The blue expanse of the wall in his room gave way for more drawing places, the splash of technicolored faces creeping up and down the smooth planes. The beautiful murals were the evidences of an artisan's work - his emotions and stresses. He tightly grasped his paintbrush while he thoughtfully worked on the intricate outlines of the flowers and all the leaves. He was trying to finish his family tree but somewhere along the line of his father, the connection suddenly broke, like a radio losing its frequency. He was pulled out of his wistful reverie when a knock on the door cracked the silence.

"Jongin, let's eat," a boy in his early twenties with a brown muff of hair peeked in from his door, giving off a wide grin. "I cooked some decent meal."

"I'm still working on my murals. Later," Jongin said in response as his eyes still roamed around his work.

"But then, the soup would have gone cold and you're always working on that. Look at your skin. You're gray." The intruder frowned at him.

"Says the one who is orange. I'll eat later, Chanyeol."

"Monggu is becoming thinner and thinner because he doesn't eat whenever you're not around. If he dies, who'll be guarding around the Edifice?"

"You're using Monggu to lure me into eating dinner with you?" Jongin flatly stated, although the disbelief was evident in his features.

Park Chanyeol was Kim Jongin's best mate. They were bonded by the Unit like brothers and as Jaegers - the soldiers trained by their government; they fought with demons together, not ever leaving each others' side. They were the descendants of the Last Humans who strived for the unbelievable escape of humanity from the evil reign of the Six Princes of Hell and were set to defend the world against the remaining emir, Asmodeus.

"You know what, Park, I sometimes think you chose me as your partner in being a Jaeger because you're actually going gay for me."

"Oh, Jongin! You don't know how you make me wet when you kill demons!" Chanyeol exclaimed in a faux kicky manner, waving both of his hands then putting them on his chest like an elementary school kid.

"Wow, I never knew I was that hot."

"You and your ego, Jongin. Seriously, you need to dive it down."

"Alright, alright. I'll eat with you, okay?" Jongin slammed his paintbrush down on the table by the foot of his bed and shook his bangs away from his eyes. He padded grudgingly toward the door while he tried to wipe off the already-dried paint on his palms up to his arms. "Where's Kris, anyway? He always dines with you. You don't pester me this much when he does."

"Is that the reason why you don't want to eat with me? Because I am always with Kris?" Chanyeol playfully smacked the younger lad on his shoulder and frowned immediately as they made their way through the hall. "God, Jongin. You could slice me with those shoulder blades."

"That's why they're called shoulder blades. A blade. It is a blade, ."

" shoulder blades."

"How many times do I have to tell you to not swear inside the Edifice, Chanyeol?" The voice from the other end of the corridor echoed and Jongin heard Chanyeol swear under his breath.

"Should Chanyeol go out now to say ' swearing', then?"

"Put 20 won inside the swear jar. Now." Tao said to him, his eyes transforming into dangerous slits. "You, too, Kim Jongin."

"Oh, just make him run around the Edifice without his clothing, Zitao. Baekhyun would appreciate it much. It's like giving a kid some candy. Except, Chanyeol is not a candy. Baekhyun is a kid, though."

"He said you, too, Kim." Chanyeol fished the pocket of his baggy pants for some money and sent off a murderous look to Jongin.

"Nah. I didn't actually cuss. I only quoted. That doesn't apparently count," he shrugged and paused, as if thinking of anything else to say. Then, continued. "I guess I'll see you later at practice, Yeol."

"What about the soup that I made?" Chanyeol protested when Jongin started to go back to his room. "Kris is out for a meeting with the mermen."

"Go eat it with Tao. He pretty much deserves a treat."

"Go to Hell, Jongin."

"I will. I'll tell Asmodeus you said hi."

* * *

"You're not doing it right," said Yixing as he heavily sighed after a few laps of retrieving the tossed knives and daggers. "You're just making me run and run. I don't even get the logic of this." He looked at their yard and gestured to the untouched apple sitting quietly on the edge of a chair as it enjoyed the beautiful force of inertia.

"Just be patient with me. You know I don't have steady hands. Please be patient. I just- I need to be able to learn this. If I don't, the officers wouldn't even look at me when I come for the screenings."

"If they do look at you, what do you think will they see?"

"Yixing, please. I want to avenge those who killed my parents."

"There will be times when you have to run while in combat. If you train to be one of them, will they take care of you?" Yixing whipped his head to finally look at his friend, only to find out that the latter was already crying. "Kyungsoo, I didn't mean to be harsh."

"You weren't being harsh. It's just these stupid feet. Why do they even have to screw at their job? If I could just walk..."

"Kyungsoo, look at me." Yixing dropped down to his knees to meet at Kyungsoo's eye level. "I'll help you, okay? You'd be able to kill someone in a 10-meter radius before this week ends."

"By throwing knives and daggers?" Kyungsoo asked, wiping the tears from his cheeks. He snatched the bag of weapons from Yixing, resting it on his lap, as he wheeled himself to his original position.

"By throwing knives and daggers." Yixing nodded and stayed at his friend's side. "Now, think that that apple is a demon. That's the demon who killed your parents. Then, aim and throw."

Kyungsoo did everything that Yixing said. He focused on the apple and saw it warped into a demon; his blood curling in his veins as he aimed and threw knife after knife to the direction of the demon. His vision were a plane of blotches of black and red when it started to become hazy. He didn't realize that he was crying hard, already being stopped by Yixing. The older clasped both of his shoulders and dug his fingernails on his shirt. Kyungsoo gradually registered the pain from his shoulders and that's the only time he halted.

"Next lesson, I think, is to keep ourselves intact, Kyungsoo." Yixing breathed out after a couple of moments and his lips broke into a slow grin.