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Wait, seriously? Adolphe?

[ he met that guy... whadda hell... but more important than knowing the culprit is knowing the victim, right? well, still though, he can't help recalling his appearance now—the sharp ears atop his head, fluffy tail behind him. it's not that choi had a bad impression of him—it was great, actually, but he wasn't he also a predator? just like himself, and saheon... with those soft ears and sprouting horns, it isn't hard to tell—

saheon is a prey animal.

something complicated stirs in agent choi. worry, he guesses? that's what makes sense. he can't shake the feeling that the changes affecting saheon might have something to do with what happened, at least in his case, but also...

...

no. no, he's not thinking about it? he's not thinking about it. even if his ears flick in dissatisfaction, brows scrunching together and tail swishing behind him. even as he opens his mouth to breathe in, tasting the scents hanging around saheon on his tongue. among them, there are some that are familiar: saheon's own, and caelus' too, but there may also be the unfamiliar. ones choi has yet to encounter, or to pay attention to, but... is there a predator among them?

... focus, agent. swallowing his findings down, let him try to recover from the momentary pause. ANYWAY!! ]

So? How's it taste?

[ his turn. ]

[ These days, Saheon keeps to his room, so any scents around him that aren't from the hotel or Choi himself are stale and faded. But perhaps Choi will remember an early morning back towards the first week in November. Saheon crept home in the early hours of dawn sporting a foul mood, a bruised wrist, and the smell of predatory intent that Choi might recognize. Maybe he even may have remembered Ivan's smell, from his own encounter.

But who can say. In the present, Saheon glances at Choi's flicking tail and open mouth, the expression of a cat that is smelling something interesting, and goes very still. The ears flick up once, like a spooked horse.

He doesn't care. He doesn't care if something looks big and dangerous, and it's not his fault if his brain gets convinced that standing still in his doorway somehow renders him invisible. He's a normal guy, and he just hates when his stupid roommate acts like an animal. It's weird.

It takes him a second to grit his teeth and work his jaw into a scowl. ]

Like the white grape soju they sell at the cheap bar near work.

[ He takes a full bite, chewing to distract himself and keep his gaze away from Choi. ]

Would be great if it actually was alcoholic. We should talk to Seishirou about his homebrewing scheme, I think he could get a good flavor out of this.

[ it's just as well that he's scowling—choi doesn't see it. he turns his gaze away the moment those ears of saheon's perk up, body stilling, and decides that this ugly dent in the wall over here seems suddenly remarkably interesting. he just needs a moment to ignore the heart that's skipped a beat at the sight of saheon's reaction, and to swallow down the instinct that wants to keep its eyes on him because of it.

the full moon is pretty close, huh...

absently, his right hand comes up to trace his fingers against the ink black sigil on the back of his left. ]

Oh? Where'd you hear about that?

[ news to choi, but then he'll wave his hand dismissively. ]

It's your tree though, so whatever makes you happy, yeah?

When we woke up after the... thing. He was real chatty about his desire for grapes in order to make friends.

[ And he said Saheon was a nice guy! Yay! Even if he was totally lying! Yay! Nobody gets to know that except Saheon, it's one of his few bright memories in this shitshow of a month.

He takes another bite of the apple (and is he detecting perhaps, a subtle flavor of mint?) and keeps up his mutual stare at the wall before finally focusing on Choi enough to really glare at him. ]

My tree.

[ He stares at the pot. ]

Do you even know how to take care of trees?

[ It's going to be this poor rural farmboys responsibility, isn't it? Another chore for the poor victim, Saheon, vested in him my this city slicker!]

[ this guy clearly doesn't know that even choi is trying to see him as a human being and not a walking risk assessment measure. anyway, he's chattering on, so agent choi will be able to turn his gaze back to him now. it's probably fine, with only the slow, steady swish of his tail betraying his momentary weakness now.

he does snort a little as saheon repeats after him, smile stretching into a grin. ]

Yeah, yours~ But I'm a civil servant, not a gardener. Uh, let's see...

[ hm. he makes a bit of a face here, scrunching it up, before surrendering to what he must do. ]

That guy, Adolphe, he said he used to grow his own food, so maybe him? Be careful though.

[ like he's worried or something. ]

Absolutely not.

[ His tone turns defensive on a dime. He's not even willing to entertain why Choi would make such an expression, mostly because Saheon thinks Adolphe is really really annoying. Why would he ask that freak for help? Why does Choi think he should ask that freak for help? The two of them are on equal terms, if he starts asking for favors it's going to be like he needs or likes Adolphe or they're friends and...

...He drags the pot slightly closer with a loud scraping sound. ]

So you think I can't do it? [ Impossible bastard. ] I'm from Asan-si, Agent. My family had an orchard.

[ saheon denies the suggestion vehemently right out the gates, and to be honest? choi doesn't mind at all. he can feel something—not relief, but maybe more akin to satisfaction? that grin of his flashes sharp teeth for a moment, but the worry dissipates quickly in its wake, replaced by a full-blown laugh. he wasn't expecting that! ]

Uhaha!! No, no, not what I'm saying at all. How was I supposed to know?

[ it's not like they spend a lot of time talking about where they come from between the two of them. ]

Just let me know what kind of supplies you might need. I'll keep an eye out~

[ consider that him taking responsibility. ]

You weren't. Why would I tell you crap like that?

[ Saheon is sure he doesn't care where Choi is from. As far as he's concerned, this thing spawned from whatever hole in the ground the government makes their dogs and it sprung out fully formed and ready to rush off into sewers or ghost stories etc. ]

Never been? Guess you wouldn't have the free time for hot springs trips... Unless you had work out there.

[ He squints at Choi for a moment, looking him up and down. He might have seen this bastard before, after all? Saheon would just never know it if he was one of the agents always lurking around.

Whatever. Saheon turns back to look at the tree with a shake of his head. He could just have easily run into Choi wandering around the area another day. Maybe he really did come on vacation. Onyang-dong and it's springs are the singular redeeming quality of the Asan area. ]

[ agent choi is far from oblivious to that suspicious gaze of saheon's looking him over. still, he maintains an air of more casual interest, chattering on. ]

Asan-si, you said? Nah, never got the chance.

[ you know how it is with their line of work—really, there are more than enough supernatural disasters in seoul alone that he doesn't need to travel far to find something to do. that, and he doesn't really see the advantage to laying this card out on the table yet, but saheon's insistence on hot spring trips does bring something to mind. ]

I kept telling my hoobaes we should go to the hot springs together, I'd foot the bill, but we never ended up getting around to it...

[ it's too bad. really. ]

[ No reaction? Maybe Saheon was just being suspicious for nothing. ]

Because they probably know you can't foot the bill.

[ Or be counted on to show up, if a call comes out. Saheon can imagine it now 'OOPS! SORRY! u guyz ENJOY W/O ME :^D " or some other flavor irritating text.

He waves a hand with another extended, theatrical sigh. ]

Asan isn't even that fun, so your hoobaes missed nothing. I'd rather take a trip down to a tropical island.

What's with that—are you calling me unreliable, brat!?

[ he says that, but the way he says it is more playful than genuinely challenging. ah—yeah, this is great. this is great. ]

Hey, maybe you can show us around when we finally get the chance to go~ Ah, but for now, we shouldn't leave this in the hall here, right? Won't get any sunlight.

[ he's already coming back up to the strange little apple tree, moving to grab either side of it. ]

I'll carry it, just show me where to put it.

You're only reliable at the worst times. You didn't even have the decency die in the sewers...

[ Saheon didn't get Choi life savings or his lighter...

But his tone is also light. A constant barrage of insults is just how Saheon blows off steam. If he had friends...he'd probably enjoy teasing them like Choi does his juniors.

Choi saves Saheon the awesome opportunity to get another jab in about his broken arm by deftly offering to carry first. With a sigh, the younger man trudges past him towards the main gallery of their shared loft.]

Should go over here. You want the most direct sunlight we can get.

[ choi will follow along helpfully as saheon leads the way, potted tree in hand. what kind of manners does saheon think he has to think he'd let him make it all the way to his complaints before offring? there is nothing that choi takes if not the initiative, you know. ]

Aw, don't you think I'm a good guy to have around? I don't have much in savings.

[ civil servant paycheque, you know how it is. scaled for hazard, but nowhere near the degree to which daydream work is.

he sets the pot down where indicated, dusting off his hands and setting them on his hips to take a look. ]

—And you'd have to fight Bronze-ie to get ahold of them anyway, haha!

[ delusional if he thinks that stickler for the rules is going to accept a note from inside a disaster area as a will. coming from a daydream employee no less. ]

But I'll tell you what. When we get out of here, I'll treat you to a meal for your good behaviour. I know a great tripe hot pot place~

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