Promises were tricky when you weren’t certain you could actually follow through with them. This was the conclusion Hyeju had come to while sitting in the middle of the bed in a pair of oversized sweats and t-shirt she’d been given to sleep in. Where had these clothes been her whole life? So much more comfortable and practical than the nightgowns and cloaks she was used to. Having awakened before there was even light out, Hyeju had been fiddling with the watch all morning. It was tricky to do so without tools, but a little flick of magic here and there seemed to do the trick.

 

Kira had also awakened fairly early, but was already back asleep on the far end of the bed. No immediate danger and truthfully their travelling had taken a toll on her. Hyeju knew some of her own fatigue was also reflecting on Kira, so letting her guardian sleep in as peacefully as possible was the least she could do.

 

That was how Hoseok found her after knocking on the door and looking into the room that morning. Hyeju’s hair had been piled in a messy bun on her head, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, tapping the watch in her hand inquisitively. She must not have heard him because she didn’t look up or acknowledge his being there. His extra clothes were far too big for her, the shirt hanging off one shoulder and the sweats bunched up on her ankles. She seemed busy, so he waited quietly, listening to her mutter to herself.

 

Hyeju was taller than Kira by a little bit, but definitely the more slender of the two. Her hair was also longer, and lacked the red of her friend, instead being a solid dark shade. When he'd met them, Hyeju was in a flowy blue and white dress. He would almost say it looked like something out of a Renaissance Festival, but the silver inlays and other features gave it such a modern feel. Hoseok wasn’t fashionable by any means, but it felt modern. She didn’t have any of that on now except for a silver necklace around her neck. 

 

While Kira was undeniably beautiful, as Minhyuk kept proclaiming last night, with something feline in the way she moved and spoke, Hyeju seemed more poised and regal. Something about how she held herself was what Kihyun said. But without the dress and sandals, Hyeju really just looked like a normal pretty girl...currently sitting on his bed in his clothes.

 

“Oh, good morning,” Hyeju suddenly said upon seeing him at the door. Hoseok felt embarrassment creep up.

 

“I was wondering how long you were going to stand there creeping,” Kira spoke flatly from where she was still lying on the bed, not even looking up at him. More embarrassment.

 

“HOSEOKIE!! I just let myself in!” A girl with bleach blonde hair suddenly appeared behind him, looking past him to where Hyeju and Kira were, “Oh. My. God. Why is there a girl in your clothes on your bed?!”

 

Hoseok grabbed Bora and turned her around to push her out. “Sorry! Come out when you’re ready! We have food!” He exclaimed, hoping to hide his embarrassment.

 

“Hoseok, you ho! WAS THERE A SECOND GIRL THERE?!”

 

Once they left the room, Hyeju clicked her tongue in disappointment.

 

“I guess they all probably have girlfriends, huh? Shame, the quiet one from yesterday was pretty cute. Hyunwoo, not that you care,” Hyeju informed Kira, who had yet to lift her head. At that statement though, she got a very disgusted look from the opinionated guardian.

 

“Gross. I’ll pass on all of them. Especially the one that looks like a rodent.”

 

“Kihyun?”

 

“Is that the one I held at knife point?”

 

“Yes, Kira. That was Kihyun.”

 

“No, not that one. The one that looks like a rat that I throttled to the ground for trying to touch me.”

 

“Minhyuk?”

 

“Sure, let’s go with that.”

 

Hyeju rolled her eyes. She had always been very good at remembering names. As part of being a princess, it was important to remember the names of everyone the first time around so she was able to address people appropriately the next time they met. Kira, on the other hand, just didn’t care to remember anyone that wasn’t directly involved in making her life miserable.

 

“The other rodent is going to be sulky when he realizes you took the watch back.”

 

“Kihyun will be fine,” Hyeju restated his name again, tapping on the screen as it shined to life and presented her with a series of numbers and symbols, “I figured out something last night. Since these watches are a pair, assuming the one he has is not completely broken, I should, theoretically, be able to track him.”

 

“Good.”

 

“Problem being: Hyungwon isn’t a creature of magic. None of the people here are. So that means I can’t simply track the magic trails his traversing into time and space would leave.”

 

“Bad.”

 

“Indeed,” Hyeju sighed, “So...I need to reroute the logic in this thing. Not sure how long it will take though. It’d be easier in Jae’s lab, but I’ll have to make do somehow-”

 

“OH NO! HYUNG! I LOST THE WATCH!”

 

At Kihyun’s panicked shout, Kira busted out laughing heartily. Hyeju rubbed her temples as she heard Hoseok try to explain. And then the door burst open with a frazzled looking Kihyun who was then quickly intercepted by Kira leaping off the bed and the chaos of her throwing him out of the room commenced.

 

A few hours, an explanation, and a change of work space later, and Hyeju felt like she might be making progress. The watch laid in a couple pieces now as she tweaked some of the inner workings and ornate tiny gears. Surprisingly, Kihyun took a seat next to Hyeju and was asking questions on the functions and pieces she had in her hands.

 

“So that regulates the flow of time?”

 

“Not quite. It makes it visible in a way that the mechanisms can then chart a trajectory.”

 

“Ah! Otherwise you’d just fling into anywhere or anything?”

 

“Yes, yes exactly!”

 

“Neeerrrds,” Kira whispered, making Hoseok chuckle.

 

Working without tools was proving to be a challenge...but she put her head down and kept going...

 

Another hour or so...and the room had become terribly silent. Hoseok was off checking things on his phone while Kihyun quietly observed Hyeju, bringing her some water and a few tools he had around their home that may be helpful. Kira was sitting back quietly, and Hyeju could feel her ever-present gaze on her.

 

Hyeju turned her head to Kira, “Your eyes are burning into my back.”

 

Kira pouted, “There’s no support beam for me to hang out on…”

 

Hyeju chuckled, “We’re not in Nelia. It’s okay. You don’t need to watch over me while I work.”

 

“What else am I supposed to do?” Hyeju felt a little bad at how lost Kira looked at the idea of not needing to perform her duty. 

 

“How about we explore our city?” Hoseok suggested, seeing as how he was feeling pretty useless at their house as well. He put his hands up defensively at the judgmental glare from Kira at the suggestion. 

 

“That’s not a bad idea! Maybe you could look for some things that might help me out,” Hyeju suggested, clapping her hands together with a smile, nudging Kira to make friends with these boys. As much as she wanted to find their friend as soon as possible, she had a feeling there was a long journey in front of them. She knew it took time for Kira to trust others, so she was hoping some time alone with Hoseok might help. He seemed the most friendly and trusting of the boys. 

 

“Fine,” grumbled Kira as she made her way to the door. “But if I get kidnapped for science, it’s on your conscience.”

 

Hyeju hummed with consent in jest while Hoseok opened the door for the disgruntled guardian. The two walked in awkward silence to his car. He tapped his Omniband on the passenger side to unlock the door for Kira to sit first. Opening the door for her, he offered a tense grin while she sat down without even a glance towards him. When he closed the door, a pout was evident on his face. He wondered what he could say to break the ice. Once he got into the driver’s seat, he put his seat belt on. Without being asked, Kira immediately mimicked his behavior despite not even knowing what a car or a seat belt was, let alone ridden in one. 

 

“You wanna go to the mall?” Hoseok offered. 

 

“I don’t know what a mall is.”

 

“Oh…ummm…it’s like a place where you can-”

 

“Yeah, I don’t care. Sure, let’s go to the mall.” Her curt behavior was going to take some getting used to, Hoseok decided. Maybe some music would help break the ice. He the radio as he started their trip to the mall.

 

“So how long have you known Hyeju-sshi?”

 

“20 years.”

 

“Wow, that’s a long time.”

 

“Mmm.”

 

Silence. 

 

“Do you have anything you like to do?”

 

“Not really.”

 

Silence. 

 

“Any food you’d like to try?”

 

“I’m not picky.”

 

Silence. 

 

This was going to be harder than Hoseok first thought. 

 

~

 

Kira noticed the hours of daylight were very short on this planet. Despite it being what she would assume was mid-day, natural light was already replaced by many artificial bright lights that were much too blinding in Kira’s opinion. It also lacked any type of foliage, not even grass. The noise level was also unbearable. Why was everything so loud? 

 

According to Hyeju, there probably aren’t any Vulpes on this planet, so it was necessary to hide her ears and tail when out of the house so she wouldn’t draw attention to herself. If that was the case though, why was everyone STILL staring at her? She pulled her hood over her head to avoid the heavy amount of eyes on her. Hoseok saw the discomfort in Kira’s behavior and suggested a clothing store to peruse. She entered the store without question; anything to get away from the burning stares. 

 

“Hi there, how can I help you?” a store clerk asked politely at the lost looking girl. Kira immediately took a defensive stance with her hands out, ready to fight. Hoseok walked over and put her arms down smiling sweetly at the poor store clerk, who was clearly frightened at the odd behavior, “We’re just taking a look around.”

 

With a nod and a “if you need any help, just ask,” the store clerk went back to her station off to the side. Once it was just the two of them again, Kira visibly relaxed. 

 

“Are you okay? We can always go home if you don’t want to be here,” offered Hoseok, concerned for the restless girl. 

 

“I’m fine,” she responded simply. “I just…don’t really go anywhere without Hyeju. Ever.”

 

Hoseok could tell she wanted to ask something else but didn’t want to talk to him. He let her have her moment of internal conflict pan out before she pointed at the top of her own head, warily baffled. 

 

“Are my ears showing?”

 

“No?”

 

“Then why is everyone staring at me?”

 

Hoseok chuckled at her innocent confusion, “Mmm, I’m not sure how to say it without seeming like I’m hitting on you but you’re really beautiful, Kira.”

 

That earned him an extra hard look of disbelief as she laughed dryly at his joke, earning her a pout of perplexity from Hoseok. “Sorry, that’s just bizarre to hear because where I’m from, people avoid me like the plague.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I’m a Vulpes. We aren’t exactly known for being anything other than thieves and .” There was much bitterness in her voice. Hoseok figured it was a sensitive topic so he decided to change it. 

 

“You want to try some things on?”

 

“I just need something I can move in comfortably.”

 

Hoseok hummed in thought and looked around the store. Like a light bulb going off in his head, he walked off to a different section of the store with Kira in tow. He started pulling some things off the rack and putting them close up to Kira to see if it would fit/look good. 

 

“How about these?”

 

With a shrug, Kira took the outfit Hoseok picked out. When she looked around to see if there was a place for her to change, he held up his index finger as an indication for her to wait. He pointed his Omniband at Kira before scanning the clothes. Then, he projected an image of Kira in the clothes in front of her so she can see if she liked the outfit. She awed at the magic before her, circling the projected image of herself, waving her hand in front of Hoseok’s Omniband to watch the image fade in and out. He stifled a laugh because honestly the behavior was adorable but he had a feeling she’d probably beat him if he actually laughed. 

 

“Seems tight,” she pointed at the pants. 

 

“They’re leggings. They stretch around your legs.” He demonstrated by pulling on the virtual pants material. She hummed in thought. 

 

“Why don’t you try it on so you can see if you like it?” At his suggestion, she shrugged in agreement. He was starting to understand the language of Kira. Instead of going into a changing room, he tapped a few things on his Omniband before once more aiming it at Kira. Like magic, her borrowed outfit changed into the one from the projected image earlier.

 

Hoseok picked out a loose, long gray sleeveless hoodie that covered her over a fitted black long sleeve with thumb holes at the end. Black leggings extended into a pair of black combat boots that stopped halfway up her shins. He pointed at the mirror for her to look at. 

 

“Hmm, not bad.” She tried to look for a price tag but realized even if there was one, she wouldn’t really understand the value of it. 

 

“Don’t worry about the money! It’s yours. Think of it as a peace offering from me,” Hoseok chuckled at the shocked Kira. 

 

“...thanks…” He could tell that was not easy for her to say. But he also had a feeling she hadn't really even had a chance to say it that often to begin with. 

 

“Can I look for something for Hyeju?”

 

Hoseok nodded eagerly, happy with the progress he was making. As Kira looked around the store for another outfit, he noticed the fleeting smile every now and then as she searched for something befitting for Hyeju.

 

~

 

Hyeju wasn’t sure what to do. The two had been looking through Kihyun's physics textbooks for more information on how they could use their spatial shifter, as Hyeju had decided to start calling their watch, to locate Hyungwon. She had been playing around with it using her magic as well but they were stuck. At this point, she plopped her head on the table with her face turned towards the watch as she poked the wrist band, hoping some sort of miracle would happen. 

 

“Here,” Kihyun offered her third cup of tea at this point. He took his seat back across from her and started looking through his books again for anything that could be helpful. 

 

“Thank you for accompanying me, Kihyun-sshi.”

 

“Just Kihyun is fine. Can I call you Hyeju?” She nodded, probably a bit more eager than she should have. 

 

“Even though you’re from a different world, you are really knowledgeable about quantum physics,” he commented on awe. “It took me years to even have some general understanding. Did you learn it in school?”

 

“Mmmm…something like that. Although I guess you can say where I’m from, it’s sort of frowned upon that I’m interested in this.” He didn’t miss the flitting bitter smile on her face. 

 

He furrowed his eyebrows with concern, “Do you…have issues with women’s rights where you’re from?”

 

Hyeju cackled at Kihyun’s endearing misunderstanding, “No, no, not at all! But thank you for your concerns. I guess you could say it’s more like I’d be a disappointment if I decided to follow my passion instead of my designated role.”

 

“Ahh, family issues…”

 

“Yup…family issues. Which is also why I didn’t really have any friends growing up. I wasn’t ever lonely or anything. I have siblings and Kira has been with me through most of my life but…I just never had friends my age. I’m jealous of what you have,” she admitted. “You all seem very close.” Kihyun furrowed his eyebrows again as he chewed his thumb. 

 

“Should we go have some fun?” Kihyun suggested, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously. Before she could answer, he was already playing in his Omniband to text Hoseok to see where he was. 

 

“Shouldn’t we be working on the watch?” Hyeju questioned worriedly. Kihyun waved off her concern. 

 

“We’re in a rut anyways. Change of pace will help us think better later,” he reassured. A ding from his Omniband indicated Hoseok texted back. 

 

“EHH?! THEY’RE AT A CLUB?!”

 

“...what’s a club?”