Sooyoung leaned back in her chair, took a sip from her drink, and peered at the blonde-haired beauty sitting across from her. Yeri’s posture was drawn-in, limbs folded about one another as if she was trying to hide herself from the world. Her big, expressive eyes scanned the menu on the table before her, occasionally giving furtive glances around, as if she expected Joohyun or Seungwan to teleport into the restaurant. Clearly, it was the first time Yeri had gone directly against her sisters’ wishes. 

    “See anything you like?” Sooyoung asked, adding the perfect amount of flirt to her voice, flourishing her artful use of innuendo.

    “Mhm,” Yeri said serenely, Sooyoung’s double-meaning lost to her innocence. “Either the chalupas or the quesadillas.”

    Sooyoung almost snorted at Yeri’s pronunciation of the latter word. “Kwes-a-dill-as”. Sooyoung stopped herself, though. Given the circumstances, it made sense Yeri’s inexperience with cultures aside from her own was… lacking.

    “Do you know what those are?” Sooyoung asked.

    Yeri shook her head. “No. They just sound interesting.”

    This time, Sooyoung couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Well, a chalupa is like a deep-fried, Mexican version of a pizza. A quesadilla is a Mexican grilled cheese with a tortilla instead of sliced bread. Those sound appetizing to you?”

    Yeri tilted her head to the side, looked down at the menu again, then bit her lip. Sooyoung felt her heart flutter as the tip of Yeri’s tiny front teeth revealed themselves.

    Get your together, Sooyoung.

    “Uhhh…” Yeri muttered, still unsure.

    “How about you get what I’m getting?” Sooyoung asked, noting that their serving was returning to the table.

    Yeri exhaled, all tension in her face evaporating as the breath left her lips. Those moist, smooth, kissable lips.

“That’s a better idea.” the blonde said, smiling.

    Sooyoung nodded, then ordered them the shredded chicken burritos.

    “You’re sure you don’t want something to drink besides water?” she asked Yeri as the server walked away.

    “No, I’m okay,” Yeri said with a hint of shame. “I don’t want to show back up to the Lounge drunk. My sisters might suspect something.”

    “They’re that against you drinking, huh?” Sooyoung asked, thinking of her own sisters. They’d all tried their first drinks (and more) by the age of twelve. Yeri’s inexperience in that regard was fascinatingly foreign.

    “Yeah. They said that our mother didn’t let them drink until they were already a couple decades old.”

    “Ah, right,” Sooyoung said agreeably. Compared to that trippy experience on the dance floor two nights ago, concepts like the ages of the people in that bar were pretty miniscule. “At least take a drink from mine.”

    Yeri bit her lip again, seemed to draw further into herself. All doe-eyes and twitchy movements. Goddamn adorable.

    “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Yeri,” Sooyoung assured. “Just know that the offer is on the table.”

    “Okay,” Yeri said, showing signs of extreme relief once again.

    “I’m guessing you’ve never smoked weed either?” Sooyoung asked.

    “Nope,” Yeri said. “And I wouldn’t really want to. Seungwan smokes a lot and it never smells good.”

    “Seul does the same, actually,” Sooyoung said, “You would probably hate our room. It always smells like bud and alcohol.”

    Yeri wrinkled her nose. Sooyoung reached over, poked Yeri at the spot between her eyebrows, making her blink in surprise.

    “Keep that up and your face will get stuck that way.”

    Yeri’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious?”

    “No, it’s just something my grandma used to say,” Sooyoung said. Then, she added half-jokingly, “Unless… that happens to Representations?”

    “Definitely not. If it did, Joohyun and Seungwan wouldn’t look nearly as pretty as they do.” Yeri said, giggling.

    Their food arrived as the two girls shared a laugh. The size of the burritos at this place was more than enough for Sooyoung, who went out of her way to partition the dish into thirds. She would eat one piece now, one piece for lunch tomorrow, and one piece whenever she felt like it. Yeri, on the other hand, wolfed her burrito down like a starving woman. It was actually fascinating to watch her eat; she took enormous, hearty bites, chasing them with gulps of water, presumably to prevent herself from choking. That is, if Cosmic Representations could even choke.

    “I have a question for you,” Sooyoung said as Yeri finished up. She half expected the blonde to the plate clean. “Does Seulgi know about the fact that you guys are goddesses? Or did Joohyun keep that from her too?”

    “Well,” Yeri said, tensing up, “I’m not sure, actually. It wasn’t really safe for us to talk about what was going on between Joohyun and Seulgi, since, you know…”

    “Right, her omniscient husband,” Sooyoung said flippantly. “Guess I’ll just keep my mouth shut about it unless Seulgi mentions it first.”

    “That’s… probably a good idea.” Yeri said, “This is unrelated but, I think I’ll try a sip of your drink now. What flavor is it?”

    Sooyoung grinned, pushed the half-full glass over to Yeri. “It’s orange flavor. Have some of the salt on the rim, too. Helps to temper the burn of the tequila.”

    Tentatively, as though the drink had a deadly, poisonous potential, the blonde took a careful sip. A brightness flashed in her pupils, followed by a spreading grin that dimpled her cheeks and crinkled the corners of her eyes. She drank again, more deeply this time, before passing the drink back over to Sooyoung.

    “That was really good,” Yeri said, wiping . “Joohyun and Seungwan told me alcohol tastes bad.”

    Sooyoung finished the drink, trying not to think of the fact that she was purposefully placing on the same spot as Yeri’s. Normally, Sooyoung would have cringed at the idea, but her stupid infatuation with the “cutie pie” in front of her was apparently enough to make her think like a lovestruck idiot.

    “It depends on how the drink is made,” Sooyoung said, smacking her lips. “Do you want to go for a walk around Caldwell before you head back to your sisters?”

    “Sure,” Yeri said, looking simultaneously surprised and pleased. Sooyoung knew that her self-assuredness was a unique trait among women her age, had used it many times to her advantage.

    Yeri paid for their meal with two twenty dollar bills, told the server to keep the change as a tip. Sooyoung felt greedy excitement rising in her in response to this wanton display of wealth. Were all Representations that rich?

    Stop it. Sooyoung told herself as they left the restaurant. Right now. This girl deserves better than that.

    Together they walked, crossing the street from Caldwell square and onto the lawn in front of the campus’ academic buildings. Large squares of grass separated by cement walkways, dotted with flowers and goose poop. Sooyoung fondly remembered spring of last year, when she’d hooked up with a boy on one of the lawns further from the road.

    “This campus is so much prettier than the one the Galactic Lounge is on,” Yeri said, staring at the post-dusk sky.

    “Main Ave? Yeah, you can see the stars better here. Less light pollution. Wanna sit here for a little bit?” Sooyoung gestured to a relatively fecal matter-free swath of grass.

    “Sure.” Yeri said, adjusting her billowing sun dress, smoothing out the fabric so that she could sit properly.

    By instinct, Sooyoung took a seat near Yeri, letting one arm extend around the younger girl’s back, close enough so that the crook of her elbow brushed against stray strands of the blonde’s hair.

    “You have the Astral Plane to look at whenever you want,” Sooyoung said, following Yerim’s upward gaze. “Isn’t this view nothing in comparison?”

    “It’s all relative,” Yerim said. “It’s all about the scope. From here, everything seems so very far away. The stars, the moon. I know the Representations that they belong to, but to see them all there, from outside of our normal perspective, is beautiful.”

    “Yeah, that is kinda beautiful,” Sooyoung said, finding herself in genuine agreement, a bit taken aback by the depth of Yeri’s words. “Do you see yourself up there? Or your sisters?”

    Yerim paused, then turned. The blonde clearly hadn’t expected Sooyoung to be so close; her blush unfurled like a rose in the fresh moonlight. “No… or, at least, I don’t think so. We don’t exactly know what we are.”

    Sooyoung furrowed her brow. “How do you not know?”

    “Well, we have ideas, but we don’t really talk about them. I’ve heard other people mention things…” Yerim raised a hand to the onyx necklace she wore, running her fingers over the gemstones. “But we don’t talk about it. You know why.”

    Joohyun’s husband, right.

    Sooyoung felt some measure of sympathy for the woman - clearly she was in some sort of abusive relationship - but she didn’t regret her drunken outburst from Friday night. Hopefully, Seulgi wasn’t too beaten up about it.

    “Maybe you guys are like… Representations of galaxies. Like the whole Milky Way?” Sooyoung offered. Science wasn’t her strong suit.

    “No, that doesn’t make sense.” Yeri said earnestly.

    Sooyoung didn’t bother asking why; she knew she wouldn’t understand the answer anyway.

    Yeri leaned back, resting her head on Sooyoung. The movement was reflexive, almost child-like, and Sooyoung felt herself tense, attempting to freeze so as not to disturb the blonde. The notion itself was startling to Sooyoung. When was the last time she’d felt a non-ual attraction for someone like this? Probably never. Seul was definitely right about her crush.

    Thoughts of Seul brought Sooyoung a measure of guilt that she didn’t like to acknowledge, so she turned her attention elsewhere.

    “Can you tell me about the other planets you’ve visited?” Sooyoung whispered, observing the contour of Yeri’s jaw.

    “I don’t have a lot of memories of other planets.” Yeri said, pink rising in her cheeks at the saucy accentuation in Sooyoung’s tone. “The Astral Plane allows us only to visit worlds that have sentient life on them.”

    Sooyoung felt her interest ignite. “Like… aliens? Aliens exist in our universe? What are they like?”

    “Well, kinda? Not necessarily in your universe. Seungwan could explain better. But they’re mostly just people. Like you and me. ” Yeri said, looking embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I’m not very familiar with… things yet.”

    “That’s okay,” Sooyoung said soothingly, running a hand over the back of Yeri’s skull, tracing her way down to the sweeping tips of those blonde strands. “You don’t need to apologize to me so much, Yeri.”

    Yeri cast a glance over Sooyoung, blush deepening to scarlet, as she melted into the older girl’s caresses.

    “I’ve never been this close to a mortal,” Yeri said, blurting out the words as if she were embarrassed to speak them. “Or anyone, for that matter. This… isn’t what friends normally do, is it?”

    Sooyoung froze, allowing her hand to drop from Yeri’s hair and back to the grass. “No, it isn’t. You’ve never dated before?”

    Yeri shook her head.

    Talk about sheltered. She’s eighteen, for God’s sake!

    Maybe that assumption was unfair. Maybe that’s just how Representations were.

    “Well… let me ask you this, then,” Sooyoung said, backing off slightly. “How do you feel about me right now? Do you see me as a friend, or is there something more there?”

    “I see you as a friend,” Yeri said, staring down at the grass, picking at the blades. “You’re so nice and caring, and you don’t get mad at me for not knowing things, and being with you is fun. Besides that, though…”

    Finally, the blonde looked up. The vulnerability in her gaze, the sheer openness of it, caused Sooyoung’s entire body to succumb to a wave of gooseflesh.

    “You make me feel really warm inside. Here,” Yeri said, pressing a hand to her own chest. “In my heart. It makes me want to touch you and hug you. Even if we’re just sitting quietly, I feel like I’m still having fun.”

    And then, glancing down again:

“Is… is that weird?”

    “No,” Sooyoung whispered. She took Yeri’s hand. It was small and warm, fit perfectly in her own. “That may be the sweetest thing someone’s ever said to me.”

    “Oh…” Yerim whispered, watching as Sooyoung drew nearer.

    This close, with her face accented by the moonlight, Yeri’s minute, unnoticeable features showed themselves. A birthmark on the side of her nose, another on the upper margin of her cheek.

    “I’m gonna ask you something that I’ve never asked anyone before,” Sooyoung said, gaze flickering down to Yeri’s lips. “Can I kiss you?”

    Yeri inhaled sharply. A visible sheen of sweat glistened at her hairline. Did Cosmic Representations have magic sweat?

    “Don’t feel bad about saying no.” Sooyoung assured, pulling away. “I don’t want to pressure you.”

    Yeri’s hand clamped down on Sooyoung’s upper arm, stopping her.

    “Yes, Sooyoung. Please kiss me.”

    With the affirmation given, and nothing left to say, Sooyoung kissed Yeri. The blonde’s lips were shy, unpracticed, filled with the hesitance of ity. Sooyoung was more than willing to be her instructor, placing her hands on the sides of Yeri’s face, drinking in the impossibly smooth skin as it ran beneath her fingertips. Noticing that Yeri’s hands seemed frozen at her sides, Sooyoung took one of them, placed it on her own arm.

“Touch me,” Sooyoung whispered, guiding Yeri’s hand up and down. “It’s okay.”

Yeri was only able to hum in response as she was met with another kiss.

As much as Sooyoung wanted to push Yeri’s lips open to kiss her fully, she restrained herself. Instead she exchanged a series of chaste kisses with the blonde. Sooyoung felt the heat of her desires beginning to rise. Visions of pressing her hands to Yeri’s sizable chest, seeing how easily she could peel off those thin cloth coverings…

Sooyoung pulled away.

“First kiss...es?” Sooyoung asked.

The blonde nodded, eyes filled with vacant bliss. The tip of her tongue darted out, ran across the length of her lips.

    “How’d you like it?”

    Yeri pounced onto Sooyoung. They crashed together, a storm breaking land, locking together in a tight hold. Sooyoung folded her legs around Yeri as the blonde raked fingers through her hair. The kisses were greedy, filled with the longing of a girl losing herself in a new emotional experience. Sooyoung let her set the pace. There was some tongue, but it was brief, glancing, and untrained. Curious hands found themselves touching all of Sooyoung’s upper torso aside from her s. Sooyoung considered guiding the blonde’s hands to her chest - she certainly wanted to be touched that way - but Yeri was holding back for a reason, and Sooyoung refused to take her from her comfort zone without permission.

    When they broke apart, Yeri remained straddling her. Curtains of black and blonde hair mingled around them as they panted, exchanging air as they took alternating, heavy breaths.

    “Was that your first kiss, too?” Yeri asked.

    Sooyoung held Yeri close and let out a laugh. She couldn’t help herself. “No, unfortunately. But that doesn’t make it any less special.”

    Yeri deflated slightly. “Was I a good or a bad kisser?”

    “Honestly?” Sooyoung said, the blonde’s splayed-out locks. “You were right in the middle. Not the greatest I’ve had, but also not the worst.”

    Yeri giggled. “There’s hope for me, then?”

    Sooyoung tilted Yeri’s chin up and gave her a kiss. A real Sooyoung kiss. Gnawing teeth, brash tongue, noses mashed together out of flaming need. It was brief, just a taste, enough to spark Yeri’s appetite.

    “There is. Stick with me long enough, and you’ll be kissing like that in no time.”

    “Oh…” Yeri said breathlessly, wiping with the back of her hand. “I really liked that.”

    Just then, a whistle came from the distance, causing both girls to start, heads swiveling in the direction of the sound.

    “Woo! Keep it going, ladies!” the gruff, swinging voice of frat dude called.

    Yeri gasped, turned her head away, trying to hide herself from the group of students as they passed. Sooyoung, who had found herself in this position one too many times, felt no shame. Instead she grinned winningly, waved, and gave Yeri an exaggerated kiss at the top of her head.

    “How are you so relaxed?” Yeri asked, peeking out from between Sooyoung’s s to make sure the students were gone.

    Sooyoung shrugged. “Guess it’s just how I was raised. Why should I care what those people think of me? Granted, we should probably not just be spooning in the middle of this yard.”

    “Oh, right,” Yeri said, shooting up into a standing position. Sooyoung missed the blonde’s comforting weight atop her body, wanted to take their intimacy a bit further, but for once, she truly believed this was a relationship better taken slowly.

“I really should be heading back to Seungwan, anyway,” Yeri said.

“Probably a good idea,” Sooyoung said, dusting grass from her clothing. “They have no idea you’re here?”

“Seungwan just thinks that I’m exploring the city. And...” Yeri trailed off, looking away.

“And Joohyun?” Sooyoung asked, furrowing her brow.

“I’m not sure,” Yeri said. Worry itched at the spaces between her words, subtle yet pernicious. “I haven’t seen her since that night you guys got into an argument.”

Sooyoung thought of Seul. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen her roommate since yesterday morning.

“I haven’t seen Seul either,” Sooyoung said. “Do you think they’ve been meeting up?”

Yeri rubbed her hands over the necklace at , zoning out, concentrating on an unknown thought that Sooyoung was unable to glean. After a few seconds - just as Sooyoung thought of asking the younger girl if she was alright - Yeri gasped, straightened, turned her face to the sky.

“That’s why Seungwan was fine with me leaving the Lounge tonight,” Yeri muttered to herself, pupils darting back and forth as though she were scanning an invisible document. “And why everyone’s been so uptight…”

Sooyoung placed a hand on Yeri’s elbow. “What’s going on?”

The blonde shook her head, held up an impatient hand. Sooyoung backed off. Yeri wasn’t the bold type; if she showed any signs of such a trait, the matter had to be serious.

As Yeri stood there, Sooyoung noticed that her form was beginning to change. Fuzzing at the edges like a watercolor painting before it dried. Streaks of white were interspliced by curves of black at her limbs and torso. If Sooyoung squinted hard enough, tiny glimpses of the Astral plane - a chunk of violet here, the soundless storming of a star’s surface there - became imprinted in her vision. She looked away as a headache began to gather around the backs of her eyeballs. Fixating on those pieces of the Astral Plane was like wearing glasses with the incorrect prescription. Disorienting nearly to the point of nausea.

A shiver made its way down Yeri’s body, and she returned fully to existence, no longer partially immersed in the separate dimension. Sooyoung was surprised at her own ability to accept the frankly zany truths she’d been faced with the past two days, but she guessed it shouldn’t come as too much of a shock. Maybe she’d done enough psychedelics to be open to that sort of thing.

She did, however, feel an immediate rush of disturbance as Yeri turned to her. Over the blonde’s face had come a pale cloak of fear.

“Oh Stars,” Yeri whispered, swallowing. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and an edge of panic reverberated through her tone. “Geulim Ja is angry. His presence is approaching rapidly. He already has a piece of himself here.”

“What?” Sooyoung asked, “Is he really that bad?”

“Yes, Sooyoung,” Yeri sobbed, unable to control her despair any longer, wrapping her arms around herself. Sooyoung took the blonde in an embrace. “Geulim Ja never leaves his planet. He just sends pieces of himself, or his men. I’ve only seen him do it four times.”

“I still don’t understand, sweetheart,” Sooyoung whispered, trying to sound comforting even as she probed for information, even as the tang of terror began to worm into her. “What does that mean?”

“All four times that Geulim Ja has come to a planet, he’s brought his entire body,” the blonde said hollowly. “He spreads his eternal night, infecting the planet like a disease, swallowing up all the life and light at whatever pace he chooses.”

Yeri looked up at Sooyoung, hopelessness and woe emanating from every cell in her body. A despair so strong that it was palpable.

“When he visits a planet, none of the life there escapes. Within five years of the arrival of the first piece of himself, the whole world is just… gone.”

*End of Act 1*

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