“So.”

          “So…”

          Jinah bit her lower lip and ran her teeth along the swelling flesh. Then, she puckered it loudly before she sighed out again, “So.”

          “We’re… here?” Aheun suggested.

          “Uh… yeah. Sort of. So, uh…” Jinah swallowed hard. She wasn’t very good at explaining things. But she wanted to ensure that Aheun understood abilities in a more convenient than how she had learned.

          The negotiation with Nation News landed them an interview tomorrow for triple the regular amount. They were desperate to have the scoop on Wolf’s second Prix. To celebrate, the gang insisted on expensive meat. For expensive meat, they had to go to the markets. And “they” was, of course, the two Prixes.

          You can get to know each other, D.O had claimed, who had been unusually persistent in insisting the two go together. Without us interrupting all the time. Anyways, down for a game?

          D.O was definitely right. To be frank, Jinah was glad to have this opportunity to talk to Aheun without Xiumin’s criticism or the observant eyes from other gang members. Just girl to girl. But what do I talk about?!

          “Have you ever been here before?” Jinah asked. Stupid question. Of course she hasn’t.

          “No,” came the obvious reply. “Have you?”

          “A few times.”

          “So… what do we have to get?”

          “Ah, right.” Jinah pulled out the list. “Some food. Let’s go to the supermarket.”

          They bought some fruits and vegetables, some sauces and seasoning. Of course, they bought some beef for the gang as well, and threw in some chocolate in the bag. While they were at it, Jinah decided to re-stock on some cleaning supplies. They were going to run out of a lot of things very fast. Fourteen mouths to feed and bodies to clean was a lot.

          They took a break at a small café. Ordering some coffee for themselves, Jinah avoided eye contact with everyone. They got some lewd looks and remarks, but when Jinah coldly stated they were from Wolf and showing them her wallet to validate it, they all walked away with a simple cuss. Aheun stayed quiet during these encounters.

          “So,” Jinah started as she and Aheun took a sip from their coffee cups. “You like hot, bitter coffee?” she asked, looking at the dark liquid,

          “Yes,” Aheun replied. “And you like cold, sweet coffee?”

          Jinah shrugged. “Cold and hot—but sweet, yeah.”

          Aheun nodded politely as she drank some more coffee.

          There was no hiding it—it was definitely, definitely awkward. So Jinah did what seemed to be the most reasonable—get straight to the point. “Abilities are weird, hey?”

          Aheun’s hands seemed to pause while setting her cup down, but quickly the motion continued as she responded, “Yes.”

          “It’s a lot to sink in, I know… but basically it’s just—superpowers, really. Have you read Harry Potter?”

          Aheun stared at her, and Jinah quickly realized her mistake. A novel series from the old times—of course someone from DE wouldn’t know! Especially the most ideal Prix—

          “Yes,” Aheun replied again. “I do. Are abilities like spells?”

          Jinah’s mouth hung open slightly. “Something like it, yeah,” Jinah quickly said, recovering. It was rude to just stare blankly. Then, she corrected herself: “A little different though, actually—not everyone can use any ability. I think one person is restricted to one ability. Also, it’s not verbal… I mean, not all spells in the series are vocal—well, abilities aren’t really casted on a third party… Well, they can be sometimes—actually, here,” Jinah took one last sip from her iced caramel-vanilla coffee before she looked right at Aheun to recite from her notes. “Some people possess a superhuman, special skill—this is called an ability. Abilities can be elemental, a physical type—or manipulative, a mental type—or persuasive, an emotional type. What the abilities do can range anywhere from creation to destruction, including modification, revival, deterioration, and homeostasis—all dependent on the unique ability.

          “When you have someone like Chanyeol, someone who can conjure up fire and wield to his advantage, has a physical ability—an element-based one. It’s such a general ability that it’s pretty hard to believe he is the only one with it. But if you have someone like Conan, someone who could detect murderous intent in people just behind his back—it’s such a specific ability that it’s hard to believe there are many others like him. Nonetheless, one thing that is clear is that abilities are not restricted to physical characteristics. This means our physical body makeup is completely irrelevant to abilities. To improve and strengthen these abilities, however, is something that many people believe can be done through hard training; thus, males are sent on the Journey and train at the Army. Or…” Jinah trailed off, afraid that she might have overwhelmed the girl. “Something like that. Yeah.”

          Aheun nodded. “So… special magic.”

          Jinah suppressed a sigh. Is she a Pacem airhead? “Yeah, something like that.” Jinah picked up her coffee and stood up. “Let’s finish our shopping.”

          Aheun hastily (but somehow, still managed to be graceful) stood up as well. “We just need the instant supplies and batteries, right?”

          “Yeah,” Jinah said, slipping into the team jacket. “And some peach soda. The Great Idiot’s craving it, apparently.”

          Jinah couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed in Aheun’s capability to understand. Maybe if I dumb it down more…? No, Jinah thought. Don’t waste your time. Focus on your research.

The walk back to the base would be, unavoidably and most definitely, awkward, Jinah thought. And she was right—to an extent, anyway.

           “Jinah… don’t you hate me?”

          Jinah frowned at the girl. “What?” Then she retracted. It sounded far too harsh to be a simple question—which is exactly what that one-word response meant. “I mean, what made you think that I’d hate you?” She paused for a second. “Is it because of Xiumin? Hey, just because he’s an and I don’t like him, doesn’t mean I don’t like you either.”

            “No, that’s not what I—well, that’s not the full reason to my inkling …” Aheun looked away from Jinah, her gaze at the ground and she kicked it. Her pretty, shiny shoes were now dusty. “I mean—this probably sounds really, really silly, but you see, I really like novels…”

          Jinah wasn’t exactly sure how this bashful “confession” was related to her earlier question, but Jinah responded calmly, “I do, too.”

          Aheun shook her head. “No, you don’t get it—I—” Aheun bit down her lip, looking almost fearful. “I like books from the early twenty-first century.” She kept her eyes to the ground and she continued on before Jinah could say anything. “I know, I know—that time is basically a fantasy, and way long ago—but, I don’t know, sometimes… I feel like I wish I was there, you know?” Aheun shook her head again. “No, of course you don’t know. It’s dumb as—as jack, I know—”

          “No!” Jinah exclaimed. “That’s my favourite time period! I wish I was alive in that time, too—every day, I think about it—all the time!”

          Aheun’s eyes widened, a slight smile forming. “Really?”

           “Yeah!”

          “But you don’t hate me?”

          “Why would you liking those books make me hate you?” Jinah asked, genuinely confused.

          “Because,” Aheun said, her voice quieting down again. “That time period hated girls like me—weak, quiet, submissive, girly—the two-faced antagonist. They liked strong-headed, powerful girls—independent and leader-like—the heroine. I’m the former, you’re the latter. Isn’t it natural that you’d—”

          “It’s just a book,” Jinah said. She never thought she’d say that line, because to her, books were never just books—but the line seemed to fit perfectly into this context. “Don’t let the connotations surrounding a character or of a time period limit you—any character or person or time period—including Xiumin and DE—and those novels.”

          Aheun blinked a couple times, and even though Jinah was (somewhat, sort of) sure she was heteroual, there was no denying that Aheun was unbelievably pretty and cute in everything she did. A little too much, maybe—enough for Jinah become slightly flustered by her own words as she looked away. “I mean, look at me. My character may have been idolized at some point by some people in some stories during a part of the twenty-first century, but,” Jinah looked back at the girl, who was staring at her intently, “you’re Prime now. You’re the best of the best Prixes out there. Actually, that doesn’t even matter. None of this—the whole which-persona-is-more-likable thing is stupid. Ridiculous. Be who you want to be. Be you.”

          Jinah broke eye contact again as she felt her cheeks heat up. Trying to recover from a cheesy statement with a cheesier statement, Jinah thought to herself. Very smooth, Shin Jinah.

          “I mean,” Jinah added, “if you want to. Change, I mean, be it to stay the way you are or reveal what’s inside—or something…”

          “Thank you, Jinah,” Aheun said with a smile. “Very much. Thank you.”

          “It’s nothing…” Jinah trailed off sheepishly.

          “But,” Aheun added before clearing . “I understand that you’re my senior, also a Pure Prix, therefore a superior Prix—”

          “Ridicu—”

          “—but I’d like to disagree with one point,” Aheun continued, surprising Jinah. “Expressing who you are inside is definitely important, but I don’t think anyone is their ‘complete self’ ever. Many times, the inside is incomplete; thus, unable to be expressed truthfully wholly. That being said, we never stop changing. We create ourselves with time and experience as we mature, and even if we are different from the self we were in the past, we never stop being ourselves. The new us becomes us. Likewise, the past us stays us, and the future us, will be, ultimately, the very same us as the past and present.”

          It was Jinah’s turn to blink.

          “I mean,” Aheun looked away, suddenly realizing she had stepped too far past the line. “That’s what I think—not saying you’re wrong, just—”

          “You’re right,” Jinah said with a firm nod, recovering from her shock that the most ideal Pacem Prix was, indeed, not a Pacem airhead. What a firmly, well-structured argument. “I agree with you. All of it.”

          Jinah changed multiple times, countless times. All the time. She is more aware of her surroundings, and, truth be told, she could feel the gender pressure and social suppression pressing against her, threatening her every second of every single day—it would be a lie to say that none of this affected her. It would be a lie to say that Luhan doesn’t affect her.

          “Really?” Aheun asked, wide-eyed and pleasantly surprised.

          I wonder who Luhan was in the past?

          “Yeah.”

          No, I wonder who Luhan will be in the future?

          “You mean it? You really think so?”

          No, more importantly…

          “Absolutely.”

          Who is Luhan—right now?

Back at the base, the gang was casually playing video games, eating, and lying around. From the outside, they seemed to be completely relaxed, but each gang member knew the tension the other felt, for they felt it themselves.

          Jinah and Aheun? Together? Baekhyun thought to himself. Hopefully Jinnie doesn’t rip out…

          “Yeah, you’re right—‘special magic’ does summarize it all well, if you put it that way,” they heard Jinah’s voice from the hallway. “Wow, I totally thought you were a Pacem airhead, honestly. I was completely wrong.”

          They heard Aheun’s laugh echo in the corridor as well. “I thought you were a Callidum know-it-all at first, so may we call it even?”

          “Sweet.”

          Then, the two girls with plastic bags in their arms were revealed at the entranceway. Aheun’s eyes widened with surprise as she covered . She had totally forgotten about the absence of a door.

          “We’re back,” Jinah announced tonelessly, one that deeply contrasted the tone they heard before they saw her face. “Bought beef and stuff.” She tossed Chanyeol’s wallet back to him, who was sitting on the couch.

          “Are you making tteokguk?” Luhan asked casually.

          Jinah looked up to answer him, but the gang’s facial expressions made her suspicious. Something like minor horror and unease swept over their faces—all except Luhan. She hesitated before responding: “No… Why? Do you want some?”

          “Yeah.”

          “Then go get some tomorrow at the markets.”

          Chen and Baekhyun seemed to sigh in relief, their shoulders losing tension. Chanyeol noticeably gulped, his Adam’s apple evidently bobbing up and down. Kris and Lay glanced at each other. Something was definitely up.

          “Dinner will be ready in less than an hour,” Aheun piped.

          “An hour?” Kai groaned. “Jack, the hell?”

           “I apologize for the—”

          Jinah scoffed. “Don’t apologize, Aheun. Kai, if you want to eat instant ramen, be my guest, that’ll take about three minutes—but if you want the meat we went out to buy which we will be preparing—then you’ll have to wait the hour.”

          Kai snorted. “Whatever.”

          Aheun leaned over and whispered, “Are you sure you should be talking like that?”

          Jinah swatted her cautiousness away. “Be honest with the gang and the gang will be honest with you.”

          Aheun made an O-shape with and nodded in understanding. Better add that to the notebook…

          Chen leaned over to D.O. “What, are they like, friends now or something?” he whispered.

          D.O shrugged. “That’s not a bad thing, is it?”

          Chen turned to look directly at D.O. As usual, his facial expression was blank and bored, his large eyes making him seem very awake. Unsure of exactly what intention D.O spoke with, Chen answered ambiguously, “No… Guess not.”

          “Did you get peach soda?” Luhan asked.

          Jinah held up the two plastic bags, completely filled with peach soda cans. “Bought it cold, but give it an hour or so.”

           “Make it half and stick it in the freezer,” he said.

           “Time it,” Jinah said, “or it might explode.”

           “Okay.”

          Aheun was still in shock regarding Jinah’s attitude, but she continued to unpack the groceries like nothing was wrong. Her mind was already packed with abilities and all that, which Jinah had kindly explained on their way back to the base.

          The two girls started dinner preparations, and some members watched them with great interest. They expected Jinah’s one-way domination: a Jinah punch and maybe some Aheun tears. Though the extent varied between the members, none of them imagined they would all be wrong: the two got along perfectly fine.

          “So… does the person who guessed the least dramatic win the bet?” Chanyeol grumbled, partially upset he’d be losing money. “Damn, and I was so sure Jinah would bruise Aheun…”

          Baekhyun hit Chanyeol’s arm. “Do you consider our lovely Prix to be some kind of gangster or something?!”

          Chanyeol recoiled at the smack. “Have you forgotten how she punched Sehun with broken ribs?!”

          “Wait—then do I win?!” Chen exclaimed, brightening up suddenly. “My call was the most mild, right?”

          “What was your call?” Suho asked him. “Mine was Jinah’s punch, Aheun silently taking it in.”

          “Jinah attempting to punch, Aheun telling Xiumin.”

          “That weak?!” Suho exclaimed, handing over a bill. “Damn, my call was that she’d beat her up and we’d have to take an unconscious Aheun to the hospital…”

          “Idiot, d’you think Xiumin would let Jinah punch Aheun? No, wait—think he’ll let them be together alone?”

          “He did today!” Suho insisted.

          Luhan snatched the bill from Suho before it reached Chen from behind the couch. “Have we forgotten my call?” He also stuck out his hand between Chen and Chanyeol. “Jinah’s complete and utter nonchalance.”

          “Aish…” Chen muttered as he took out his wallet.

          “If you guys are searching for the mildest prediction, it’d be Sehun,” Lay said with a chuckle, just as Sehun walked over towards them.

          “Sehun, what was your prediction?” Chen asked, shifting his hand from Luhan’s direction to Sehun’s.

          “Friendly,” Sehun replied, taking the bill in Luhan’s hand as well as Chen’s. Then he turned to face Luhan. “We need to talk.”

          Luhan leaned his back against the couch. “About?”

          “In your room.”

          With that, Sehun went into Luhan’s, Kai’s, Baekhyun’s, and Chanyeol’s room. Luhan looked back at Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Chen, and Suho, who all looked like they knew just as much as Luhan about Sehun’s reason—nothing. Luhan even glanced at Lay, who had a knowing smile. Luhan narrowed his eyes, but Lay didn’t budge, and Luhan knew that he shouldn’t keep Sehun waiting too long. Without much of a choice, Luhan pushed himself off the couch with a small sigh and went into his own room.

          “How does Sehun do that?” Chen said, with a small shiver as he turned back to the television screen. “Talk to Leader like that. I nearly die whenever I see his eye twitch.”

          “They’ve known each other since the Hood,” Suho reasoned, also turning to face the screen.

          “So have I,” Baekhyun said, “but I couldn’t do that either. Sehun’s one of a kind.”

          “Right?” Chen agreed, shaking his head.

          “He threatened me with a knife when we first met!” Chanyeol pointed out.

          “We know,” Suho smacked Chanyeol’s head. “You tell us that every time you get drunk.”

          Lay laughed again. “You guys are cute.”

          “Lay!” Chen cried, turning back again. “Lay, too. Somehow, Luhan tolerates him.”

          Lay lightly smacked the back of Chen’s head. “Luhan’s patient. It’s not that he tolerates me, it’s just he’s like that. Have you seen him explode before?”

          Chanyeol, Chen, Baekhyun, and Suho made eye contact with one another.

           “No,” Suho replied slowly, for all of them.

           “Have you, Lay?” Chanyeol asked.

          Lay backed off the couch. “Have fun watching TV.”

          “Lay!” Chen cried, but Lay just headed towards the infirmary. Chen lowered the ends of lips, pressuring the center, giving the impression of a droopy mouth, the facial expression people make while saying: “That was petty.”

-----------------------------------------

A/N:

Just so it's clear - the only reason why I come back to update and write is for you guys. It doesn't matter when I check in or how long it's been (7 years.. holy shi-) there's always familiar and new faces in the comments and messages. I appreciate you guys soso much and will endlessly be grateful.

Side note - the threatening with knife part is in Side Stories series! I haven't updated THAT in a LONG time too, but it's the "Army" chapter.

Personal update - kind of been in a pinch. I feel like I'm in a "emergency" situation where something has to be cancelled once a week for the past several months. COVID-19 has made the world a scary place where some people's true colours have both been the purest and the darkest we have seen. I hope everyone is well, safe, and happy. I wish only the very best for you, your families, and your friends. I hope school and work are all okay and you aren't focusing too much on productivity, but more on your well-being. If you need some online resources for any kind of help but not sure where to reach out or feel overwhelmed by the several Google search results, please message me - I'll be checking in every day for a week from today (Aug 24th 2020). I'll send you some trusted resources. Let me know if you have a language preference.

Also every time I re-read sections to write or edit I CRINGEEEEEE. I tried to change it up a bit but hope y'all who're re-reading or new readers aren't cringing as much as me..... I'm sorry :(

Thanks for the feature!! I'm so late but this could not have happened without you guys... literally... because then no one would have voted LOL so now WTG has a star next to the title!!!! ^^

-deardeerhan