After speaking with Commander Eric, the wing was free to go. However, because of the new additions and schedule changes, the first few days of returning were generally organized chaos. Insoo’s wing and the newcomers had some relative downtime to get sorted before they returned to the thick of things, and they all used it as best they could, but adjusting to new people, new dragons, and new environments wasn’t always easy. Around all of the chaos though, Taekwoon and Jinki carved out time to get reacquainted and bring each other up to speed on what they’d stumbled across during their days apart. It was still challenging though, especially with Jinki still being busy as Satoru’s right hand man. Taekwoon found it a bit odd that Yongguk was still in Kokoshir with the King, but explaining everything as it was wasn’t half as difficult as it might have been.

            Jinki relayed what he could about the situation with the Aerie and especially what he’d discovered with the journal. Taekwoon was of course curious and though he had no better idea of what it meant, he was quite happy and proud of Jinki for having gotten into it. That also led to the discussion of the mural in front of Satoru’s office, but as they had nothing to go on yet, and Taekwoon had plenty to explain in turn, they set it aside for the time being.

            As Taekwoon had expected, Jinki was similarly fascinated by what had happened when he was gone. From meeting Chaerin and her group to finding the old aerie and the runes within… it was all quite incredible. He was particularly enthralled with the sparring matches but rightfully irritated with the mentioned Jungsu and automatically slightly distrustful of the rest of the riders.

            “I thought you liked Chaerin,” Taekwoon teased after he finished relaying his tale.

            “I did,” Jinki frowned slightly, glaring at his other half. “But that was before her… second in command tried to kill, or at least hurt, Insoo.”

            The response made Taekwoon chuckle and he kissed the side of Jinki’s head. “Jonghyun didn’t like Jungsu either. And we’re still not sure about Chaerin, but for now… she’s… alright,” he hedged. No, he didn’t trust her, but she treated her riders well, was rightfully protective of her dragon, and had otherwise proven to be a decent leader overall. More or less.

            “If you say so,” Jinki shrugged, melting under the welcome attention. “But I still think we’ll keep even more of an eye on them. Granted, Satoru has been having a field day getting them settled in. I swear. He was born for this kind of thing,” he laughed, shaking his head.

            “Yeah?” Taekwoon prompted, settling in to listen more attentively with a half-smile pulling at his lips.

            “He won’t show the stress or the worry that comes of adding seven riders and seven new dragons at one time. The logistics are a temporary nightmare, especially with winter coming in, but he was potentially ready for this likelihood. And he’s in his element organizing and delegating and making sure that everyone has what they need, and that anything they might immediately want is available,” Jinki laughed, snuggling closer to Taekwoon. “I don’t know that I’d ever be able to live up to his one man army ability,” he admitted, head resting against the rider’s chest so that he could probably hear the beating heart within.

            Taekwoon glanced down with a fond smile and placed warm lips against the top of his head. “I’m sure you’d figure it out,” he promised, voice full of confidence.

            Jinki laughed once and nodded slightly. “I would certainly try. But fortunately, I won’t have to. At least not anytime soon. That’s what Yongguk is for. And should he retire, maybe then I’ll have to do something. In the meantime, I’m just support and encouragement,” he explained, arms tightening around Taekwoon’s waist.

            “You’re not ‘just’ anything, my heart,” Taekwoon reminded him pointedly, firming his hold around the other man.

            “Thank you,” Jinki sighed, exhaling into the embrace further, obviously relaxed and at ease. For Taekwoon, no thanks were needed. This alone was enough, and he cherished it. Bahamut knew they wouldn’t have much of it in the near future.

            And Taekwoon was right about that. Even with the downtime, there was still plenty to do and help to get the Aerie ready for the long, cold winter months. With two wings back in residence, some of Insoo’s wing were quickly scheduled to make last moment runs to Miremaw for supplies and errands. And despite their new status, even some of Chaerin’s group were ‘encouraged’ to volunteer for quick patrol runs around the Aerie. Of course they were paired with veteran riders, but it was certainly an eventful first sevenday.

            That said nothing of getting checked over by Healer Mimi, including Insoo who kept trying to downplay his injury. Fortunately, it was nothing too serious, if a nasty wound all the same. As such, Insoo was forbidden from extensive combat and any heavy human work until the stitches Mimi gave him had a chance to help close the wound. The dragons also had to check in with Healer Hyesung, including the new ones, despite their riders’ assurances they were fine. All the returning riders had to touch base with Master Leatherworker Minsoo and, given the nature of the ongoing and increasing conflict, all weapons had to be inspected by Master Blacksmith Baekho. Then there were sessions with Combat Master Seunghyun to see where any deficiencies were and to determine the newcomer proficiencies…

            And for Taekwoon, all of the madness left very little time for actively getting back into library adventures with Jinki. In the first sevenday, both were exhausted enough that they agreed to simply get food, clean up, and then sleep, generally in that order. Sometimes, they could squeeze Jonghyun and Jongup in for short conversations and Jinki helped when he could with general care and maintenance of the dragons and their gear, but he was often busy with Satoru and Aerie Master duties too. And per his position, part of his role was getting to know the newcomers, which pulled his attention away from Taekwoon, even when they were in shared company. It was frustrating.

            But if it was frustrating for Taekwoon, it was doubly so for Chaerin and her group. Not unlike during their first meeting, the rest of the Aerie took a little warming up to Chaerin’s group as well. Of course the new riders and their dragons were given quarters and caves to settle in, as well as guides to help them around when needed, or at least points of contact given the lack of numbers present. And they were also welcome to use the dining hall and baths and whatever other amenities the Aerie had to offer. But they were a little awkward about integrating with a larger group.

            During meals, they often hovered closer to Insoo’s wing or simply remained by themselves, observing and listening to catch what whispers and snippets of conversation they could. That was expected enough for the first couple days, and it wasn’t until they started joining at least some of the classes that the guardedness began to crumble. Bit by bit, the newcomers felt more comfortable with separating from their initial core group and actually becoming a part of the Aerie.

            Taekwoon spent a fair bit of time watching over them all, but especially Chaerin still. He’d spoken with Gain about her, feeling that something was still off, and to his credit, she agreed, but neither could pinpoint what.

            “Fei is more than protective of her rider,” the regal gold explained in Trance, lounging comfortably in her human guise. “She carries fear and anger both but her main concern is protecting Chaerin.” Apparently, the two golds had spoken one on one on at least one occasion. It was enough for the experienced Paramour to get a feel of the younger gold, if nothing else.

            “And your thoughts on Chaerin?” Taekwoon asked, glad that someone else was at least relatively on his side. Even if they didn’t know all the details or have anything stronger to go on than gut feelings and intuition.

            “I admit… I am not sure,” Gain responded, tilting her head to the side in a very draconic gesture. “She smells familiar and it bothers me that I cannot place it,” she added with a frustrated glower. Taekwoon had half expected her to pout, but this was no playful matter.

            “I know she’s hiding something,” Taekwoon admitted slowly, knowing it was probably a foolish admission as he had no solid proof for it. But he felt it and he was done ignoring those feelings.

            “Oh undoubtedly,” the gold agreed with a wave of her hand and a nod of her head. “As most are,” she continued, stymying his immediate elation at her agreement. “But what she is hiding is of the greater concern. Will it prove dangerous to the Aerie, to her, or to something else? For now, we must continue watching and seeing where the scales tilt.”

            Taekwoon sighed and nodded his head reluctantly. He knew that much at least. “I understand,” he admitted with a tight sigh. “Have you noticed anything else?”

            Gain was quiet for a moment as she mulled the question over, golden eyes narrowed and one finger tapping against her chin. “Actually…” she hummed, biting her bottom lip. “Ryeowook has been seen investigating parts of the Aerie with great interest,” she explained, brows raised.

            “Oh?” he blinked, surprised by that fact and that she knew his name already. Granted, he shouldn’t have been about the latter – the Paramour was known for learning faces quickly.

            “And some of what he’s found has been making the others ask some interesting questions,” she mused, finger still tapping her chin. Taekwoon was quite interested in her words but his expression begged the question of how she knew about what the riders were saying. She laughed at his look and sat up in delight. “You should know that, with only some exceptions, dragons are very good gossips.”

            “But I thought they didn’t trust us?” he asked with a confused frown.

            “The humans and riders, no,” she confirmed with a light giggle. “But dragons are easier to read. We share similar thoughts and Trance, when we share thoughts, leaves few places to hide. After all, your own dragon is better at reading their dragons as opposed to their riders,” she reminded him with a gesture of her hand. “No,” she shook her head and smiled lightly. “I am more concerned about…” she started to say before her gaze darkened and she trailed off.

            “What?” Taekwoon prompted, frowning that she had anything to be concerned about. More so that she stopped herself from fully elaborating.

            Her expression changed in the blink of an eye and she smiled, waving her hand in front of her face dismissively as if nothing had happened. “It’s nothing. At least nothing you need to worry about. And as you’ve already seen these past sevendays, there are plenty of things to make one worry,” she reminded him, nodding towards the outside world vaguely.

            While that was true, Taekwoon didn’t buy it. She had stopped herself from talking about something specific and he wanted to know why, but pressing her would never get him the answer he desired. At best, he’d just annoy her. At worst, she’d kick him out of Trance rather painfully. Instead, he simply nodded and agreed, “You are right about that.”

            It was clear at that point their conversation was over so Taekwoon made his farewells and retreated from her room, leaving the dragon-heated warmth for the cold of the outside rather begrudgingly. No matter how many winters he lived through, the shock of it never got any better. Fortunately, Jinki felt similarly so their shared room was almost always warmed with a small covered brazier and heated stones for the bed. At least when they were there. Walking in the windy cold, he very much wished he was in the warmth of their room right now, but his thoughts were busy, even if he himself was not.

            Like Gain said, Chaerin and her group had been here for a couple sevendays now. They’d settled in well enough and were learning what they could at admirable rates. It would take them time to reach the level of combat readiness the Battalion riders were at, and some like Ryeowook would likely never get there, but they tried quite hard. Training outdoors with the dragons was very hit and miss as the weather had certainly taken a turn for the colder, not unusual this time of the year, but it made flying drills difficult. Though they had gear to keep them secured in their harnesses, it was dangerous anyway if the riders couldn’t feel their hands or if their faces and extremities got too cold. Healer Mimi had been fairly busy treating at least mild cases of cold sickness, but mostly it was nothing too serious.

            Flying was scheduled for the middle of the day and only on sunny days (mostly). Otherwise, there were plenty of ground combat drills they could practice. And when they weren’t occupied with other activities, he and the rest of Insoo’s wing were busy pushing Chaerin and her group with more and more conditioning. Without fail, they seemed particularly driven to do what they could. He couldn’t fault them there. Though the news of what at least Ryeowook had been doing in his off time made Taekwoon curious. It was significant that Gain hadn’t told him what questions he’d been asking or what he’d particularly been looking at. She was obviously expecting him to do some legwork.

            “Alright then,” he nodded to himself, scanning the Aerie common area briefly as he made his way towards the dining hall. Close to dark, no one much stayed outside so the stalls in the courtyard were quiet and empty. Only a couple dragons could be seen in the open and there were even fewer people obviously out and about. They hadn’t quite gotten into the heart of winter yet, but being in the mountains and it being near nightfall, no one wanted to be outside if they could help it.

            Taekwoon found that most of the Aerie was clustering in the dining hall, where the heat from the kitchens could seep through the carved stone wall and provide some relief. Not surprisingly, there was a surplus of people lingering closer to the left side of the room as opposed to the right. Most lessons were finished and even the Masters had taken to regularly joining everyone so they could partake of the shared body heat if nothing else.

            He didn’t see Jinki immediately, but that wasn’t surprising for the Aerie Master in Training. Though most people got less busy in the winter, it seemed as if the Aerie heads did not. They were busy with logistics and supplies and keeping communication lines open and still trying to maintain the business of being impartial bodies that defended and protected those outside the Aerie when needed. Interestingly though, he did see Junsu present with the Masters. The Priest had been hiding away for the first several days he’d been here, and though Taekwoon had been glad to see him, it had hurt to match the diminished man that he was now to the vibrant priest he’d once been. Few knew all the details but it was enough that he was here for now. Even if his presence was mostly shrouded in mystery.

            Like usual, Taekwoon briefly touched base with his non-rider friends, glad they were all otherwise present, and then moved to join his wing. The number of riders inside the Aerie was almost gut-wrenchingly small. As they’d only recently returned and were charged with helping train the newest additions, they hadn’t been assigned any challenging tasks or runs beyond the quick Miremaw runs. Yet. Other dragonriders had not been so lucky. Most had been ordered to take turns making quick runs to nearby sister cities or to pass by the northern edge of Kinshire to make sure there were no encroaching enemy dragons making use of the winter moons. Even Captain Yunho had taken to making more frequent patrols in the surrounding areas to help fill in. And Dragon Master Dongwan just looked tired.

            “Have a good chat?” Wonshik asked as Taekwoon moved to take a seat, grinning from ear to ear mischievously, his tone implying more than talking had happened.

            “As usual,” Taekwoon nodded, refusing to take the bait, but smiling just a touch.

            “Ugh. You’re no fun,” he lamented almost comically, looking around the table to try and gain some support.

            The riders in Insoo’s wing chuckled and just shook their heads, though Insoo himself did muse, “It is interesting that, though you visit the Paramours fairly often, you do not use their services at all.”

            Taekwoon’s slight eye roll was answer enough to how he felt about that statement. Fortunately, he had an ally of sorts in Taeyeon, who pointed at the Wing Leader and countered, “If you had a mate, you wouldn’t need to use their services either.”

            Insoo had the grace to cough as if clearing his throat, his ears tinging pink. That of course prompted the others to laugh at his response and Jinyoung reached over to pat him on the back in a pseudo pitying gesture. “Yes, well,” he forced out, voice sounding gruff and tight. “It’s not as if we can just look under a rock and find a mate anywhere,” he added, hands gesturing in the air while he looked down, clearly embarrassed.

            “Maybe you’re just not looking in the right places.” Taeyeon’s response made him flush even harder. It didn’t help that his wing – Taekwoon excluded – added a chorus of ‘Ooos’ to that comment.

            He didn’t laugh, but Taekwoon did crack a smile. It was nice they were maybe finally taking steps in the direction they’d obviously been sort of heading in recently. After the sparring bouts, Taeyeon had fallen into a slump of sorts and Insoo had been helping her work through it. The rest of his wing had been gossiping about something happening eventually, and making bets on it. It looked like something might finally happen. But even as their attention shifted away and things started to die down to a more normal setting, Taekwoon felt like someone was looking at them. Curious, he blinked and did a quick scan of the room, looking without making it obvious he was doing so. He wasn’t entirely surprised to see that Chaerin and some of her riders were the likely culprits. Commander Eric was checking on them periodically and they often got sidelong looks from the other Aerie residents when they got loud, but all things considered, he figured it was Chaerin and company.

            Which was why he was ready when she ventured the beginning of a question. “Actually, speaking of mates…” Chaerin started, leaning their direction with her hand partially raised and her expression slightly troubled.

            Immediately, Insoo’s wing quieted, giving her their complete attention. By her reaction, the shift very nearly made her not ask. “Actually what?” Insoo prompted, leaning forward with his arms loosely crossed on the table as he encouraged her to continue.

            Chaerin glanced specifically at Ryeowook, who nodded subtly, and then took a breath to continue. “We’ve been talking and we were wondering… where are the children?” she finished, chewing on the inside of her bottom lip. A look around with a furrowed brow followed the inquiry and the riders instinctively followed her lead. At the very front of the room, near the Master’s table, there was a small group of younger Aerie residents, all of whom would be considered children.

            Hesitantly, Insoo gestured towards them. “They’re up there, near the Masters.”

            Even as a couple in the wing were trying not to laugh at the obvious answer, Chaerin waved her hand dismissively and frowned. “I mean the babies,” she clarified more forcefully. “Or at least Aerie resident children. Those are orphans or tributes or promised children,” she went on, obviously troubled by this.

            While the others expressed brief confusion over the question, mulling it over in their minds and searching for an answer, Taekwoon felt as if the rug had been pulled out from beneath him. More accurately, it felt like something inside, that he hadn’t even known was there, broke. It left him feeling detached but it also gave him the immediate answer… there were none.

            “I know that the… Symbiosis,” she flailed, struggling to find the name, “supposedly makes your infertile, but what about the residents?” Clearly she’d been doing her homework or at least learning about the dragons and riders from the Masters in the Aerie.

            Taekwoon was confused enough that Jonghyun chose to check in. Okay?

            Still floundering, he answered, Yes. Maybe. But that didn’t quite encompass the whole of his feelings and he couldn’t help but add, There really are no babies in the Aerie, are there?

            Jonghyun’s confusion was palpable, but it gave way to the same sense of discomfort that Taekwoon was grappling with. No… and old aerie did, he added, thinking hard about what that might mean.

            Taekwoon would have continued the conversation but he focused in on Chaerin’s running thoughts. “At first, we thought they might have just been in a separate area. Somewhere isolated to keep them safe and let them grow out of harm’s way but… at this point, it just looks like there are none.”

            “Huh,” Insoo murmured, a frown of real confusion on his face. It was mirrored by the rest of the wing as well, pinched faces mulling over something that didn’t make sense. But even as they turned it over, it felt as if something subtle and unseen crept back in, tugging at the thoughts doggedly. “Well, a good number of us are riders and we can’t sire children and many in the Aerie use the services of the Paramours, all of whom take care not to sire children.”

            “And I seem to remember hearing about someone having a baby, but I don’t remember who,” Jinyoung added, expression drawn as if he was struggling to remember a name or a face.

            “Given the recent times, it makes sense that there are none right now,” Taeyeon volunteered, working at her bottom lip with her teeth. “I mean, with the situation beyond the Aerie, who would want to have children if a fight is coming?” Her words said one thing but her body language and her tone seemed to show she wasn’t convinced.

            “I understand the riders but what about the rest of the Aerie residents? The ones who aren’t bonded to a rider or use the Paramour services?” Chaerin asked more pointedly, sending a glance at two pairs that were sitting in relative proximity to each other: Sunny and Seunghyun and Amber and Kibum. Both had tried to keep their relationships under wraps and though there was never any obvious, public interactions, the connections, and pairings, were undeniable.

            Wooyoung grimaced and shook his head. “It’s probably a sympathetic response, you know?” Chaerin and her group frowned at the preposterousness of the very idea. “I mean, they’re all in close proximity to the dragons and the riders. It’s not impossible that there’s some sort of effect on them,” he shrugged, defending himself as best he could but to Taekwoon, it seemed as if he was grasping at straws.

            “It’s probably because a number of factors,” Insoo nodded sagely, glancing around at his wing as if they’d contributed something strong and supportive.

            “But the other aerie likely had children. And dragon hatchlings,” Chaerin pressed, all the more confused for their lack of acceptance of what she saw.

            “We don’t actually know about the children and the hatchlings is something that changed with the Symbiosis process. That was all before the Dragon Wars, you know,” Jinyoung offered quickly, hands gesturing as if to prove his point.

            Chaerin looked at Ryeowook and the rest of her group. They all seemed just as confused as her. To be fair, Taekwoon was too… But it was a semi familiar sensation. He’d experienced something like it when he was reading the books he and Jinki were trying to unravel. The fact that he felt it now made him wonder if they were somehow connected. Perhaps the magic book could tell him something about this?

            And even as the others were already willing to let the thought slip from their mind, reverting to more comfortable and familiar things, Taekwoon was still puzzling it out. Glancing up, he noticed Chaerin watching him, a searching stare on her face. He blinked in surprise and her expression firmed into… something showing certainty. She knew, or at least recognized, that he was different. That he didn’t feel the way his wing did. Her attention shifted from him to Ryeowook and was followed by a slight nod. She didn’t look at him again, but Taekwoon knew this was far from over. And really… it was kind of nice knowing that he wasn’t the only one that felt things were strangely amiss. Jinki felt it in moments, but the effect was rarely sustained. The fact that Chaerin and company had apparently been asking around and doing their own research seemed to show they weren’t under whatever’s influence was here… At least not strongly.

            Mate thinks strange too, Jonghyun added unexpectedly, surprising Taekwoon.

            Other dragons? Taekwoon wondered, purposefully looking down so as to not stare in Chaerin’s direction.

            Unsure. Will ask, his dragon answered, letting the connection drop for now.

            It was troubling, for sure. And he had to wonder about the areas that Ryeowook had been investigating as to prompt such questions. His expression turned thoughtful as he came across another idea, one that didn’t sit with him too well but might be worth following up on. Ryeowook could read runes. Or at least recognize what they meant. The magic book… had many runes in it. Maybe…?

            He was snapped out of his ruminations when Jinki appeared in a whirlwind of fidgety energy. “Ugh!” he exhaled, plopping down beside Taekwoon with all the awareness of a self-focused child. It was an unusual response but when he was wound up from Aerie business, it happened sometimes. “Sorry I’m late,” he apologized, shaking his head and glancing around the group to mutely greet the other members of the present wing.

            Surprised and caught briefly off guard, Taekwoon forced a smile and shook his head, “It’s alright. I figured you were busy.” That was true enough and an easy answer.

            “Quite,” Jinki answered, belatedly becoming aware of a strange lingering energy. He glanced around the group with a slightly perplexed look and tilted his head. “What did I miss?”

            Ordinarily, Taekwoon would have tried to distract him but… he was curious. With one hand, he subtly motioned at Chaerin to hold her tongue and instead offered Jinki the current quandary. “We were just commenting about how it’s strange that there are no Aerie children here,” he explained, watching Jinki’s features closely.

            For his part, Jinki hit the same mental wall Taekwoon did, grappled for an acceptable response, and, though it took longer, he fell into the same explanatory pattern that the other riders did. In a supportive loop, they ended up echoing each other and confirming that there was in fact a justifiable explanation for it.

            Strange… Jonghyun muttered, listening into the conversation.

            Agreed, Taekwoon echoed in response. Chaerin and company do not agree, he added, feeling her gaze upon him once more.

            Interesting, his dragon hummed, clearly wary about the situation.

            Very. Taekwoon let his gaze drift towards the other rider, meeting her gaze briefly. She was still confused but her expression was suspicious now. Of the wing’s response or his, he wasn’t sure, but he did know that he should definitely have a talk with them later… He didn’t want to because it was still Chaerin and he still didn’t trust her, but she was apparently different like he himself was. That was reason enough, no matter his suspicion.

            “You okay?” Jinki asked, noticing his distraction and leaning close to follow his gaze.

            “Huh?” Taekwoon chirped, flinching at the unexpected intrusion. “Yes,” he blurted next, answering the question by rote.

            “Something I should know about?” he wondered, glancing uncertainly at Chaerin and company. It was impossible not to hear the note of caution in the question.

            “Maybe,” Taekwoon reassured, placing a hand on Jinki’s thigh and giving it a light squeeze. “Later,” he promised with a smile as he turned his full attention on his other half. Seeking to divert the conversation, he asked, “And why were you late?”

            Mild suspicion warred with guilt and the latter won quickly. Jinki sighed and rolled his eyes. “Supplies…” he groaned, leaning his head against Taekwoon’s shoulder. “Well, numbers, more to the point, but yeah,” he nodded, forcing a laugh he obviously didn’t feel. “And… you know,” he added, sitting up and shrugging helplessly. It was an obvious hint about what he could and couldn’t say.

            “Ah,” the dragonrider nodded in understanding. “I see,” he smiled, looking to the table for something he could immediately put in front of his other half. He spied a plate of leftover carved beef with a smattering of vegetables and snagged the whole thing so he could lay it in front of both of them.

            “Thank you,” he grinned, reaching for a piece of seasoned meat immediately.

            “Of course,” Taekwoon grinned, watching his other half begin to eat heartily with pleasure. He took a piece, just to keep Jinki from making the suggestion first, and cast a significant look at Chaerin. She was still looking at him furtively, obviously trying to catch him unawares or figure something out. He simply gave her a subtle shake of his head and gestured again with his finger. They would speak again for sure, but later. Not here.

            She took a small breath, obviously confused and at least a little frustrated, but then nodded once. And then she actually flinched in surprise when Jungkook leaned forward to try and capture her attention again. Falling easily into the roll of companion dragonrider, she pulled away from Taekwoon’s attention and focused on the other rider, listening to his question, or whatever he was talking about.

            “So,” Jinki interrupted Taekwoon’s thoughts. “Did you want to try and make a library run tonight? I’ve got some time and if you’re free, we can see what we can find,” he smiled, nudging the other man lightly with his elbow.

            Taekwoon was tired and his thoughts were full of the quandary Chaerin had proposed, but given their lack of ability to investigate recently… “Yes,” he agreed with a quick smile. “It would be nice to see what else we can find,” he added, reaching out to take another piece of meat as well, chewing on it thoughtfully.

            “Good,” Jinki grinned, mostly oblivious to Taekwoon’s inner thoughts, though he did cast a curious look up at him a time or two. He wasn’t completely oblivious after all, even with whatever was messing with his ability to focus on certain topics.

            He didn’t know why he was at least somewhat immune to whatever that was, but Taekwoon was proud of his other half for being able to focus as much as he was. Given his wing’s reaction, it was significant indeed. Even more so because of Chaerin and her group’s reaction as well. Yep… as much as he didn’t like it, a conversation with her and her group was definitely something he was going to have to do.