Every time she closes her eyes to sleep, she would find herself staring at the clock that kept on ticking across the room. All because she couldn’t even get a shut-eye because every time she attempts to sleep, she would be reminded of how she fell while she was in the Void. Astraea could remember that day, she had just finished chasing yet another monster that dwelled within the dark place in search of a soul to devour. It felt like the ground itself cracked into two and she fell in between them, only to wake up on another ground that she found too familiar; she was laying on top of the grass and she could definitely taste the dirt. A few decades have gone by and she couldn’t even recall what Earth even looked like, they were in another century and everything has changed. Much like the others who were not Empaths and haven’t been on Earth for a while, she was confused by her surroundings.

No one knew why they were suddenly on Earth, but for the past few months they’ve been there, everyone was trying to adapt to the new changes. Herself included. Earth seemed so different from the last time she was an Empath. 80 years have passed and everything seemed a lot peaceful. Unlike the others, Astraea didn’t find any comfort being back on Earth, for reasons only she knew. But there was nothing she could do but find a way to live like a normal person. So she went around the eternal city seeking a freelance job or the likes. Fortunately, Astraea was able to land herself a part-time job as a waitress at one of the cafes located in the city center. It was getting really late, her eyes fell on the clock that was hung across the room, the arrow was ticking down to 11. 

The Aurazin was currently cleaning the last few tables when she peeked outside through the windows, it wasn’t too dark, there were lampposts at every block but she had to also remind herself that she was residing in a heavily populated supernatural community. And it didn’t help when she wasn’t even sure if she wouldn’t stumble across any shady human on her way back. Not everyone is necessarily nice and she understood that but perhaps, a part of her still believed everyone had that good in them. Clearly, she hasn’t been living as much. If the world is more peaceful now compared to the past, people should be the same, right? Wrong. But Astraea doesn’t know that. Tossing the rag into the compartment next to the counter after washing them, Astraea took off the apron tied around her waist and craned her neck, the exhaustion was slowly setting in, especially after working a two four-hour split shift for breakfast and dinner today.

 She double checked everything and switched off the lights before making her way out the back. It didn’t start going wrong until she turned around a block and could sense another’s presence trailing behind her, and it was not a good aura she’s usually surrounded with. It wasn’t hard to know if someone had malevolent intentions when you could straight off sense it off them. If you think positively, nothing will happen, she murmured to herself. Her eyes were busy trying to find another way but she didn’t know the city that well, so shortcuts were very off-putting. Her heart was threatening to jump out when she could hear the footsteps getting closer.

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He chuckled under his breath for a moment “Well whichever brochure tried to sell you that pipe dream, you should tell them you want a refund” he commented bluntly, believing one place was better than another implied that people, in general, were different from one place to another and in his experience, that was not the case. Everybody was selfish, they wanted money or they wanted power and most people were more than happy to step on others to get it. “Want to know the key to being safer?” he questioned raising his brows for a moment “Don’t trust people and get a really good self-defense teacher” Sunmin had never been trained but he’d gotten in his fair share of fights, enough to know how to get people to back up.

It actually surprised him when she responded in such a disheartened way when he asked her if she was trying to analyze him, he was being sarcastic after all, nothing he said was supposed to be directly accusatory. “Oh you’re one of those people who apologize for everything” he commented and wrinkled his nose “You know it’s not that easy to offend me right?” he chuckled in an entertained fashion. “There are definitely people who want to change the world” he protested in a bitter tone “And not for the better, I mean you’ve got people making everyone below them take a pay cut just so they can have a luxury yacht, doesn’t seem like there’s much justice there to me” he had seen people struggle, a couple of his friends had been so close to starvation in the past. So no, he didn’t think most people wanted a better world, perhaps a better world for themselves, but not for everyone.

She was an interesting one, he couldn’t quite figure her out if he was honest, she seemed too trusting and optimistic, the kind of person you kinda wanted to lock in their room so they couldn’t wander into all the dangers of the world because who knew where they would accidentally stumble to. She also seemed pretty ditzy, kinda like she was in her own little world. He wondered what it was like, to have that much hope and positivity constantly rushing around you. Did it make things easier or were you just setting yourself up for eventual disappointment? “But most of the time” he commented and chuckled when she realized she had talked about herself in a strange way “You’re definitely not a city girl are you?” he commented with a narrowed gaze as he watched her “You seem like something else entirely” though he wasn’t sure exactly what.

She seemed to take everything he said so seriously, it was almost amusing to him, though it did feel strange to have someone actually listen for once. That was new. Eventually, he relented after her poking and hopped back from the curb, falling into step beside her, his hands buried in his pockets as he continued to lead the way towards the subway station “So you’re scared hmm?” he commented when she said she needed to be able to think about risks before she took them “What’s the worst that could happen?” you could die, he supposed, but he wasn’t all that afraid of death, perhaps because he had spent a life surrounded by it and he had become numb to the idea already. “I’ve had my fair share, funnily enough, some of the best moments I can name come from them” Sunmin didn’t do regrets, they were a waste of time, so he reached for every chance.

Maybe it was meant to be funny, even if it’s in a condescending way or perhaps, a sarcastic one. But Astraea didn’t feel it, or rather, the message of the intention didn’t arrive to her which left the girl staring at him with a small frown. Was it really that impossible to believe that things could be better? What did he know that she didn't? She decided to leave it be because she wasn’t exactly one who could talk about the ‘experience’ of being around people over the years. Her life in the veil was different from the life she led now, she constantly reminded herself of that. Nonetheless, she paid close attention to every single word that escaped him, he seemed more street smart, maybe she could take a few pointers from him. It’s the key to lead whatever life she has now, right? “How am I supposed to get by if I don’t trust people?” 

She was genuinely curious about that, of course, she never needed much of them while carrying out her duty but that was solely because she was there to comfort people, they didn’t know her, they only saw her as someone they wished to see the most. As for the really good self-defense teacher, it made the Aurazin bite her lip because it reminded her very much of what her father would say. Well, step-father. “I think I’m fine with the second part… though I don’t get why we need to fight. If the other side fights and this side fights, when will it end? It’s just going to be a never-ending cycle of torture.” While she knew things wouldn’t be as easy to just say you want to stop and do that, someone like her couldn’t refrain herself from asking. “I don’t apologize… for everything” she murmured silently, her lips were jutted out to form a pout while the same frown was etched on her soft features. In her defense, she didn’t apologize for everything. How was she supposed to know it was probably a figure of speech?

 “I just thought we shouldn’t… offend anyone, in any fashion at all.” It was as if it just took a turn on him and the aura flipped into a 180, leaving the female to take one step back instinctively because it almost overwhelmed her due to his strong emotion. It changed the color of his aura significantly which molded into another one. She let out a whine slightly when he teased her again on the third person thing, “Why do I bother…” she huffed, narrowing her eyes at the taller male and crossed her arms, only to shrink slightly when he pointed out how weird she was being. The whole point was to keep your life under wraps and lead a normal front, Astraea. “I don’t know what you’re talking about… I’m just as ordinary as any other person out there. Albeit a bit naive and optimistic but not every good person in this world is gone… we’re not endangered.” Astraea was proud to call herself someone good, when you’ve been in that line of work your entire life, you want to tell yourself that you’re contributing something good.

 She was aware she was short and considerably petite but she suddenly felt smaller when he jumped off the curb and landed next to her. What was the worst that could happen? “You could get yourself in big trouble and… maybe even lead yourself to death? Isn’t dying scary?” It was scary to her, even until this day, she couldn’t quite forget that. “Imagine leaving the world one day without so much as a goodbye to your loved ones, won’t that feel unfair?”

He raised a curious brow when she asked how she was supposed she was supposed to get by with her life if she didn’t trust in others, he shrugged slightly “Trust yourself” he responded and nodded, he always made the best decision for himself, even if it wasn’t what other people wanted him to do. It was selfish sure, but that was the answer to getting by “Do the things that are best for you” he added and nodded slightly. He couldn’t say he had met a single person in his life that hadn’t had some ulterior motive for something or other, he didn’t see much genuinity in the world honestly. He wasn’t a fan of fighting either, which might be surprising considering how quick he could be to throw himself into one, but it was a needs must thing for him, he didn’t look forward to it, nor did he condone it “Because like it or not, there are people who just don’t care for leaving others be” whether it be greed or vengeance there would always be someone who crosses the line.

He chuckled when she defended that she didn’t apologize for everything, the pause she made in the middle pretty much proved his point for him, he shook his head amused by the fact that she was completely unaware of her own quirks “If you spend your life trying not to offend everyone I don’t think you’ll get very far” he commented candidly, after all, people got offended over the smallest and most ridiculous things, if you tried to tread carefully around everyone, you would probably still end up somehow offending them. She was easy to tease and it was quite entertaining for him, he couldn’t quite pin it but there was something strange about her, like she wasn’t quite in touch with the world around her, in her own daydream of sorts. Though perhaps that perception just came from the fact she quite literally had rainbows surrounding her.

He tilted his head slightly in reaction to how defensive she got over his comments which pretty much affirmed that he was right about her “Sure rainbow girl, I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who would stop to offer a homeless teenager a place to stay in the winter” he responded sarcastically, oh wait, there wasn’t. He still remembered having to go through not 1 but 2 especially cold winters which he honestly wasn’t sure he would survive, he remembered not being able to feel his toes. It wasn’t a good memory but it had definitely taught him a lot about how people would be willing to turn a blind eye the moment they were faced with anything real.

Why was he confessing such things he barely talked about to a stranger? That he didn’t really know the answer for. Despite him jesting and teasing her, she had this calming nature about her, it gave him the feeling he could talk to her. So much so that he seemed to be saying things without thinking about the implications of them. “I don’t think so” he responded when she asked if dying was scary “Sure it might be painful for a little while, but considering the world we live in...I don’t think death is as final as people might paint it to be” he had no idea what came next and he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to know, but there was comfort in knowing it wasn’t nothing. “Besides my list wouldn’t be long” not many people would miss him, which was somewhat of a bitter thought to have “Though I suppose you have more to lose huh?” he offered a small relent on agreeing she may have a point.

She supposed it wasn’t entirely a hard thing to picture to only trust yourself and nobody else, but still the very idea of doing that forever made her sad, is that how some people lived their lives? “Sounds a bit lonely, doesn’t it?” she murmured, the thought of just trusting herself made the Aurazin purse her lips slightly, “Do the best thing for myself” she repeated to herself while trying to focus on that essence itself. She was really there taking advice from the man she didn’t know the name of, while he knew hers. It was practically a strange moment, isn’t it? If she had compared the life she had once led in the past, which she couldn’t even recall all that much, she would see the stark contrast in it. The person she is today was so different from she once was. Perhaps, for the better too. “Why did you think I ran away and tried to find a way to escape that situation earlier unscathed? I didn’t want to fight, even if it meant defending myself” Admittedly, she didn’t have what he said was a pepper spray and while she couldn’t throw someone off due to her petite build, she can very well knock them down. 

All the fighting must stop, at some point, right? But the more she talked to him tonight, the more Astraea felt like she didn’t recognize the world she’s in. Could this have been for the better? So she wouldn’t be half as hopeful? There was a scowl etched on her youthful features when he pointed out that she wasn’t going to get far if she continued doing that, “It’s not much of a trying if it’s your automatic switch, no? What if it’s just naturally ingrained in me? It’s not like I could help it anyway…” Being nice is an accomplishment but it also caused Astraea to clench her jaw while continuing that smile whenever one or two of her nasty colleagues pulled a prank on her, somehow managing to successfully trick the Aurazin on doing their jobs. He’s not wrong either, has she really been living in her own bubble this entire time? Maybe he wasn’t pessimistic but rather a realistic person? For all she knew, he’s more experienced about the streets more than she could ever be. “Ugh I feel like a manufactured robot with that nice switch…” she grumbled to herself. 

The moment he said rainbow girl, however, Astraea literally froze and flinched, wait, he could see that? She heard that some may be able to see the slightly iridescent and colors glow surrounding them, mostly those with good eyesight, literally. She knew them to be Nephilim or Therianthropes, and the other one would be the falling stars called Celestials. The first thing to do when she came here was to do her research on every faction in the eternal city, they were newcomers, after all. “One, you could… see the glow? Two, why not? Is there really no one who would be willing to give them shelter to protect them from the harsh condition?” Wasn’t there? Could it be because she’s never really walked the Earth every time she came to console someone? He wasn’t afraid of death, Astraea now averted her gaze away from the pavement and now to him while frowning, she’s never met someone who wasn’t afraid of dying, save for those she’s comforted when they were suicidal. 

“You know if you tell someone you’re not afraid of dying, they’ll think you’re crazy, right?” she mused softly, but she didn’t sound like she was judging either. “And it is painful… it depends on the individual. The pain of losing yourself and losing your loved ones could take a toll on them, the pain may go on for days, months… even years.” She remembered being so angry when she died because she didn’t want to die. It was too soon. “You never knew who would miss you or not, sometimes it could be more than the number you thought would. Life has a way of kicking you to the curb even when it’s not all that” she could feel the same signature warmth she used when comforting someone and she didn’t even realize it. “Surprisingly, I don’t have a lot to lose…” she murmured, “Not anymore at least” she didn’t know if she said it out loud but the Aurazin was more interested in the male with her now. “I never got your name, or is it too much to give a strange girl your name? Surely I should be able to put a name to the person who saved me tonight.”

He shrugged slightly when she pointed out that not trusting others tended to be lonely “Maybe” he responded and pressed his lips together, he was so used to be alone that he supposed he didn’t really know what he was missing when it came to all of that, he never really let anyone in because from the moment he woke up in this world he had to look after himself and himself only. “Some people would call that selfish I suppose but I think we owe it to ourselves to put us first” he really did believe that, because at the end of the day, the only person who was truly doing to want everything that was best for you was yourself. “No one likes to fight” he responded and shrugged “At least not anyone sane anyway” he added with a thoughtful nod of his head “But sometimes you have to and there is nothing wrong with that” if he didn’t fight back he probably would have been stabbed and bled out a long time ago.

He tilted his head to the side slightly when she said it was her natural reflex to try to avoid offending everyone around her. Sunmin knew he was the type of person that most people didn’t want to be around, in fact, he played into that because he knew that people would leave him alone if he did that “That sounds exhausting” he commented bluntly “I can’t even picture what my life would be like if I cared about every little thing I said to others” he was almost certain she could take at least one of the things he said as offensive already. He laughed when she complained about being manufactured to be nice, the first genuine laugh he had made in a very long time “Well I suppose there are worse things to be than nice” he commented, relenting just little on jesting with her.

Well, it definitely seemed like he had triggered something when he called her ‘rainbow girl’ which made him smirk a little, it definitely made her look unique, kinda like she just stood out in a crowd, like she was just the tiniest big bright than everyone else around her “Mhm” he responded and nodded his head when she asked if he could see the glow, not everyone could then? “Kinda makes you look like you’re in a bubble" he commented and couldn’t resist from lifting his finger and poking her shoulder just to see what happened, nothing, unfortunately “Disappointing” he commented in a grumbling tone. “I kept asking that question, many times, every night, why not? Why does nobody help?” he pressed his lips together “Now you can see where my conclusion came from” he nodded.

“They can think what they want, I don’t care” he really didn’t, if people thought he was crazy then that was their right but it didn’t make it either true or false, other people’s opinions weren’t something he bothered to cater to, because the moment he started doing that was the moment he set himself up to disappoint others and he had no interest in that. The way she talked was almost like it was from experience but he held back any questions he had, that wasn’t the sort of thing you talked to with a stranger “You underestimate my impact on the world” he commented bluntly, Hanseol might miss him but aside from that, there weren’t many people who cared for his wellbeing. He had to admit he didn’t expect her to admit that she didn’t have a lot to lose though, he sucked in a soft breath and raised his brow, another one he wasn’t going to get into so he was somewhat glad when she changed the subject. It was kinda cute that she felt the need to explain her want to know his name “Sunmin” he answered bluntly “Star boy if you’d rather” he commented with a low chuckle.

Maybe it was because she has never felt alone before up until her death, which left a lasting effect that kept her from going back to memory lane. It was no wonder Astraea hated having to think she'll ever be alone. The more she thought about it, the more she could see the two of them were polar opposites. She was positive and he wasn't. He is realistic and she has a hard time believing it. "I wonder if you're right... " she sighed, there was nothing wrong in putting yourself first when it comes to anything. It was a survival of the fittest and perhaps he would win it compared to her. She couldn't think about herself when she didn't understand the concept of free will, having been someone who thrives on helping people all these centuries. "Usually a part of me would come out and yell at myself saying I shouldn't be listening to someone who was trying to justify such acts, but I think she's silent for today" And she wasn't lying, no part of her felt like she was about to refute that because she knew he wasn't spouting ridiculous things either. 

"I try not to care but it's a lot easier said than done. Not sure if it's just the kind of environment I grew up in or the influence I had in my life, but I can't seem to say no." It was exhausting to please everyone because all she wanted was to see every individual happy. But she feeds off that happiness too. "You're not good at complimenting, not really. But when you say something not overly offensive, you sound genuine" It wasn't as if he could successfully lie around her, not without the Aurazin finding out. One shift is all that it takes for her to fish it out. Hearing him laugh, that caused the brunette to automatically smile, she likes the positive energy, it was almost addicting to her, and whatever mix he's in right now, she's entranced by it. Astraea definitely didn't see tonight being the day she uncovered her own identity, in front of a stranger no less, albeit he was someone who saved her from her future doom earlier but still, how bad was she at keeping secrets? Not that good, apparently. 

Her body language clearly expressed the shock she was experiencing when he saw right through her mask, if it was even there to begin with. It makes her wonder if it was really this easy to know if she's lying or not. She blinked a few times in surprise when he actually poked her shoulder, before snickering in response to the gesture, "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's not a shield so it's not much of a bubble. It's just me." Admittedly, if she didn't give into her original form, she was basically just a ball of light that resembled her soul; a bright and slightly colorful one. Astraea pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze, momentarily taking in his words to where he drew such words from, so he's seen it. No wonder he said it like he's experienced it. That generally made the Aurazin sad. "Maybe a day will come when someone cares enough" she didn't sound as hopeful as earlier, the color in her tone faded in the back but it wasn't overly pessimistic either. 

His I don't care attitude fascinates her, probably because she's never truly interacted with someone who held such a front and meant it, "Must be easy for you not to care what others say. If only I could borrow a shred of that." Astraea wasn't one to take offense easily, but that was mostly because she likes to think the best in the individual, it wasn't always easy. Pushing aside all of those, she would be easy to hurt. Part of being someone who empathizes easily. "Surely at least one person cares. You know that's more than enough, right? You don't necessarily have to be popular with people. So long as they're significant to you, then their opinion means a lot. Even if you don't care" She had a feeling there was more to him. How did tonight turn into an interesting one? When he gave her name, she was a bit taken aback, "Woah I didn't think you'd give me your name…" His real one too, judging from it. But the star boy part made her stop and circle the taller male before narrowing her dark hues towards him, "Star? You mean you're a Celestial?" It was clear that she was trying to see his glow but she couldn't see it which made Astraea stare at him in confusion. Better to keep it to herself. 

He shrugged nonchalantly “I’m right in my perspective, same as I’m sure you’re probably right in yours” how you saw the world really depended on the experiences that you had within it, his view of how things were was based upon the experiences and the people he had met, someone else would have met different people and had different experiences and that would have shaped their view of how it looked differently “I think the key to understanding is recognizing that, that your truth isn’t someone else's” he nodded slightly “Unless they’re entirely delusional that is” if she wanted to see the good in the world then she should, as long as she recognized not everyone was going to be good.

He nodded slightly, he could understand how someone who had been surrounded by people and needed to rely on them before would find it hard not to care what others thought about them, his experience was different, from the moment his eyes opened on this world he had been alone and that meant he had never let anyone come along and influence him, he had no parents to tell him how things should be “Maybe you should practice” he responded matter of factly, what’s the worst that could come from saying no a few times. Her summary of his nature made him quirk a brow, bad at complimenting, check, genuine at times...that was more debatable “Not overly offensive hmm?” he repeated with a shake of his head “I just say things as I see them...no filter you could say” having not been raised in close connection with others he didn’t have those typical social rules which told you to keep your mouth shut to spare someone’s feelings.

Seeing her surprise at his gesture was almost entertaining to him, how strange it was to see someone glowing like that, it was the kind of thing which would make you believe you were dreaming if it wasn’t the fact they were literally on the side of the highway on dimly lit city streets “Doesn’t it get annoying?” he questioned when she said it was just the way she was “I’d get freaked out every time I looked in the mirror if it was me” there was a certain sort of beauty though, it seemed to suit her in a way which was hard to describe. He could tell she had realized he was talking about himself earlier and he nodded in response to her words about someone caring enough “It did” he responded pressing his lips together, remembering the day that Han had met him in the church and immediately brought him back to his home “But the damage cannot be undone” he responded with a thoughtful nod of his head.

She didn’t need to be hearing about his family issues though, despite the fact that he had agreed to stay with Han for a while, he still didn’t really feel like he belonged there, often he felt like he was in the way or a nuisance to him and his boyfriend. “It is easy” he responded and nodded his head, but as she said earlier, it was lonely at times, sometimes he wondered if he should try and change, try to make friends but every time that thought came creeping up, his self-preservation measures would quickly shut it down. He heard her words but he didn’t say anything in response to them because honestly, he didn’t want to get any further into it with someone he just met so he allowed it to fall to silence and the topic to drift. Her surprise at getting his name made him shrug “I’m not ashamed of my identity you know” he commented a little sarcastically in response. Her stopping and circling made him raise his brows towards her though “Supposedly” he answered her question and shrugged, he could tell she was looking for his glow “Lost it in the mail” he commented sarcastically before resuming walking.

To be honest, she’s never really met someone who wasn’t trying to force their opinions on her. Maybe it was accidental, but even her colleagues would often try to convince her that they were right and she was not. It was almost as if they were trying to manipulate her and she had allowed that to happen. “The confusing thing is that I’m not even sure if I’m right in mine, I feel like I’m in my own world or I try to look at it that way.” Could it be that she’s already known the world on how it operates but chose to only accept the good and mold this perfect world in her head? The possibility of her doing that was quite high. Maybe things aren’t exactly what it seems. “Complex beings…” she murmured, when he said that their truth may not be anyone else’s, she was reminded of how different a person can be from the other. “Do you think it’s better to be delusional into thinking the world is all good when it’s not? Or would it hurt to know the truth is not all that?” 

It was as if the world was sizing up on her a bit, to show and possibly remind her that the people she’s comforted are the same as those who suffered from the cruelty inflicted on them. And maybe, just maybe, she needed that revelation to be better at this. “I should?” How does one even begin to say no? “I probably should…” Tomorrow’s a new day, maybe she could start tomorrow. For a while, she didn’t understand what he meant by having no filter, until she caught in his words and connected the two dots, “So you’re brutally honest? Is that it?” she teased, he does seem like the type who wouldn’t stop just to take care of another’s feelings. In a way, she appreciated that trait, it’s always better to be honest, at all times. Okay, maybe not at all times but close enough. It wasn’t as if Astraea could lie to save her life, it would take someone a minute maximum to even dissect that she’s lying. 

The Aurazin wasn’t aware if her glow is overwhelmingly bright or if it was just to her, which made her a bit curious to know how others see her, “We’re not the only ones that glow though, no?” There was one more species that glowed just the same, except the colors. When asked if it gets annoying, Astraea chuckled and shrugged absentmindedly, “Sometimes you wake up and you’re not all that prepared to see yourself glow, other times we may even fool ourselves to think that we’re high on something” She’s seen enough cases of that, honestly. “I don’t freak out as much, maybe it’s because I’m used to it. I spent my entire life glowing like this, it doesn’t get worse than attracting people’s attention, for sure.” Besides, Astraea does like the thought of seeing herself glow, every once in a while. They all had the same glow but it could be different for each at the same time. 

“It doesn’t have to be undone, maybe it can serve as a memory. Not every memory is happy, right?” A bitter one would serve most of them as a reminder. She didn’t want to undermine his difficulties but she also didn’t want him to think that it was all gloomy and dark everywhere. By the very least, she’d attempt to sprinkle some light into it. Even if she may not see him again after tonight. His response over the name caused the Aurazin to get flustered, clearly she didn’t expect him to put it like that, “I- I mean that’s not- That’s not what I mean” she couldn’t even form a coherent word for a few seconds, leaving her to take a deep breath and sigh before reattempting, as if that wasn’t enough to make her feel like she had done the stupidest thing in the world, he had caught her trying to search for his glow. “You lost it in the mail?” The brunette frowned and tried to catch up with him and gave him a tilted stare, she’s never heard of a Celestial without their glow, so she poked him a bit to test if she was right, “Oh.. wow.” Wow, indeed. “This is so cool.”

He pursed his lips for a moment in thought and then shrugged slightly “Is it a happy world?” he questioned, sometimes he wondered if those people who lived in their own little bubble might have it easier because they didn’t feel paranoid constantly about what people might do, if anything they assumed the best in people and while he thought that was naive and perhaps even reckless...maybe it was happier. Her question seemed to reflect his thought for a moment and he shrugged his shoulders slightly “Who knows” he commented bluntly “I do know if frustrates me when people seem to be blind to the hurt they cause though” he was very self-aware and while he was guilty of making decisions that hurt people, he made in full awareness of the choices he was making.

He chuckled under his breath “How you see the world isn’t going to change in a matter of moments but no time like the present to start” he was sure someone as optimistic as her would always be optimistic and maybe that was a good thing at the end of the day, it seemed like the world would literally have to crush the hope from her before she would give in. “I prefer referring to it as direct, cutting the bullshit” he responded and chuckled because she didn’t seem like the kind of person you cussed around but he didn’t care much for if she minded or not. “I don’t think anyone really gets anywhere only hearing the good things” and there was a lot of bad in the world, he didn’t think a single person could refute that, just some were better at avoiding it than others.

Sunmin raised his brow when she mentioned there were other species who glowed, honestly aside from the scraps of information he knew about his kind and the fact that Jae was a dhampir, no one had sat down with him and had the whole supernatural talk, he was pretty much clueless to what was and wasn’t real “I guess not” he commented under his breath. Maybe he was curious to know what it would be like to glow because he should but didn’t, perhaps he felt like the odd one out in that sense “It’s probably like when someone changes their hair color and they forget until they see themselves in a reflection...until eventually, they get used to it” he bit his lip softly, he was still trying to answer that question in his mind, why didn’t he glow?

She had this understanding nature to her which was almost offputting for him because he wasn’t used to being around people like that, usually they told you to suck it up or they ignored, it was one of the first times he felt listened to. It was a strange experience for him. The way she got flustered by his words was pretty entertaining he had to admit, there she was worrying about other people feelings again but really he didn’t mind, she asked a lot of questions and seemed curious but he didn’t feel overwhelmed “You make yourself too easy to mess with” he responded with an amused grin on his lips. Just as he expected she seemed thoroughly confused by him saying he lost his glow in the mail “Yeah, I kept waiting for it to be delivered to me but it never came, guess they must have lost it” he nodded a few times, he hoped that explained how he felt about it without having to explain. Her poke made him jump though, flinching a little because usually when someone touched him it was to start a fight but before long he caught himself “Cool?” he commented with a curious brow.

Was it a happy world? Astraea was left silent briefly as she tried to recall everything. "It is" she nodded, to her, it was a good world filled with happiness, it reminded her very much of the veil. Even though she was one of the few who wanted to venture back to earth and see what has changed while enjoying it, she couldn't help but to also miss the veil; where they originated from. It was their home, for a long while. Now things seemed so unsure, the Aurazin wasn't even sure if they could even afford to do any mistake without bringing in a plausible explanation. She never had to worry if someone was trying to hurt her, like what happened today. She didn't need to worry or be paranoid because they took good care of their own world compared to this one. Perhaps, that was why she felt slightly put off. Astraea would eventually get used to it, but maybe that'll take time too. Everyone has done something to offend the other, she knew it was almost impossible to be sure you're making everyone happy because that concept simply doesn't exist in the eyes of many. 

"You can't make everyone happy" she exclaimed, "there will always be someone who won't feel satisfied." The brunette wasn't the type to give up easily, she was quite resilient and stubborn when it comes to holding out for hope. Hope was everything she had to keep herself afloat for a long time. It was safe to say that it influenced her actions greatly. If she didn't hold onto hope, then how was she supposed to give them to others? It's a two-way transaction. When he suddenly cussed, her eyes grew wide as she blinked a few times in surprise, she has heard a few of her colleagues cursing almost every 10 minutes at work but she also kept herself busy by plugging in her earphones. Which meant she didn't hear whatever it was they were spouting, angrily. Probably for the better too. It seemed like he had the notion that she wasn't used to such straightforward language either, judging from how amused he was, causing the Aurazin to pout slightly. She was being teased. 

"Suddenly I feel like I should feel offended by that" she pointed out the moment he said people wouldn't be going anywhere only hearing the things they wanted to hear, "But you're also not wrong. Hearing those bad things said in a vulgar way though, I think I'd stray away from that for a bit" It doesn't sound as pretty. "This glow isn't going to go anywhere, you can practically see it in any form we're in. I guess that's their way of distincting us." Even when they are shifting into an animal, the three species who could see their glow would be able to see it still. It was practically impossible to escape their watchful eyes. "The only ones who could really see it have a good eye though, I'm guessing you're one of them." He did say he was supposedly a Celestial too. Normally, his type of defensive mechanism and sarcastic nature wouldn't bode as well with someone like her, especially when Astraea prefers to surround herself with positive flocks. However, she didn't feel like she was stuck in a situation at all. Given the chance, the Aurazin wouldn't look the other way. Could it be because he had a refreshing view?

 "I know... " she grumbled to herself and let out a small whine in retaliation, "you're not the first to tell me that. As frustrating as that sounds." It had something to with the fact that she couldn't even get mad at someone longer than 5 seconds. How sad he must be not to have the glow everyone else had. That was the first thing that popped into her head, she didn't want to show that she sympathized him but he didn't seem to try to hide the fact that he was disappointed too. Even with the nonchalant I don't care behavior he consistently put up, his aura couldn't lie. It was brief but Astraea noticed the way he flinched when she poked him, "I'm sorry, it was sudden… I shouldn't have done that." She should've known not everyone was open to being touched like that. "Yeah, cool. I think it makes you unique, I've heard of your kind but I've never heard of you, a star that doesn't glow as bright as the others, saving himself from the potential hunting list. Seems like you're in good terms with Miss Survival because she seemed to favor you." It didn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, at least, she wanted to reassure him of that. 

He nodded when she confirmed that her world was happy “Then that’s all that really matters” he responded matter of factly, at the end of the day, him telling someone how to live their life was just as bad as others trying to shape his and frankly, he didn’t think it was his place. So if she was happy to be wrapped in her happy bubble, what could he really say to disagree. “Correct” he responded when she said you can’t make everyone happy, he had watched people endlessly try to do that and they never seemed to realize that there were some people who were never going to come around and would also consider what you did as not good enough. He was reminded of his time back in Vegas and working among the casino bosses, no matter what you did there, you always seemed to do something wrong in their eyes. So he never tried to impress them.

He chuckled a little under his breath at her reaction to his cussing, well that was about what he expected. Sunmin had never been conservative with his speech, if he wanted to swear then he would, though he could understand why it might sound strange considering how young he looked. The way she pouted at his reaction made him shake his head slightly. So innocent. He arched a brow when she said she was offended by him saying people didn’t move very far when people only heard good things “Well it’s the bad things which push us to seek change right? If we had none then complacency would be the next option” he was sure plenty of people just thought everything was perfect and therefore wanted everything to stay the same.

He was still watching her, watching the ethereal glow which was surrounding her, of course he had seen it on Hanseol, his celestial glow but his seemed to get brighter and dimmer whereas hers was always there, this faint but dazzling light “Who’s they?” he asked when she said it was their way of distinction. She seemed surprised before that he could see it which made him wonder if others couldn’t. Though that seemed strange to him given how striking it was. She explained it though, to see the glow you had to have a good eye, did that mean his eyes were better than most? How curious. “Can’t say I’ve noticed anything special about my eyes” he commented under his breath. A couple of people had mentioned that he and Han had the same eyes but honestly, he didn’t see it, Hanseol looked like a kinder person than he did.

Well at least she was aware of the fact that she was an easy target, perhaps he should let up based on that but it wasn’t really in his nature, he didn’t feel right if he was talking to someone and didn’t jest them or be sarcastic “You seem like you have your head in the clouds” he noted, perhaps she would take offense to that but as they had established already, he pointed out things he noticed pretty bluntly. He had tried to shake that reaction but it was almost second nature to him when someone touched him, probably because no one ever did in a playful manner, at least not without letting him know they were going to do so far “Don’t apologize” he commented in a grumbling tone when she realized how he reacted “I did the same thing before, it’s hardly a crime” she had surprised him was all.

The way she talked about him gave him pause for thought, he hadn’t really thought about him being lucky for being without his glow but maybe she was right, maybe his survival for this long was linked to the fact that he didn’t have his glow and it protected him. He came to a stop by the side of the road before pushing the button for the stoplight “The station isn’t much further than here” he commented as he waited for it to change, when it did, he lead the way across the road.

She could only stare at him with an indescribable look, she wasn't sure if she was happy or relieved with his response, or the complete opposite. He had that nonchalant air on him that makes it hard for her to think he meant some words. It took the Aurazin a while but eventually, she recognized them as what people called sarcasm. God, has she been so out of the loop this long to forget what that even meant? She decided to no longer push on that certain topic because in all honesty, Astraea herself has plenty to learn about this world. Maybe she'll come skirting around the topic once she's a bit more experienced with it. If she meets him again, of course. "But if you were given the chance to make someone happy, would you take it?" It was a question carved purely out of her curiosity, a pretty random one that came out of nowhere but she wondered if he would let the situation take over even when he could do something about it. She had to believe that he wasn't one to turn his head another way and walk as if nothing happened. He did save her earlier.

  "No offense… but you look quite young to have that kind of vocabulary" She had to say it. Astraea was just as curious. "If I had a dime for every time you made sense and managed to get a point across... " she huffed and even crossed her arms in retaliation, it made her flustered surprisingly. Mostly because she didn't expect for him to return with a comeback like that. "I feel like bad things can drive some to be a negative person. As realistic as it may be, we do have people who couldn't take it. I know people said it's a survival of the fittest but does that mean we'll just leave those who couldn't take it, to fall behind and rot?" It doesn't sound nearly as kind as what the world is trying to promote. "People promote kindness and acceptance everywhere but doesn't that also depend on the individual themselves?" When he asked who she was implying on 'they', Astraea paused momentarily to see if she could word it in a simple way, he doesn't seem like he had other knowledge regarding the supernaturals aside from his own.

"The others. You live here in Evermore, right? Do you know what's their biggest attraction point that drew plenty of people to come here?" On what makes it different compared to the other big cities of the world. The petite Aurazin let out an amused laugh when he said he didn't notice anything special or particularly striking about his eyes, "Well, one, it's a bit expressive. I feel like if you stare long enough, you'll be able to see the emotions the owner is trying to portray. They're either the worst liars or the best liars. It looks pretty to me" He had a set of those doe eyes that she has seen on a few, they were rare. She finds them comforting because there always seems to be an edge to the genuinity they bring. "Two, I was implying on the supernatural sight. Some have a better eyesight compared to the others, especially Nephilim, Therianthropes and Celestials. If I wasn't mistaken, they have the best. They are probably more aware hence why they can detect the glow around us, it's faint but it's somewhat there." They don't have a bright or dim option, it's just there.

 "Is that a bad thing?" To have your head in the clouds? She wasn't sure if that was a figure of speech or not. "I've always been this way… for a long time. I've heard people call me naive or innocent… sometimes dense, but what's that even supposed to mean?" She pressed her lips together as an attempt to keep any apology from spilling out once again. She hadn't noticed how long they've been walking, it feels like quite the distance but she didn't feel like the time even passed by, could it be because she's been talking to him? "How much longer is further" she teased, she was sure that they've been walking for a while already. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" She didn't even wait for him to respond before quickly coming up with it, "Does it feel that impossible to think that you could find some good? I'm just genuinely curious because you seem like a good person."

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