"I have two questions."

Minseok didn't even look up from where he was clasping a golden bracelet around Luhan's wrist, letting out a tiny snort.

"At all times, maybe. You never run out of them, do you?"

"Three," Luhan corrected himself, and Minseok sighed.

He plucked another shimmering golden chain out of his jewelry box. Luhan wordlessly bared his neck.

"I thought witches weren't organized."

"That's not a question," Minseok commented almost absently, tugging the exotic-looking necklace into place. "Are your ears pierced more than once?"

"Nope," Luhan replied without missing a beat or being deterred. "This walpurgis thing sounds pretty official though. Someone has to organize it, right?"

"That doesn't make witches as a whole organized," Minseok disagreed, his tone low with how close he was, clasping a chain to Luhan's ear. "Junmyeon just likes to lead things and most of us humor him because there's no reason not to."

"I don't get it," Luhan admitted, and Minseok shrugged.

"Think of it as occasional meetups that someone feels like leading."

"Okay, but then that leads to my second question."

Minseok wordlessly gestured for him to turn around, so he did.

"Who pays you?" Luhan asked, crossing his arms.

"For what?"

"Killing those demons. Or eating them. Wait, why did you just stab the one yesterday but ate the others?"

"Is that the third question?" Minseok only asked, sounding exasperated, but the way he fumbled something into Luhan's hair was gentle.

"No, ignore that one. I was just wondering who'd pay you," Luhan hurried to course correct, because while Minseok was usually open to answering a few questions at a time, he didn't want to waste the opportunity on the wrong ones. "Because if witches aren't organized and demons are no threat to them and you're not just magically creating money, which I doubt... someone has to pay you, right?"

"You're really... getting nosier by the day," Minseok said slowly, tentatively almost, but it didn't sound like he was annoyed. Was he mildly impressed or was that his imagination? If only Luhan could turn around and confirm.

"Who do you think is paying me?"

Luhan waited until Minseok had fixed whatever he had woven into his hair to carefully turn around, feeling the earrings dangle with the movement.

"It has to be humans, but..." he began, trailing off with a suspicious look. Minseok only shot him a mock-curious look.

"Oh? What kind of human would possibly pay a witch?" he asked.

It took him a second, but then Luhan's eyes widened in understanding.

"You're kidding. It's not really the government, is it?"

There was a tiny grin flashing over Minseok's face, small and dangerous, reminiscent of the witch he'd seen on the execution platform, but it was gone as fast as it had come, mellowed out into a gentle smile as he retrieved a little make-up palette. Luhan wasn't sure which expression was more intimidating on him.

"It's in their interest to decimate demons and they don't have a pet witch capable of doing it," he hummed.

Somehow, he'd already suspected it, but hearing it said out loud was still somewhat scandalous.

"But- they hunt you guys," Luhan exclaimed, drawing away when Minseok gestured for him to sit down.

"You think they'll inform every last soldier that they're secretly paying witches?" Minseok only asked with a vague shrug. "A witch losing to them would be a bad witch, anyway."

"But that's- cruel! And wrong," Luhan uttered, shaking his head. Minseok's gaze softened.

"It is," he said calmly. "And effective. Now sit down."

Reluctantly, Luhan complied, allowing Minseok to smooth out his frown with a swipe of his thumb before getting to work. Luhan closed his eyes without hesitation, felt himself calm down as the brush danced over his skin in short, precise . His breathing evened out to the point that he could hear Minseok's, could hear the subtle way he held his breath before a difficult .

"You're just adorable," he mumbled at some point, and Luhan couldn't keep the annoyed scowl off his face.

"Not like that," he heard Minseok correct himself, and Luhan forced himself to shut up and not mess with the other's work.

"You're just so..."

"So?" Luhan asked slowly, feeling an odd hint of anticipation.

Like this, Minseok's scent was more prevalent than usual, and it was slightly dizzying.

For the longest time, Minseok didn't answer as he applied makeup to the corner of his eyes, spreading it methodically.

"Good."

Luhan opened his eyes blinking against the light, but immediately closed them again when Minseok applied a cream to his face.

"You're just really good," Minseok mused, and it came out quiet, intimate almost.

It was definitely not fair how easy it was for Minseok to control the atmosphere, to go from light-hearted banter to vulnerable, quiet confessions. In a way, this was knotting up his insides more than the teasing lilts or lithe fingers sneaking beneath his robes.

"Alright. Open your eyes."

Feeling strangely dazed and mellow, Luhan complied, watching Minseok uncap a small tub of peach-colored cream.

With the same air of nonchalance, he scooped up some cream to dab it on Luhan's lips, looking composed and focused.

"What happened to the third question?" he asked, and Luhan smacked his lips, shooting him a slightly judgemental look for changing the atmosphere yet again, but following along, anyway.

"Well," he began matter-of-factly, "I was gonna ask whether you're dolling me up like this to make me look like your concubine or whether I'm simply not presentable enough for this witch meeting."

Minseok had the gall to let out a short, breathy laugh.

"What? Don't be silly," he hummed, stashing the makeup away.

"I can't think of any other reason for you to dress me up like this," he insisted, crossing his arms as he turned towards the mirror hanging on the opposite side of the room. From afar, the makeup looked subtle enough, except for the glitter around his eyes. It worked nicely with the lavish garments he was wearing - with Minseok mostly dressing in military-like style pants and dress shirts, he wouldn't have expected him to own anything even remotely traditional, but here he was, wearing a flowy wrap-around top with golden clasps and a pair of pants that were so intricately cut they almost looked like a long skirt, all in a matching cream color.

"Not presentable enough," Minseok muttered, fixing his own hair in a small mirror before clipping a plethora of silver accessories to his ear with quick, routine movements.

"Technically, humans aren't allowed at the Walpurgis."

Luhan shot him a questioning look, but Minseok was busy applying a liquid, black liner to his eyes.

"I'll put a charm on you and you'll be fine as long as you don't speak," he began, shooting him a quick, stern look while he dipped his brush into the liquid, "for real this time. Don't let anyone provoke you."

"Then don't let them call me a concubine," Luhan stated petulantly, remembering the blacksmith's lewd gaze all-too well.

"Let them talk, they're just thirsty for gossip," Minseok dismissed him, and before Luhan could throw in that being called a went three steps too far, he added, "also, it's quite the opposite. It's not that you look bad, it's that you look so nice that a few golden chains and stones are enough to make you look like you're not even human in the first place."

"Excuse me?" Luhan asked doubtfully, downplaying how flustered he felt over the compliment.

"Just wait and see. None of them will even suspect you to be human in the first place," Minseok hummed easily, topping off his dramatic look by dabbing a dark shade of red to the inside of his lips.

"That aside," he concluded, quickly stretching himself, "maybe I do wanna show you off. But not for my sake."

What a very strange statement, Luhan thought as he patiently waited for Minseok to tie his boots and throw on his fancy jacket. Only Minseok would express himself in a way roundabout enough to make even a compliment sound like a cryptic message.

Well, Luhan couldn't say he minded. Not when decrypting them was getting easier with every passing day.

People were staring at them but Minseok didn't seem to mind, exuding an aura of unbothered wealth and status. Luhan was trying to follow his lead, but his demeanor definitely lacked finesse. He wasn't humble enough to deny people shooting him the occasional look if work hadn't left him like a sleepless, scruffy mess, but this was on an entirely different level.

"I do look like your concubine, don't I?" he murmured as they walked past closing stores and flourishing restaurants.

"Or maybe I look like your bodyguard," Minseok countered lightly. Luhan decided that he didn't have the mental capacity for fun banter at that moment and instead absently felt for the pendant resting on his chest, hidden beneath the distracting garment. Minseok's explanation had been vague at best, but apparently, the pendant exuded a very subtle form of magic, making it near impossible for someone to tell whether he was a witch or not. He really hoped the little red stone wouldn't let him down.

They rounded a corner, swiftly turning left to enter yet another street shrouded in spells. Luhan had never really noticed it before, but it seemed like witches had claimed a lot of the city's streets as theirs, and in turn, they were almost always deserted. Only brave (or careless) souls would cross them, and they usually hurried along, never lingering.

This was also the case now. A single, frantic-looking woman bustled past them, obviously in a hurry to get somewhere, quickly leaving them alone in the alley. Minseok halted before a shabby-looking door blocking the meagre space between two houses. He fished the necklace out of his robes, the one he was always wearing. Ever since he'd given Luhan the little compass ring, there were only two others left - one silver, one gold. With quick, practiced ease, he tugged the fastening to the front to free the golden one and slip it on his ring finger. There was a green stone on it, small but polished and cut into an intricate shape. Luhan was about to ask about it when Minseok's other hand ended up on his lower arm.

"No more talking from now on, got it?" he asked with a side glance, and Luhan only shot him a look, easily conveying that asking someone for a verbal confirmation was somewhat useless in this case.

Minseok squeezed his arm, looked fleetingly over his shoulder again, and opened the door, gently steering Luhan inside the alley behind it. The moment he crossed the doorstep, Luhan felt magic prickle in the air, only to die down into a pleasant hum resting somewhere in his stomach. This new alley was still narrow, just barely allowing two people to walk beside each other, but that was where the similarities ended. This street wasn't so dirty anymore, and there wasn't a single spell taped to the walls. The stones were slightly brighter and looking up revealed a ceiling made of colorful veils. Again, everything was pleasantly lit despite there being no light sources in sight. Even the temperature was somewhat unnatural, with the air sitting perfectly still, lacking the stuffiness he would have expected. Luhan couldn't help craning his head back, but the gradient from this alley to the dark one they'd entered through was fluid and unnervingly unmagical. The fabric simply ended, followed by the light, and finally, the weeds and dirt were gathering in the corners close to the door.

Minseok linked their arms to subtly tug him along. Luhan was about to comment on it, but remembered to stay silent and subtly chewed on his lips instead - the sticky gloss reprimanded him instantly.

Luhan inhaled deeply. He had to pull himself together and not make Minseok look bad. There was nothing to fear, anyway - he was nothing more than Minseok's shadow and the other would watch over him. He seemed nonchalant, too, which eased his nerves a little.

The alley soon led into something reminiscent of a terrace, large enough to fit a small market on it. A fleeting look above told Luhan that they were in a hall, for there was a ceiling. He didn't even try to wrap his mind around the logistics of this place and instead followed Minseok, who made his way past the many round tables. There were a few people strewn around them, looking ordinary enough at first glance. Luhan didn't linger on them, keeping his head held high to follow Minseok's lead.

They stepped up on what turned out to be a small plateau, a mere step above the ground, and there, the tables were made of a snowy white stone, with colored symbols etched into them. Everything passed by in a blur as Minseok purposefully walked towards a table on the far left end of the hall, right before another elevated platform that reminded Luhan of a stage.

Like the other tables, there were four chairs assembled around it, but only two symbols carved into the stone. Both were complex-looking but one of them was pitch black - a color which Luhan had learnt wasn't usually used among witches. He was itching to ask about it. The moment Minseok had taken a seat, the violet symbol before him disappeared. Luhan didn't need to be told to take one of the blank spots on the table, sinking into the chair next to him, subtly touching the other's arm to gesture towards the black, ominous-looking symbol.

"It's alright, it's supposed to be black," Minseok murmured, quietly enough for no one to overhear. "He's not gonna show up though. He usually doesn't."

Luhan nodded, trying not to gawk too obviously as he looked around the hall. From where he was sitting, he could only catch a glimpse at the elevated platform they were on. The few people already present definitely looked more striking than the ones around the wooden tables. Even after seeing so many witches in one place, however, it was impossible to tell what made one. He saw Chanyeol, the blacksmith, on the table right next to theirs. He looked like a mechanic even now, barely dressed up at all. Next to him sat a man with dirty blonde hair, clad in leather. There were some others nearby, as well, with some of them dressed like upperclass royals or scholars while others were subdued in appearance, but made up for it in aura. Generally speaking, the hall felt peaceful, but some of the people he saw had piercing stares or simply looked like they were used to being catered to. The best example for that would be the single person sitting on the stage-like platform. To the side and pushed rather far into the back sat a young man dressed into an oversized, white shirt, standing out for its utter lack of opulence among the higher witches, as Luhan internally dubbed them. He was slumped into a chair, legs crossed and hands resting on the chair's arm rests. Considering his position, Luhan would have taken him for the leader initiating this entire meeting, but everything from his posture to the way his gaze rested on the hall was dripping with boredom. Maybe he wasn't all that important, after all? Suddenly, and with unflinching purpose, the other met his eyes-

"Minseok, you came! What a surprise."

Luhan flinched ever so slightly. The blond man from the nearby table had apparently noticed Minseok's arrival at last, and was now awkwardly twisted in his chair to shoot them a mischievous look which quickly traveled to Luhan and grew into a wolfish kind of interest.

"And who do we have here?"

Now that he'd turned around, Luhan had to take back his initial judgement - with the youthful face and heavy makeup, the other looked less like a thug and more like an , albeit an expensive one. Suddenly, Luhan didn't feel all that overdressed anymore.

"None of your business," Minseok only cut him off, sounding almost as bored as the man on top of the stage had looked. Thinking of him... Luhan glanced up to see that the other's focus had shifted already.

"Did you take on a student, after all? Gruffy, grumpy Minseok taking on a student?" the blonde teased, leaning over even further with a look so smug that Luhan wished he'd topple over.

"I wonder what he might have done to convince you," he murmured lowly, smile growing lewd. "Does he well?"

To be fair, even if Luhan was allowed to speak, he would have probably been out of words now.

Minseok remained unfazed.

"Shut it, Baekhyun. Nobody asked."

"He's not his student," Chanyeol piped up helpfully, finding the exchange somewhat amusing. Now the other looked positively intrigued, actually turning his chair sideways to get a better look at Luhan, who only looked back defiantly, trying to look at least half as haughty as Minseok.

"No? Then what is he?" the other purred, tilting his head as he looked Luhan up and down before coming to a conclusion.

"A siren? I didn't take you for the pet kind of guy."

He kept staring at Luhan as he spoke, clearly waiting for him to break, but Luhan refused to give in, staying blissfully silent.

"Mute, too. How nice of you to take on such a sad little thing. Though I bet you get your rewards for it on the daily," Baekhyun singsonged, and there was a mean, malicious edge to it. "Must be nice if there are no complaints-"

"Are you done?" Minseok asked, a sharp edge to his own voice now. Sensing the change in atmosphere, Luhan subtly slipped his hand over to rest on the side of Minseok's thigh. To his surprise, the other's hand joined his without hesitation, squeezing his fingers almost gently while his gaze remained sharp.

"Are you lending him out?"

Luhan glared daggers at the other, very much tempted to get to his feet and dump his water over his head in place of a verbal answer, when a tall person stepped in between the tables, nonchalantly blocking Baekhyun's view.

"Minseok. Long time no see."

It was one of the royal-looking witches from across the hall, dressed in long, traditional garments. Minseok didn't smile, but his gaze softened noticeably.

"Yifan."

Yifan? He'd already seemed somewhat familiar, and so did the name...

When Luhan figured it out, it was hard to keep his expression blank.

A politician. The tall, imposing-looking guy with the deep voice and calm behaviour was one of the board members ruling the capital.

The more time he spent with Minseok, the more he realized how he'd been living a lie.

Were the other rulers in on it?

"You're not alone today."

Baekhyun started complaining, but the moment Yifan's hands touched their table, he was muted.

"I'm not," Minseok said, sounding strangely apprehensive. Luhan had never seen Minseok act like this, and he couldn't put his finger on what exactly was off about it.

"Is that a bad thing?"

This time, when Luhan squeezed his thigh, Minseok actually pushed him away. It hurt a bit, but Luhan was too distracted trying to understand what was going on, why the witch on the podium was glaring at them from afar, and then Yifan was looking down at him, too.

"Luhan, isn't it?" he asked, and a tick of insecurity flitted over Luhan's face, but ultimately, there was no point in lying, so he nodded lightly.

"Why do you know him?" Minseok asked surprisingly urgently, but Yifan didn't pay him any heed.

"Did you two kiss?"

Taken aback, Luhan couldn't do anything but stare at the other.

'Excuse me?' he would have liked to ask. Unsure of what was even going on, he glanced at Minseok, expecting to see his own emotions mirrored, but Minseok was avoiding his eyes.

The question was a bit too personal for his taste so Luhan didn't answer this time.

"Would you advise us to?" Minseok asked, sounding almost bitter, and Yifan's expression softened.

"I don't give out free advice," he said evenly.

"Except when you do," Minseok disagreed, and suddenly, Luhan felt like he was watching himself argue with the mysterious witch that refused to budge.

"You paid a price back then," Yifan replied without missing a beat, lifting his palm off the table. The voices of the people around them returned in a rush, and Yifan gave them a curt nod, lingering on Minseok for just a moment.

"Stay healthy. I'm always on your side."

With that, he left for his own table, leaving Luhan to stare after him. What a peculiar statement. It had been oddly intimate, too.

Luhan kept looking at Minseok until the other caved.

"I've known him for a long time," he explained, turning one of the clean glasses around to fill them with water. "Ever since I underwent my training. When we were young and dumb."

Luhan accepted the offered glass with a grateful nod, but wasn't deterred, attentive gaze resting on Minseok, prompting him to tell more.

The other sighed; a small, tiny sound that was loaded with complex emotions.

"He's the city's only seer."

Luhan made a mental note to ask him about these things later. He tapped Minseok's thigh and then glanced towards the podium, where the bored witch had returned to pretending they didn't exist. Minseok barely glanced at him.

"Don't mind him," he hummed evasively, but Luhan kept tapping, lightly pinching his thigh until Minseok covered his hand again, squeezing it to keep him still.

"He's sitting up there because he's the capital's patron."

Luhan tilted his head in question.

"His magic is pretty... raw," Minseok trailed off, taking a sip of his water as he considered his choice of words. "It's kinda vicious and permeating the air at all times, which is why he's the capital's current patron. Every city has one, from large ones to tiny villages. There's always someone who keeps an eye on the town, and who acts like a main defense from threats coming from outside."

It was interesting, how conflicted Minseok sounded. Even now he didn't spare the other a glance, swirling the water around his glass instead.

"It's not like he gives a most of the time, but he's powerful and has an overview over the city at all times. It's a bit complicated."

Luhan nodded, because he very much agreed on that and asking precise questions without using words was hard.

He glanced back up at the podium, eyeing the man idly tapping the arm rest.

Minseok hadn't mentioned the other's name, but there was no need for that - Luhan remembered it. Jongdae.

So this bored-looking guy was Jongdae, who apparently shared some sort of special relationship with Minseok. Jongdae, who looked ordinary but strangely lethal at the same time. Jongdae, who'd kept glaring at them earlier.

Luhan would have loved to simply sit there in silence for another hour, contently observing Jongdae and the other witches to try and figure out their social structure and hierarchy. As far as he could tell, Minseok wasn't low on the ladder - if there even was a ladder - but there was no telling what exactly his place in this group was.

There was a lot to take in, a lot to think about, but those thoughts came to a halt when someone stepped past Jongdae and towards the center of the stage, clapping his hands with a wide, friendly smile.

"Good evening. I'm glad so many of us could make it. I'm not intending to waste too much of your time, so let's get this started right away."