They were in the library, sitting in chairs opposite each other. 

“But she’s managed to get so much beforehand,” Dahyun frowned at the book on her lap. “Green has an unnecessarily poor connotation, but much of the magic makes a lot of sense.” All of the shards of emotion vanished. It looked like they were being into the air. 

“A lot of people don’t think so,” Momo replied. “They call it a soft magic system.” 

“Soft?” she repeated. “In what way?” Her brow rose, but she didn’t look frustrated. It was the physics look, but the one from before. 

“Soft magic systems aren’t explained as much as hard magic systems are,” Momo explained. “So in Harry Potter, she doesn't have to explain how magic comes out of the wand or what limits there are. But others explain pretty exactly how the magic is supposed to work and what you can’t do with it.” 

Dahyun raised an eyebrow, puffing out her cheeks. “But wouldn’t that make the uncertain magic systems more difficult to use?” 

“You'd think so too,” Momo said. “But the guy who thought that distinction up was doing as a writer. And we're not writers, at least I'm not.” She wondered if Dahyun would ever recreate the works she'd destroyed. Maybe Momo would buy her a pile of notebooks for it. Maybe she could even tell them about how her language worked. 

Her lip jutted out. It was almost a pout. "So I have to accept this?" 

"For now?" Momo suggested. "We can look into that too, but later." She'd have to make a list on this stuff, but she was pretty sure Dahyun knew everything she wasn't sure about. 

“Alright,” Dahyun sighed, "though their magic is almost more complex ours, elves rarely look for such rules or mechanisms.” Her eyes became distant for a moment. “So our way of life has frequently seemed truly terrible to them.” 

“For witches too,” Momo said. “At least my coven.” 

There was a thin outline of gold around her eyes. “And was your magic elemental? Or was there more?” She put the book down and leaned forward to look at Momo. She had the piercing gaze from before, as she waited for Momo’s words. 

There it was again, Momo was reminded of before: how Dahyun had always been so open to learning, no matter if it meant she was showing herself to be ignorant about something. She always wanted to know. 

"This,” Momo held up a small piece of ice, “wasn't always possible, but anyone could make a fire with the right spell.” 

“With word or thought?” 

“Both. Sigils too,” Momo said. “We also had rituals, like the one you did for your clothes.” 

“Did you channel the magic through something?” 

Momo smiled. “Not with wands, but some people used crystals.” 

“You didn’t” 

She shook her head. "They always exploded." Somehow, admitting it centuries later was still a bit embarrassing. 

Dahyun let out a surprised laugh. “You didn’t get hurt did you?” 

“Not really, but my hands used to be a little scarred because of it,” she brandished now smooth vampiric skin, “and I kept the scars until they got healed.” 

“To remind yourself that you should never use crystals for magic?” 

Momo nodded. 

Another small laugh. The thin ring around her irises was brighter now. “But did you ever have something like a patronus?” Dahyun asked. “Something that could ward away beings of fear or dark magic?” Then she added. "I think the word is spirits?"

“We only really dealt with vampires and werewolves.” Momo shrugged. “And the couple of times I did see a spirit was after I turned.”

“Due to the longer life?”

“And moving around more.” 

Dahyun only nodded. A distant look came back. The brightness in her eyes had dulled. 

Was she thinking about her nomadic lifestyle? Had she ever wanted to stay in a place? Or did she not like that? 

Momo felt an echo of the emptiness she’d felt before. She didn't want to feel that again. 

Dahyun’s eyes widened. “What is it? You're afraid?” Her brow furrowed. She got to her feet and walked over. 

Momo shook her head. “It’s just a thought,” she said. “One I didn’t expect I’d have.” Had she been naive? 

“Which was?” Dahyun knelt in front of her, looking up with worry-filled eyes. 

Should she ask that? What if she just delayed something that Dahyun wanted to do? If Dahyun was going to stay, it was because she wanted to. 

“Tell me if you’d like to,” Dahyun said. “If it could quell the uncertainty.” 

It would do that, but Momo was scared to hear the answer. 

Slowly, Momo found her voice. “Did you like moving from place to place?” 

Confusion was apparent in her face. To her it probably sounded like a simple question. Nothing that should’ve gotten this reaction. “It was interesting,” Dahyun said slowly. “We saw the variety of nature, met with different elves, as well as some fairies who did not move along with us.” A small pause. “The first time I encountered spirits was when I took to wandering on my own. They don’t like approaching groups, no matter if malevolent or benevolent.” 

That raised another question. Had Dahyun learned to fight because of that? Momo remembered how fluid each movement of Dahyun’s had been on the day she’d come for them. She had been swift in bringing the other fae down, able to incapacitate them, but she barely hurt them, let alone made a ached in a way that could kill. 

“Did they attack you?” Momo had only ever seen two spirits in her life. One had taken the shape of a snake, the other of a wolf. The snake had been benevolent, the wolf malevolent. They had tracked down elves to help them with it. They hadn’t been able to fight it. Maybe that was why it had come for them. It had known they were powerless against it. 

Dahyun just nodded. She shifted so that she sat cross-legged in front of Momo. 

She knew Dahyun could protect herself. She’d seen it. Yet she thought of how common it was for the fairies to distance themselves. Did they get attacked each time they went off on their own?

"Emotional magic is very effective," Dahyun said. “But there are spells and rituals against them.” 

“Is that the magic of the elves?” 

"Moonlight is the primary defence, but only one particular group can wield it, but most elves can use the other kind."  She nodded. “It's nature magic of a different type. Very difficult to manage. I’ve only ever succeeded in making weak w