Nightmares. Everyone had them right? Yeon was pretty sure everyone must have experienced the unwelcome feeling of a dream turning dark, memories you'd rather forget seeping in and playing on a loop in your mind but he was also pretty sure it wasn't normal to have the same one each and every night without fail. It was always the same one, the sky was dark, he found himself running desperately through the streets, tears piercing in his eyes as he struggled to accept what was now his reality. And then that scene played out again, watching as his mother cried for the son she had lost that night, the son he would never be again. Because he was dead and he could never go back. Never go back. Those words would repeat in his head like an alarm bell until he felt like he couldn't breathe and he would suffocate on the words themselves and then he would wake up, sweating and panicked.

It was one of the reasons he never let anyone see him through to the mornings, he could stay and play for a while but before anyone could get a glimpse at his weaker side he would be gone. And it really was one of his only weaknesses, Yeon was endlessly confident and very much in love with his life, it was hard for people to get him down, but his past was definitely his Achilles heel, the thing that sent him spiraling. Lucky for him, most people didn't get close enough to him to ever figure that out. He sighed as he gripped the sheets he was laying in and wiped the sweat from his brow, he was getting tired of never getting a proper night's sleep and it was starting to make him grumpy. Or maybe it was because he hasn't been able to really let his mind relax, not since he had met a particular snowy haired male who had ruined everything he ever thought about a good time.

Yeon grumbled groggily as he got his feet and headed into the bathroom not even giving his reflection a glance as he undressed and climbed into the shower. Twenty minutes later and he felt more alert and awake, though he still felt the urge to grumble. He had seen a few professionals about his nightmares but all of them told him the same thing because he was a valkyr most medicine wouldn't really have much effect on him so he was left just trying to deal with it naturally. He knew nothing about natural treatments and nothing he Googled made a lot of sense to him but he did find the location of a little apocathary in Evermore that was worth a shot. He had to try something if he had any hopes of making it to NYC and back over the next week without passing out. 

With that thought in mind he headed back into his bedroom and changed into tight-fitting black skinny jeans, a white t-shirt and a black blazer, that was about as casual as you would see Yeonseok Lee dressing, he liked to make an effort, even if he was just wandering around the city where no one knew him. He grabbed his phone and tucked it into his pocket before he headed out onto the streets ordering an Uber and getting into it to take him across the city to where this little shop was supposed to be. When he pulled up outside it he thanked the driver before getting out and heading up to the place. It was so dark that it looked like the place might be closed but when he tried the door it did open. He pushed it open and stepped inside. He didn't see anyone but he heard someone shuffling around somewhere in the back and called out "Hello?" he asked as he headed up to the counter. The place smelled really interesting, a mix of floral scents and herbs which was odd but also nice to the senses. 

Views: 684

Replies to This Discussion

The sound of her ink pen clicking over and over again had finally caused the elderly lady who ran the library to snap. The old woman gave Mirae a go to hell look before she stormed over into Niveis direction. Mirae glanced down to her ragged out book she'd stolen years ago from her hometown library, which explained in detail exactly what a Phoenix was. Ignoring the woman standing before her, Mirae gently closed the book, tucking it into her bookbag before her  gaze finally averted into the woman's direction. "Can I help you?" she questioned, giving a sarcastic tone to the woman and continued clicking her pen up and down. "Yes, actually. You can either stop with the noise, or exit the library. Do you really think anyone can concentrate while you annoyingly continue clicking that pen?" the librarian asked, folding her arms, and tapping her foot as if she waited for Mirae to give her an answer.

Mirae snorted, before shaking her head, and getting to her feet. For a moment, it would have appeared that she was sizing the old lady up, but then again, that was quite funny to assume since Mirae was probably just as tall as she was. Her height always fell as a disadvantage, but she didn't really mind it, in her mind the smaller of a person you were the faster you were, which often came in handy with those she needed to defend herself against. Mirae placed her free hand on the elderly woman's shoulder and glared into her eyes. "It's a nervous habit, as much as you sitting up there biting your nails off is, but if you don't mind; we'll have this chat later, i'm gonna be late for work" she stated, before waltzing away from the librarian nonchalantly.

Today of all days had been one of the worse for Mirae. She'd been in quite the mood since last night, waking up screaming Daehyun's name while her own sweat pooled around her, soaking everything in sight. Years ago, when Mirae and Dae were just about to say their goodbye's, simply because her brother didn't agree with Coldren's new plan, and wanted to live a life of his own, he got no further than hugging Mirae before a sword thrusted through his chest. Coldren had punished Daehyun and took his choices away from him, which made Mirae lash out, wanting to defend her brother, and that only resulted in her getting led into a dark room, being allowed no weapons of her own before Coldren decided that an even better punishment was to make her work in an apothocary. How wrong had he ever been? Mirae turned out to love mixing herbs, and using a private room for healing practices.

Now that she was in Evermore, with a life of her own, Mirae knew she had nothing but choices of her own to make. Thus; her herbal shop. The punishment of Coldren's should have steered her away from working in anything like it, but knowing she helped people, brought a tiny bit of joy into her life, plus, for a few years now it'd been the only thing to distract her when she wondered where Dae was, and if he was okay. After reuniting with her brother, things were still awkward and in the air for them, but the fact that they'd made peace with what consisted of their pasts, was certainly a step in the right direction, and a step towards their sibling bond being remended. Once Mirae arrived to her shack sized herb shop, she headed to the back, where she always did when clocking in.

Turning on the music was always the first thing the young Niveis did; music was sort of Mirae's solace, her peace of mind, whatever you'd call it. She began humming and dancing around then as she grabbed the broom to tidy the place up before customers came in. Unaware that she'd already had a customer waiting however, caused the typically distracted female to gasp when she finally danced herself around the corner out to the front. "Oh wow .. I um" she started, attempting to speak, but not greeting him the way she normally greeted her customers. The red tint to her face had brightened to the color of a fire engine red. Leaning the broom against the door frame, Mirae cleared her throat. "Sorry I didn't know anyone was here yet" she then said, unable to keep herself from laughing.

Taking her spot behind the counter, Mirae grasped into her composure before eyeing the male who seemed to be running on fumes with the circles he had underneath his eyes, unless it was in his family genes, MMirae had seen plenty of people come from the womb with those same circles; always seeming sleep deprived, but it was simply just the way they looked. "So, what can I help you with?" Mirae questioned with an arched brow, already glancing towards a few of the sleep herbs, but she had a feeling she'd be mixinng up something special for the male, something about him seemed very distraught, not just tired. "Long night?" she then questioned before dancing in place to the song currently playing now.

Yeon had always been open to most things, despite the fact he was raised in a conservative society and given his upbringing he probably should have turned out to be the very stereotype he hated. But his mind had always worked different, always believed in a better future. That only became magnified after he died because when he awoke he didn't have a choice but to leave that life. 8 years ago that had led him to Evermore city, a place where tolerance was practiced and preached and the place where Yeon had really come into his own as a person. Never had he thought he'd be an openly bisexual man who choreographed dance for a living all those years ago, now who he was just made sense.

That didn't mean he was without his demons though, Yeon still suffered from nightmares even years after he died, they got worse when he was frustrated or exhausted which happened more and more recently. Mostly thanks to the traveling he was constantly doing between here and Evermore city but also because he couldn't get Daehyun out of his head no matter how hard he tried. It had been 3 months and he was supposed to have moved well on by now but Yeon didn't know how to get a night like that out his mind. He had tried. He had tried really hard. Now he had pretty much come to terms with the fact that his mind was outside of his control, no matter how much positivity he tried to feed it the demons were always there to creep up on him.

The first thing he noticed when he entered the shop was how it smelled, reminding him of an incense stick he'd been given by a traveler once, he'd always loved that scent and tried to recreate it a couple of times without much luck so it was nicely familiar to him. The next thing he noticed was the music playing, the kind of music that naturally got his foot tapping. He was a dancer so it didn't take much to get him moving, a decent beat would easily do it. He heard shuffling as a young looking female came twirling into view and a wide smile appeared on his lips, a dancer, he thought to himself as he met her eyes. He saw the blush that tinted her cheeks and laughed softly “Absolutely nothing to apologize for” he assured with a smirk “With a song as catchy as this I'd be more offended if you weren't dancing” Yeon laughed again still tapping his foot to the beat.

For a moment he forgot entirely why he had come here, dancing was his thing after all and from the very limited view he got he could tell she was a natural which instantly had his scout senses on full-on mode “You've got a really great natural sense of rhythm” he complimented truthfully and nodded a little “Have you ever thought of applying for a dance company?” Perhaps that was forward of him to ask but the valkyr had always been forwards, an opportunist he liked to refer to it as, you didn't make a great dance troop without noticing and grasping natural talent after all. Yeon had scouted several of the best dancers who had gone on to do really great things, even A-lister music videos, and Broadway. He'd decided against the performer route himself preferring to look out for others and create rather than onstage work.

Realizing he had totally gone business first node on her he shook his head slightly “Sorry, my name’s Yeonseok” he offered his hand out to her naturally because as a businessman that was what he did with pretty much everyone he met. Reality set in when she asked him what she could help him with and he reached up to rub at his eyes a little “The longest” he admitted and then at the thought and feeling naturally exhausted from so many barely slept nights he yawned a little “I've seen a few doctors for my chronic nightmares but they haven't been able to help much thanks to me having a particularly strong immune system” which was code for I am not human recognized by most people who were supernatural “I'm desperate at this point, I just want to know what a single good night sleep feels like again” his tone was light despite the fact he was completely serious about that. Yeon wasn't rushing to be anywhere today so he was glad to have the freedom to just talk to someone for a little while.

Mirae's curiosity grew as the male spoke. Right away she noticed just how friendly he was, something that Mirae always found to be refreshing with the cold world they seemed to be living in, in today's time. Another thing the Niveis noticed was how he tapped his foot the entire time the music played, and commented on how he'd be disappointed if Mirae hadn't been dancing to a song like that. Chuckling, she nodded in agreement. "Do you dance?" she questioned curiously, figuring as much. Mirae had those skills herself, but normally hid them from the world after Coldren's punishment, forcing her to work in an apothocary, ruining any dream she'd had for the future, because even in the here and now, where her and Dae were very much free from his punishments, Mirae continued her work in a similar setting.

The question Mirae had just asked however, was answered with a question Yeon had asked, and with widened eyes, the Niveis found herself speechless for a second. But, she couldn't help but find the male charming, and appreciate his compliment. "Well firstly, thank you for the compliment. Secondly, I guess Ive never even thought about taking it anywhere big. But I do feel free, more like myself so to speak, when i'm dancing. Why do you ask? You know of a place?" she questioned, feeling a part of herself light up that she thought died years ago when Coldren struck Dae with a sword, and took his choices away from him.

Shaking her head, amused, Mirae giggled softly before reaching out to shake his hand "Mirae Stormwind. Nice to meet you Yeonseok" she stated with a pearly white grin before noticing how many times he'd reach up and rubbed his eyes, only for her to frown in response before eyeing the many jars and tubes of herbs she'd mixed up for sleep, but only a few of those she had made for nightmares as well. "Well, with pretty much any herb/medication, our bodies eventually become immune, so it's safe to use maybe a couple different herbs and switch it up from time to time, that way you get the best out of it each time you use it" she said, hoping she made sense, because Mirae was no doctor by any means. Mirae offered a faint smile, but genuinely, she felt sorry for him, and she knew to well what sleep deprivation felt like, and every now and then, it caused people to go insane, a case more common for humans than anything, but still, the chance was there for any being.

"Let's try..." she started while sliding her finger across several different jars until the right one appeared "this one!" she stated excitedly, "This is one of my newer mixtures, it has valarian root, passion flower, and a few others but every one of the herbs mixed with that tackle a number of things, panic, stress, anxiety, insomnia. Sometimes we lack sleep because of what is medically known as racing thoughts, which this herb here also helps with, to go to sleep, we need a clear head, so if there's anything or anyone in partiuclar consuming your thoughts, it's possible a reason for your lack of sleep" Mirae stated, before eyeing Yeon for a bbrief second. "Do you have a special someone in your life? Sorry for being that forward, it just seems to be a pretty big reason for insomnia in this day and time" she added with a chuckle, but it was true, you either couldn't sleep because of all the butterflies in your stomach or vice versa, and you couldn't sleep because you were angry with that said special someone. Either way, Mirae had never had a love interest, so she couldn't have possibly really known.

Mirae grabbed another herb, something much different than the other, but had the same effect. "In many cases your body is calling out for a lifestyle change, stress and anxiety are both notorious for being the enemies of sleep and the bringers of insomnia, and I don't imagine that the nightmares make you even want to attempt sleep" she expressed, while reading through a few more different labels. "Actually, hold on just one second" the hyper Niveis stated before walking to the back, not giving much thought at all before grabbing the one and only bottle she'd mixed up for herself, that'd had some pretty great effects on Mirae herself. After returning, she sat it on the counter in front of Yeon "Feel free to try the other, but this one here, I know for a fact works.. I had made it for myself long ago for my own issues. Having an older brother, and not getting to see him for over a century can be quite the thing to cause insomnia" she stated, offering a smile.

"And, don't worry about cash. Just tell me more about this dance company" she finished off, smirking at Yeon, figuring she could benefit from that as much as she could cash. Plus, to have a dance company to go to would definitely broaden her future choices, in all honesty, Mirae couldn't see herself settling for just the rinky dink shop she sells her herbs in, not that she'd ever leave it, but she certainly needed more.

It wasn’t often that Yeon would want to continue a full conversation with a stranger, he tended to be friendly and kind with people but he wasn’t the most patient when it came to keeping up a boring conversation either. The girl minding the shop seemed different though, seeing her dancing as though she was in her own little world, he knew that feeling well, dance had always been something he loved from the moment he got into it and anyone else who was a fan he found very easy to talk to. Not a lot of people knew his true identity in the dance community because all of his most famous works were credited to a pseudonym, the pain of being supernatural and having to think about the immortal life ahead of you unfortunately, but it did mean he would get to keep making work for a long time “I definitely dance” he responded with a bright smile and just as the chorus of the song dropped he moved a little in the limited space doing the exact choreography that was used in the music video for it. One of his proudest works actually, he stopped and then smiled, he knew she’d assume he was just really good at copying music videos but he didn’t mind, nor did he have shame in dancing in front of someone he barely knew.

He actually felt way more awake now after that so he was glad that he’d walked into this little shop already, he scanned his eyes over her as he watched the surprise cross her features when he suggested she should professional, Yeon knew raw talent when he saw it, the way she had been moving so freely and effortlessly, those were the best kind of dancers to work with, they would put their own spin on everything and brought so much energy and positivity to the room “You’re welcome” he responded when she thanked him for the compliment and then when she asked him why he asked he shrugged and chuckled a little “I may have a few connections with the Amare Dance Company” he responded and smiled, not a lot of people knew who he was, but his company was pretty famous for choreographing and providing performers for music videos and theatre performances.

He smiled as he shook her head, listening to her introduction and then tilted his head a little curiously, Korean first name and Western surname? Interesting. “Wow that is quite the surname” he commented with a raised of his brow, he noticed that the way she spoke did have a very small hint of a Korean accent though, so he figured she must have changed her surname after she moved away? Either way, the woman was too busy thinking about how she could help with his sleeping problem. Which he really appreciated because, honestly, he didn’t know how much longer he could take sleepless nights until he started getting really grouchy over it all “Okay so find something that works and then switch it up every few weeks?” he asked curiously as he leaned against the counter, he had no idea how any of this worked but he’d heard really good things about herbal remedies when it came to sleep and figured it couldn’t make things any worse.

He could tell she was really passionate about this too from the way she was looking over the herbs and racking her brain for the best combinations that might be able to help. When she talked to him about it all he smiled softly because it was really nice to see someone light up when they were talking about something that was important to them and if it helped in the way she seemed to say it would then he was completely sold. But when she asked him about a significant other he cleared his throat a little caught off guard by the question “Oh no, I uh…” he paused for a moment and sighed “Yeah I don’t really do relationships like that” he admitted though someone did come to mind when she asked that question and he hated the fact that they came to mind. He didn’t want to tell her that her assessment was wrong when it probably wasn’t though so he continued “Maybe I’ve been overthinking some things though, I tend to do that” he offered as an explanation, though the slight hint of a blush on his cheeks might tell differently.

She was right though, he’d suffered from these nightmares for a long time and they did make him want to avoid going to sleep and frankly, his body was probably mad at him for all the traveling and hard work he had been doing lately, that’s why he was somewhat glad to be staying put in Evermore for a few weeks, so he could catch up on some well overdue rest “Honestly, I’ve had them on and off for the past 8 years...they’re most triggered by” he shrugged wondering how much detail he should go into with someone he didn’t know very well yet “Memories” he explained as vaguely as he could because he wasn’t sure how you just tell someone, oh yeah, I died 8 years ago and that had a lingering effect on me without sounding completely crazy. He studied the bottle she placed in front of him as though he had any idea of what he was looking for and then nodded “Thanks” he offered a smile as he looked up at her. When she said century he widened his eyes, well there went his worried about talking about the supernatural “A century?” he asked with furrowed brows “That’s heavy” he commented as he tucked the bottle into his pocket.

He was about to pull out his wallet to pay for the mixture but when she told him not to sweat it so he took a long breath and reached up into his other pocket to pull out his stack of business cards, they were the expensive kind, embossed and good quality, his receptionist had insisted they needed better quality cards, even though he hated being flashy. He offered it out to her with a wry smile, it would tell her he was the founder and lead choreographer at his studio. After giving her a few moments to take it in he smiled softly “I don’t exactly play with kid gloves” he admitted with a chuckle “But I really think you do have talent and with the right training you’d fit in quite well” she wasn’t rehearsed enough to pass an audition right now, but he could probably train her up “I run some sessions on Friday nights for our trainees” he offered the information to see how she reacted to it all, he knew it was a lot to take in.

Mirae smiled when Yeon said he definitely danced. Something about his expression was enough for her to tell just how much he loved it. Dancing for fun was one thing, but dancing because you have a passion for it was a completely different ball game, and she had worn that expression herself a time or two. Sadly, the Niveis hadn't had the freedom to do what she loved before, and when she moved to the city, she'd unfortunately brought some of her past along with her by choosng to work her own herb shop. Just as she got ready to speak and comment on dancing again, Mirae watched intently, simply in awe of his talent when he moved to the music, matching the choreography from the video flawlessly; she had seen the video herself a few times. 

It was then that she felt a real connection towards or with Yeon and the idea of joining a dance crew lit Mirae up like a Christmas bulb, "Its been a while since ive seen anyone with that kind of talent. How long have you been dancing?" she questioned, unable to peel her gaze off of him. Being a distracted person came easily for Mirae, so if her attention wasnt where it needed to be earlier, it surely wasn't now. 

"The way you dance, It's not hard to see how much you love it.. I can only admire that" she stated, her smile only brightning a little, wishing she could have been the same way years ago, stood her grounds with Coldren and pursued her dreams. Not to say that dancing was her dream in particular, but seeing Yeon in action only confirmed her love for it, and it wouldn't have been a bad thing to add to her career; dance and working in her herb shop would have probably been just the combination to help Mirae feel complete. 

Mirae felt heat rise to her pale cheeks then as he commented on her name, it had an odd ring to it indeed. A smile graced her features though when he asked about the herbs, giving him a nod of her head "Yup, im not saying it will be the cure for you, but it may at the very least bring you some relief, even if only for a little while, it looks like you need it" she expressed, but suddenly felt the need to close her mouth and not speak again, hoping it didn't come off as though she was saying he looked rough, actually; he was quite attractive. Mirae smirked when Yeon seemed caught off guard, shaking her head, amused "Right, different topic" she chuckled, feeling as though she had overstepped a tad and right now wasn't the time for him to open up and say he was seeing someone, because he surely gave that indication with how he answered. 

"Don't worry, I blush too when i'm busted" she said playfully, poking her tongue out. "But yeah, most definitely, over-thinking would certainly keep you awake at night" she added before glancing from her herb shelf back to him. Mirae could only assume that when he said his nightmares were triggered by memories, that he meant something tagic that'd happened to him in his past, but deciding not to go into conversation about something that might bother him Mirae offered a smile instead. She then bit her lip, grimacing as she looked to the floor when he commented on the century long she'd went without Daehyun "Heavy sounds about right, it hurt" she stated. wide eyed at how comfortable she'd felt just now to even say that much on a matter so sensitive. Mirae had never opened up to really anyone beside those in her own faction, and especially her elder brother. 

Mirae reach out then, grabbing the card, figuring she would be led to a group of strangers, but when she realized it was Yeon's name on it, and he was the one who actually owned the studio and choreographed all his dances, the young Niveis gasped "well well well!!" she expressed excitedly, "you played that off quite well in the beginning mr Lee" she added before flashing him a playful wink. "I should have guessed though, because those moves you just showed off, there's no way a person wouldnt take that kind of talent somewhere". Mirae chuckled when he said he didn't play with kid gloves "what a relief" she said, truthfully, happy that he wasnt some amature trying to gain some populairty like a lot of dancers did. Grabbing a pen and paper, Mirae wrote down her cell number, passing it to him before glancing at her calander when he mentioned Friday nights. Smiling, Mirae wrote down dance practice on her Friday night slot. "Feel free to call me and remind me on Thursday or something, plus if you ever just wanna hang out" she stated before looking to the clock. 

"It's actually time for me to clock out now. I hope this isnt me being forward, but what are your plans for the rest of this evening? youve got me in the mood to dance, plus, i assume no one else would be in your studio right now, which makes this the perfect time for a little freestyle dance battle" she finished off, flashing a playful wink at him and began turning everything off in the shop.

Yeon had actually gotten into dance later than most, it meant he had a lot of catching up to do but thankfully because of the obsessive training he had done in his younger days he had been in very good shape and had an excellent core strength when he did finally find his passion, he watched the look on her face as he danced and saw passion light up in her eyes, it looked a lot like he did whenever he watched a dance performance which made him happy. He had confidence in his ability nowadays but it had taken years of hard work and dedication before he saw any actual success “It’s gotta be around the 12 year mark now” he affirmed recalling falling in love with dance at around 16 when he was late into his high school years “But professionally closer to 8 years” he responded with a proud smile, he knew he looked young for his age considering he stopped aging at 20.

He gave a bright smile when she complimented his dancing, he was mostly known for doing training and choreographing rather than actual performances nowadays but he never lost that fire for the art itself, in fact, it was as strong today as the first day he ever dance “Dancing got me through a really really tough time in my life” he admitted with a half shrug of his shoulders “In that respect it will always feel special to me” he admitted as he looked back at her, he hoped he could share that joy with many people in the world, doing so made him feel like he had purpose.

The comment she made about him needing it caused him to press a hand over his heart and give her a mock offended look and his lips parted “I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just suggest I don’t look my best” he teased with a chuckle, well he supposed he didn’t, but Yeon always tried to look his best, always took pride in his appearance and perhaps was a little vain but it was just a part of who he was really, he rarely ever left the house without making himself look presentable, you never knew who you might run into, even on the streets of Evermore city. When she laughed at his reaction to asking him about relationships he bit his tongue and smirked “It’s not a sore topic I just..” he chuckled softly “I don’t think telling strangers that you prefer to sleep around is normal conversation” not that he was embarrassed by that part of his life, it just seemed weird giving the circumstances of their conversation, especially as she assumed he had a significant other, which he didn’t.

He laughed softly when she spoke about being busted “Honestly, trying to understand what’s going on in my screwed up mind would probably give me more questions than answers, hence the fact I just want it to shut up for a little while” the blond valkyr chuckled and shook his head a little at the thought, it was a mix of things that kept him awake, they all melded together until he found his mind spitting thoughts and memories back at him in a whirlwind, one that, unfortunately, seemed hellbent on chasing away sleep. Now that she had given the admission that she was immortal though, that changed things for him a little, a century was a long time to live and it reminded him of another immortal he had met recently “Well they say the most painful things in life motivate you the most” he commented with a shrug “Just gotta turn it all into something good right?” that’s what he had tried to do with the second chance he had been given, even though it hurt to leave his parents behind and start a new life.

Yeon held his breath as he waited for her to react to the card he had given her and he wasn’t disappointed by it, a smirk rested on the valkyr’s lips and he tilted his head to the side a little in response to her excitement “I try not to throw my name around too much” he admitted with a shrug “Being supernatural I kinda have to be careful about who gets to know me with such a high profile company” that’s why so much of his word was attributed to names other than his own and it should work for him for years to come. Which meant he got to keep making routines and performances for a long time to come and the very idea of that made him happy beyond words. He was really touched by her enthusiasm and positive demeanor, it wasn’t often he got to meet someone quite so genuine and he actually really liked Mirae, she seemed like a really fun person, so full of energy. He took the cell number she had given him and tucked it into his top pocket along with the rest of his business cards and then nodded “I’ll do my best to remember” he spoke with a chuckle, his assistant did most of the remembering for him nowadays.

When she spoke about clocking out he smiled softly and shook his head “Oh, by all means, I was just planning on going home and ordering take out anyway so” he smirked a little, he could use a little freestyle session, to be honest, maybe it would inspire something for one of his routines. He did wonder if she was perhaps testing him to put his money where his mouth is, so to speak, but it wasn’t a worry to him because he hadn’t been making any of it up “Bold move though, you really think you can keep up with me?” he questioned and returned her wink as he headed out of the shop. While the locked the place up he pulled out his phone and requested an Uber back to his place and when it arrived he climbed inside, moving over to the far side to leave her room and leaning back against the seat “Ah Uber, saving me money on travel quite literally everywhere” he mused as he glanced over at Mirae.

The one thing Mirae found herself captured by the most where Yeon was concerned was how the both of them seemed to have the same smile on their faces when the topic of dancing came about, or when one saw the other dance; each of them seemed equally passionate, but when Yeon said it was around the 12 year marker now, Mirae's eyes widened slightly, "So you have tons of experience to help a newbie like myself.. perfect" she stated, flashing a pearly white grin in his direction. When he then stated it was closer to 8 years, professionally at least, Mirae nodded, still smiling like she'd seen a cute puppy or something. "That's amazing however long youve done this professionally, I think the second you started, dance just sorta became you, and vise versa." she expressed, hoping that statement even made sense. But she knew dance had a way of consuming a person, and if they were anything like Mirae herself, it's when a person could feel like themselves the most.

Mirae chewed on her lower lip, giving a faint smile hearing that dance had gotten him through something bad. She couldn't have said the same for herself, but, if Mirae had been allowed to dance back when Coldren had punished her, it damn sure would have gotten her through a bad time as well. Shaking thoughts about Coldren and any of her past away, the Niveis glanced up to make eye contact with the Valkyr. Nodding, she offered a more genuine smile "I can respect that. Ive had a rough go of things myself, if only dance had been an option for me back then..." she expressed, pondering that thought for far longer than she meant to.

Mirae tilted her head then as Yeon held his hand over his heart, she could feel heat rising to her pale cheeks as she blushed, and like a school girl, she giggled "Not that you don't look amazing even if you do look tired, I'd love to look like you when i'm sleep deprived" she teased, poking her tongue out playfully. But truly, Yeon was pretty attractive and Mirae could tell how well he took care of himself, and she could see that he kept in shape, which she imagined dance had played a big part of. If Mirae would have taken a drink of something just when she had poked a little too much, she would have definitely turned into a human water hose when he replied with the fact that he preferred to sleep around. Clearing her throat, trying to break the awkward tension that had just settled between them, Mirae averted her gaze from staring at him blankly, to now looking at her shelf of herbs. She knew she had turned beat red.

"Sorry, I think I may have pryed a bit much; but hey, i always prefer honesty over beating around the bush" she then said, shaking her head, softly chuckling before glancing back over to him. But, when he then said he just wished his mind would shut down for a little while, Mirae grimaced, but tried not to frown, knowing her own expressions could make one pretty uncomfortable even without meaning too. "It's okay, I totally get that part, while i'm not typically one to lose a lot of sleep, I do have a hard time shutting my brain down. Racing thoughts can be a bitch" she added, offering a more genuine smile realizing they had a few things they could relate too. When it went from Mirae giving him advice about sleep. to him giving her advice about turning things around in a more positive spin, the Niveis smiled and gave him a nod. It had been hard though, especially to try and turn the century she'd been away from Daehyun into something good, but if one thing Yeon had said, stuck out, it was when he'd said the most painful things normally motivated people.

"I will have to take some notes, because yeah.. the most painful thing in my life, being away from my brother, gave me more motivation to keep myself well and productive than I would have ever imagined" she admitted, but immediately decided that if she continued bringing Daehyun up, that eventually this conversation would end up lost in the midst of troubling past things that had gotten in her way, and made her an emotional train wreck. Mirae couldn't help but chuckle after he had handed over his card, she saw how much he tensed up until she spoke on it. "I admire it, that you don't like throwing your name around, that you do this because you love dance and you're not just in it for the fame like most would be, but i think i'd be throwing that name around a little more often.. a dance crew here in the city? That  would be pretty amazing!" she expressed excitedly. Just thinking about it brought a huge grin to her features.

It wasn't until he explained about the whole supernatural status, that she understood clearly. "Well, I suppose it makes more sense for you to not wanna use your own name that often then.. I guess people would notice that you're not aging and stuff like that, has that ever happened to you?" she then asked curiously, wondering just how many immortals lives had been derailed and how many people had to start over in their lives due to that very thing; humans noticing that they never aged. Mirae enjoyed Yeon so far and couldn't wait to get to know him even better, and the way they clicked so far, the promise of that happening wasn't a stretch at all. Mirae's eyes widened when he asked if she could keep up with him, Mirae chuckled "I don't know, I think i'm biting off more than I can chew to be honest, but there's nothing like a good challenge. I think we could even come up with something together" she added, her eyes lit up like a christmas tree to the thought of having someone to support her in this aspect of her life, rather than laugh at her for trying something new, not that Mirae had ever experienced that sort of thing from anyone. Mirae was sure her mother would have supported anything Mirae set her heart too.

Just then, as the thought of her mother came about, she couldn't keep the tears restrained. Clearing her throat and running her fingertips underneath her eyes, the Niveis glanced at Yeon, almost embaressed about shedding tears in front of someone she had only just met. "Sorry about that, too often my mind strolls to the past, to things I wish I could change" she stated simply and finished locking up as he headed out to get them an uber. "Thanks for the ride, I wouldn't mind paying half" she stated before chuckling about his comment on uber saving him money on travel "Can't complain though right? I'm sure a lot your money goes into your dancers and studio's huh?" she asked, before glancing out the window. The ride over to his place was a short one, and once the uber stopped, she grinned from ear to ear "home sweet home?" she asked playfully while scanning her surroundings, impressed with his place, now assuming he had a studio inside of it as big as it seemed on the outside.

"Do you have many dancers yet?" she then asked, figuring any question they asked each other would be another step forward in getting to know one another. "If you hadn't chosen this path in your life, where do you think you would have ended up?" she finished off, curious as to what he would have been doing career wise if it hadn't been dance, since Mirae herself loved dance, but it was quite the opposite for her until now. She'd been working in apothocary's, mixing herbs and using her healing powers for far too long to remember that she was made of so much more than that, and her career options hadn't been as limited as Coldren had made her think years ago when he had punished her. She figured though, that Yeon had been dancing for as long as Mirae had been in the herb business, so with that, she could only assume that he had never though much beyond dancing, just like she'd never thought about anything aside from running her own herbal shop.

Getting out of the uber, Mirae made her way to the door, waiting patiently for it to be unlocked. Excitement raged through her though, for the most part, Mirae definitely always was full of energy and life, never once was she seen mopping around or depressed, radiating happiness onto whomever she was around.

Yeon smiled softly when she talked about his experience being able to help her “I’d certainly hope so, being able to get people into the business is what I strive for nowadays” finding talent and sending them out to the different contacts he had was most of his job role, along with the choreography he did too which, admittedly, he’d been doing less of that he’d like lately. Her compliment of his work made him bow his head a little in gratitude for the kind words “I found something I truly loved and the rest was history I suppose” he admitted, though it was clear she felt the same way about dancing from the way she moved without a care in the world “Hey plenty of time to catch up right?” he suggested with a chuckle, whenever he felt down or like the world was against him a good dance session was exactly what he needed to take his mind off of it, he felt free when he was dancing “I find hard times only push us to try harder” he admitted with a nod, he certainly hadn’t wasted the second chance he’d been given anyway.

Yeon chuckled softly at the way she got flustered over his mock offense but still managed to keep a sense humor about her, she sounded a little overwhelmed but it wasn’t in a judging way that a lot of people got when he spoke about his bedroom habits. The valkyr was a pretty upfront and honest person, if someone wanted to know something then he wouldn’t really hold back and he wasn’t ashamed of the way he was either “It’s mostly because I have to constantly be ready to join business meetings” he admitted with a laugh implying that he did use a little makeup to make himself not look like a zombie. She was sweet though, with a really pretty soft laugh and kind features. “Prying too much would imply I was bothered by it” he commented with a laugh “I’m not really ashamed of any part of my life so really no question is too much” he smirked just a little in her direction.

Her thoughts on a lack of sleep and a busy mind pretty much aligned with his “I do it to myself, to be honest” he admitted as he looked up at her for a moment “Just don’t really know when to let things go, you know” he commented with a slight shrug, he’d quite literally always had that problem, it was like he had switch inside him which was always switched to on when it came to work. He wasn’t the kind of person who could go home and forget about it so often he ended up on late night international calls and the rest of the time he was on a plane or staying in a city that wasn’t his home “One day I’ll learn how to stop being a workaholic”

Yeon paused for a moment as he glanced up at her, well she’d shared her story about the pain she’d been through so he supposed it was safe to give her the same information about himself “I died about 8 years ago” he admitted with a slight grimace “And because of that I was forced to start my life over and leave behind a lot of people I cared about” that was all he really wanted to say on the matter because talking about who they were and the roles they played in his life was what really hurt to think about and he’d finally got himself into a good place when it came to all of that. When she spoke about not throwing his name around he shrugged softly “I’m not the kind of person who wants to hide behind his reputation, just cause my name is on that card doesn’t mean anything, it’s the hours of hard work I pour into proving it that matter” and he hoped every recruit got to see that side of him “Though it’s not just a crew here, we’ve recently expanded out to California last year and NYC just a couple months ago” which was also the reason he wasn’t in Evermore as much lately.

“I plan on making content for a long time, if that means I have to do so under another name then I’m okay with that” he didn’t dream of constantly being in the spotlight but he did enjoy making people’s dreams come true and seeing them truly flourish in something they were passionate about, that’s what made all this worth it. Though he wasn’t complaining about the money that came with it either, it did allow for him to live quite a nice lifestyle after all “It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m very wary about it, perhaps even a little paranoid I suppose” hence why he hadn’t let her in on who he was until he was sure she was supernatural and could handle the truth. He liked her honesty but also the fact that she seemed to rise to a challenge, he liked fighters, they made for the best people to work with because even after a setback they just seemed to come back stronger “Well then I accept your challenge, just don’t say I didn’t warn you” he teased with a chuckle, he was a good teacher though, or he liked to think so, he supported the expression of his talent and let them lead the way with where they wanted to go and how their careers would be shaped.

His expression faltered as he saw the emotion cloud in her eyes for a moment and he wondered if he had said something to upset her but she quickly apologized for her actions which made him give her a slightly sympathetic smile “Don’t apologize for feeling things, I find those who feel things most deeply also make the best dancers” he admitted with a nod “It’s one thing to move to the music in time and execute the steps, it’s another to really feel the music as you do so and the latter is what makes talent” he definitely enjoyed contemporary dance for that reason, it was all about the emotion and telling a story with the movements you made. When she thanked him for the ride he shrugged “Oh no worries, you can always get the next one right” he didn’t like to force his money on others who showed the sign they had independence, he’d hate it if someone did that to him after all “A lot of my money goes into a lot of my passion projects” he admitted “My people, they come first and growing the business is the biggest investment, but that doesn’t mean I forgot to live my life along the way either” some people called him selfish, he called it sane, because if you didn’t put yourself first sometimes, you can bet no one else will.

After stepping out the uber he chuckled “I live a few blocks down the road, this place is the main headquarters of the studio, though we don’t really like to advertise the location because some of our dancers are recognized by name and face now” he nodded a little as he lead the way towards the double doors. The place was locked up for the night but he pulled out his key fob and quickly had the doors opened and the lights on “Our family is made up of about 12 solo artists, 30 members of the ensemble and then we currently have about 20 trainees, spread out over the different offices” he nodded a little as he ushered her inside towards the main studios flipping on the lights as he went. He had designed the decor and layout for this building himself and he was proud of how it turned out he had to admit “So how’d you get into herbalism?” he questioned noting how knowledgeable she was about plants.

Her question about what he’d be doing if he wasn’t dancing was too easy to answer that it actually made him grimace a little “I’d have gone into business and stock trading” he admitted with a shrug “my degree is in business and that’s all I ever wanted to do when I was young, plans change and people change though” but he was running a business too so it wasn’t entirely different from his reality he supposed. He lead her into the main studio and spread his arms a little as he stepped inside “Behold, my pride and joy” he spoke brightly as he caught glimpse of her reaction in the long mirrored wall in front of them, on the back wall were several art pieces he had picked out, there was a stereo for music and the studio was a large open space with lots of room to dance your heart out.

Yeon struck Mirae as the type of person who could get you through your worse times. His encouraging words, certainly made her see dancing in a new light. She thought it was too late for her to do any of the things she loved, including dancing. But, when he said there was plenty of time to catch up, she nodded with a smile plastered on her features. "You're right. I do have immortality on my side too, so I guess I have the rest of time to get my dreams accomplished; besides, after waiting this long, it would be tragic to rush it now.. I don't like for things to come and go, especially things that I like. I like for something to stick, if that makes sense?" she expressed, blushing a little at how she probably failed to explain herself.

"I think that's how I felt too though, not only with dance, but to make a long story short, when I was punished and sent to work in an apothocary, I realized I was doing more good than anything, and the rest was history, as you said" she stated, flashing a wink after using his own words. Mirae nodded, she couldn't have agreed more that hard times tended to push people to either try harder or do better. In her case that was very true. During the time she'd been yanked away from her brother, not hearing a word from him in years, Mirae had began pushing herself, taking what made her feel nothing but guilt and sorrow, and using it to do better, try harder and keep pressing on. Her grief and guilt were the things that had pushed her.

Mirae tilted her head though, when she found herself blushing a little to hard by his explanation of what he'd done behind closed doors, but she was relieved to know he wasn't bothered by it, because that meant that she hadn't been prying like she thought she had. "Well good then. Besides, we're both adults, even iff I have a hard time acting like one most days" she said playfully, a grin grace her features that lit up her eyes enough to have brightened the gloomiest of days. Mirae had always been complimented on her features, and her laugh; people just seemed to be in a really good mood around her, even if they'd arrive in the worse of moods, all she had to do was smile or giggle and it seemed to do a 360 to their day. She supposed that it was a gift; a blessing so to speak. She figured she looked like her mother, and when her mother came to mind, Mirae got a little choked up, but decided that tears wouldn't have went well with the smile she possessed due to Yeon's amazing personality.

His statement about not being ashamed of any part of his life, and the smirk on his face, allowed Mirae to become even more comfortable with talking to him. It was nice to make a friend she could say anything too, or ask anything. It was rare to have those kinds of friendships, and really, until now, Mirae had only ever seen them in sappy movies that she'd make fun of or roll her eyes at, but Yeon being around her, made her think about those types of scenario's a little differently. Because she was definitely enjoying his company, and could only see the good that would come from this if they happened to keep in touch after they parted ways.

Mirae nodded, fully understanding when he said he did this to himself. "I'd like to think the same about myself. I do tend to blame other things or people for why I don't get much sleep, but at the end of the day, i'm sure there's a lot I could do to fix it. It's almost impossible though to go to sleep with a clear mind, I think tons of people probably suffer from racing thoughts, some just have it much easier than you.. or they end up drinking themselves into a comatosed state, or being in a drug hazed state to sleep.. something im totally not encouraging for you though" she stated, chuckling as she shook her head. "Doubtful but ill certainly keep my fingers crossed" she addedd, referring to him saying one day he'd maybe not be a workaholic, but anyone Mirae had ever met like that, was never able to be any other way, so she could only hope that for the sake of his sleep schedule that Yeon could somehow beat the odds.

Mirae had shared some dark details with him, but they were nothing in comparison to what she heard from him next, and when he stated he had died 8 years ago, the young Niveis teared up. "Sorry. I normally don't get sad over someone else's story.. but that sounds really rough, but at least you're here today, living what seems a pretty good life, aside from the sleep issues. But, you're making a name for yourself, and while I know it's not about tht with you, you're doing what you love.. I don't think many people would have the will power to do what you're doing after what you've been through, so i can only admire you" she said honestly, figuring that was enough of the heavy stuff though, she could see the pain behind his eyes as he spoke of what he had been through. "See? look at you.. you're going nationwide with your dancing.. that's certainly something to be proud of!" she then expressed, offering a bright grin at him. She truly was impressed though with hearing how he'd started a crew in California and one also in NYC, and she was confident that someone like him could get her where she needed to be dance wise.

"Fair enough" Mirae said, as he spoke of how he'd be okay with living under another name, if it meant continuing to do what he loved doing. The more she spoke to him and learned about him, the more Mirae took a liking to Yeon. She was actually excited about making a new friend, especially this one, there was something about him that spoke in volumes, something that let her know he'd be one of those friends she'd stick by for a lifetime. Mirae smirked when he teased her, saying he'd warned her. She was more than ready to explore her dance talent, she wanted to see what she was actually made of, Yeon had made this possible for her, and for that she could only be grateful towards the Valkyr. Mirae was able to shake herself out of the emotional spiral she'd almost landed herself in to hear Yeon saying not to apologize, but his explanation of how emotional people made the best dancer, caused her to smile brightly. "I guess i'm just soo ready to see the extent of my talent. I never knew I was good enough, I guess because I had never been around anyone willing to notice things like that about me.. only people who could see how useful I was for all the wrong things" she stated, grimacing as her eyes landed to the ground.

Mirae glanced over to him on the ride over, smiling as he said she could always get the next one, because that at least gave her hope that there would be a next one. "Of course. Next ones on me for sure. I also wouldn't mind introducing you to my brother sometime" she then said, but decided she'd not give his name yet. It was too soon for all of that anyways, but she knew Dae may actually get along with Yeon, which was an insane thing to even think since Daehyun was no people person. "Ive known of other teachers, instructors, coaches, and while ive never met a dance choreographer, it does my soul some good to hear you say your people come first, as long as you don't forget to care about yourself along the way" she added, giving a slight smile.

When Mirae stepped out with Yeon, she gazed ahead, when he stated he lived a few blocks away, then widened her eyes when he said some of the dancers were now recognized by face and name, something she hadn't taken into consideration. "Do they ever get bombarded by people? Or do you? I can't imagine having to deal with fame .. it would probably scare me" she stated, chuckling at how silly that sounded, but to be seen as someone famous and going through the hassel that famous people did, such as papparazzi's; that was a little more than Mirae would ever want.

Mirae's eyes widened again, only this time she was in awe of what was in front of her after being ushered in and the lights being turned on. She twirled with her eyes closed, giggling and for a brief second, letting herself get lost in the moment. "Things just got pretty real for me" she stated, feeling her heart beat a hundred miles an hour to be in an actual dance studio, knowing she was just an inch away from being able to really start exploring dance. As Yeon asked how she'd gotten into herbalism, she frowned "Well, to be honest. Earlier when I mentioned that I got punished long ago, it was when my tribe's leader had rosen back anew. He was the same person, but he came back cold, and hateful. The things he wanted to do, my brother was totally against; I told my brother to leave, to go his own way and live the life he wanted, because at the time I was in agreement with the tribe leader about revenge and all; my brother was so much different.. he wanted nothing to do with that, and when I went to bid him farewell, he was struck with a sword.. his choice to live differently than the tribe had been taken away from him."

Mirae wiped her eyes, to finish the story about how shed gotten into mixing herbs, as emotional as she was right now, it was doing her some good, and perhaps she needed to do this so she could loosen up for dance. "I was furious to see a blade in my brothers chest... I wanted to fight for him, and because of that, I got punished, and sent to an apothocary to work for the leader of our tribe" she stated, inhaling before looking to Yeon with eyes full of agony. It seemed no matter how many years passed since that terrific event concerning Daehyun, Mirae still felt the pain in her chest from seeing a blade sticking into his own chest. "But, yeah, didn't mean to get that deep and heavy; he's long gone now, and me and my brother are living a new life.. not sure he's living the life he truly wants to be even still, but hes free to make the choices he wants to now" Mirae smiled, because saying that, let her know that Dae finally had the chance to live how he wanted to back then.

Mirae sniffled, but smiled to the answer Yeon gave about what he'd be doing, if it wasn't dance. "Well then you certainly are passionate about business, but yes, plans and people certainly do change. Sometimes, it's for the best though.. you seem like a really awesome person" she complimented with an ear to ear grin gracing her features, happy to get off the subject of what had happened to Daehyun, sometimes it got so bad when she thought about those days, that she simply couldn't breathe. It was suddenly that Mirae's heart raced, and her excitement was on a whole new level when she saw the floor to ceiling mirror, the art pieces, the beautiful wood floors, and the huge stereo system for music.

"Damn" she stated, unsure of how to get more words out, feeling quite speechless for the time being. Walking to the stereo system, Mirae twiddled with it for a few moments until the sound of music began balring through the spacious studio, music that made her feel involuntarily start moving. She'd certainly found a comfort zone here, and around Yeon, so she wasn't shy about dancing at all. For a moment she moved gracefully, but it never failed that she froze in mid dance, since she'd never taken it anywhere, Mirae was hardley experienced with it, meaning she never knew how to continue. But, she had came to one conclusion, that she did enjoy both freestyle and put-together routines. "So, what advice would you give me as a new dancer?" she questioned, but she wasn't entirely sure if she was new at it, she was just new at doing it in a manner other than goofing off at her shop or dancing in the middle of her living room.

He chuckled softly, she had a roundabout way of saying things but she did get her point across eventually, he nodded his head slightly “And once you achieve one dream, the fun part is that you just get to keep adding to the list” he tried to be optimistic about immortality because sitting around and thinking about how living forever could be a curse and worrying about what might happen seemed pointless when you had no control over it. “It makes sense, I try and live my life at my own pace too” he nodded, it was his, after all, no one else should get a say in what he chose to do with it. “Don’t be afraid of change though, change is usually a good thing” he assured with a soft nod. Even being punished like she said she had been had led her to something she was good at. You could make good of most situations if you tried to.

Yeon laughed softly, he knew how strange his forwardness and honesty were to most people, he wasn’t sure there were many situations he actually couldn’t talk about, he would be happy to put his two cents on most topics. Sex was just that to him, sex, there was nothing embarrassing or weird about it in his mind. He could tell it was a little harder for her and saw the faint blush on her cheeks which made him chuckle, she was doing very well to continue talking like it was nothing to her “Ain’t nothing wrong with acting a little childish sometimes” he commented with a half smile, he did things just because he wanted to sometimes, albeit not as much as he might like because he was constantly busy with work. Looking up at her and seeing the soft smile on her face he got the feeling she was a good person, he was usually a pretty good judge of character, spent so much time around people that he could tell when they were being insincere. There was nothing insincere about her, she was truthfully herself and that was refreshing to him.

He laughed reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck as she commented on how she brought a lot of her own exhaustion on herself, he knew that feeling, he was the kind of person who never knew how to put things down or let things go and so that meant he worked long hours. He wasn’t paid on an hourly rate, nor did he have a contract the fulfill, his work meant directly, the more work he put in the more success he got. It was hard to put that aside, even when you were successful you always wanted to do more. “I’ve been trying to keep a routine, you know, limit myself to what I can do each day, the rest has to be spent resting so, I guess that’s a start” he chuckled, nobody was perfect right, maybe eventually he’d find a way to push back the side of him that obsessively needed to keep going. Maybe he needed a hobby...a lazy hobby?

Yeon didn’t really know how exactly he did it, when he had first come to Evermore he had been a mess, a shell of a person and he had nothing. It was Celia who had picked him off his knees and told him he needed to make something of this second life. She chided at him until it eventually stuck and then it never left him “I guess I just kinda held onto the fact that someone out there decided to turn me, decided I of all people deserve a second chance at life” he smiled sheepishly “I guess a small part of me is just trying to prove they didn’t make a mistake on me” he smiled gently at her, he was proud of what he achieved, how could he not be after how far things had come but there was still more he wanted to do, another rung on the ladder to climb up towards so to speak. “With your determination, sounds like you’ll be climbing to catch me up in no time” he teased with a smirk, kudos to her, he didn’t meet many people quite so headstrong.

There was something about Mirae he just seemed to click with, she was a likable person, outgoing and sweet, passionate about the things she cared about, not afraid to speak her mind and very much her own self. It wasn’t a secret that Yeon enjoyed being around strong and independent people, he didn’t have much time for those who sought their own worth in others or put people down to feel better about themselves. Being a business figurehead he saw those people day in and day out, knew how to sniff them out like rats and avoided dealing with them at all costs. There were few people he truly trusted, a lot of people tried to get close to him for his money, what they thought he could offer them or because they wanted him to love them. He couldn’t stand any of the three. Mirae though, she just seemed pretty excited about everything and he could get behind someone who loved dance so rawly “I’ve scouted a few people who had no experience before, they’ve turned out to be some of our best recruits because we can teach you, your way” other academies tried to teach people the same blanket way, he didn’t find that worked.

He gave her a curious glance but didn’t say anything when she offered to introduce him to her brother not sure exactly why she would say that out of the blue. Did she want to set her brother up with him? He laughed at the thought, he couldn’t imagine himself on a blind date, his non-committal ass would probably find some excuse not to go to avoid having to explain to some guy he didn’t really do much more than one night stands. He gave her a smile when she talked about liking the way he ran his business, it was important to him to maintain what he stood for, it’s why he invested so much of the money he made back into the business, even money made from personal ventures. He wanted to invest in talent and making great entertainment, money would always come second to that “Believe me, I don’t want for too much” he spoke with a half laugh.

Yeon laughed softly and shrugged “We hire some pretty hardcore security for our top dancers, the ones who have solo showcases or have appeared in movies tend to get the most attention” but thankfully, dance was a less chased profession than singing or acting “Personally I keep my face out of the media, most people don’t even know who I am” which he was fine with “If I put my face out there now, I get about 30 years tops and then I have to hide, curse of never getting older” he’d rather create routines and support talent from the sidelines and get to watch them succeed for much longer. “Don’t worry though, there are options to follow which avoid that level of hassle and even an immortal can make a full and compelling portfolio” backup dancers in music videos got paid very well without having the spotlight on them, same with Broadway ensemble members.

As they headed into the studio he watched the look on her face, so enthralled by what she was saying and so purely excited that it made him feel pretty excited too, the blond couldn’t take his eyes off her for a few moments just because she seemed to entirely light up, brighter than the studio spotlights if that was even possible “It’s about to get more real” he teased knowing that dancing itself was what came next and he got the feeling she was really going to enjoy dancing in a studio. He hadn’t realized quite how deep his question had been until she was mid-story of her past. The valkyr dropped to the studio floor and started to stretch, pointing his toes out in front of him and then reaching out to touch them as he began to warm up his body for a dance session, he normally didn’t perform this late in the day but he was game.

He was listening as she talked though and he literally winced when he heard her talking about the way her brother had been killed right in front of her. He couldn’t even imagine how she ever got that image out of her mind, how she ever moved forward from it. Of course, he knew her kind would rise again after they died and that it wasn’t a true goodbye, but it must have been the hardest thing to go through “Damn, that’s heavy” he spoke softly giving her an empathetic gaze. He was glad she had managed to make something positive out of it though, managed to build a new life after such a tragic sounding one, that took more strength than he knew how to word. He shifted position and rolled his shoulders and head slowly stretching out the muscles.

“Well you’re passionate about your business too” he prompted back to her with an easygoing smile in her direction, maybe it was smaller but there was only so big that a herb store could go. Her genuine comment did make him smile brightly though, he heard compliments often but usually they had this false air around them which made him brush them off “Thank you” he spoke softly “You strike me as the kind of person I could really get along with” he spoke with a chuckle “I might keep you around yet” he teased as the sound of the music started echoing throughout the room. Without even thinking he started to tap his foot against the studio floors and move a little to the beat. First things first though, he wanted to see what she had going for her with the freedom to do whatever she wanted.

He watched her from his spot on the floor as she started to move to music, he heard her as she asked him what advice he’d give. He took that as the cue to hop to his feet and he made his way towards her “First things first, you need to warm up properly, pulling a muscle will fuck you over for weeks and you want to be your prime” he did some stretches and implied that she should follow him as he did so, as he went through his warm-up routine he continued to come up with things he could advise her on “Second, own your moves, your confidence and smile will sell the performance more than any perfectly executed routine” he turned around to face her the smile evident on his lips as he moved, leading them into a more energetic repeated few steps “The third I don’t think you need all that much help with, but it’s to really feel the music, flow with it, let it touch every part of your body as you move” he made a pop and then flow movement with his body and then smirked a little.

“When you’re dancing alongside others, feed off their chemistry” with that he offered his hand out to her and when she took it he moved them into a dance, his quick movements spinning her around on the spot which she managed to hold pretty well and then he chuckled letting her go. He looked up at her in the mirror and smiled “If you forget a step, work with it, no one’s gonna know if you don’t let em and sometimes the best ad-libs come from mistakes” he started to move to the music making up his own little routine to the music and then he glanced over at her waiting for her to make hers “Not half bad” he complimented with a smirk.

For Mirae, change seemed like it would be tragic. She'd only just gotten Daehyun back in her life, and she was now making friends. Finally, the young Niveis felt that she was in a good place, if any of that changed, she could only image that it would be for the worse. Showing a faint smile, she nodded "I sure hope you're right" she stated, being a little more of a pesimist than usual. When it came to losing her brother again though, she couldn't help it. She did love Yeon's tendency to snap her away from the doom and gloom though, with just a few simple words of encouragement and a smile, she simply couldn't be down about anything around him. It sucked to know someone like him suffered from nightmares and other things from a haunting past.

Mirae gave the Valkyr an eye roll when he acknowledged her tainted cheeks due to how he made her blush heavily during the topic of sex. Mirae may not have been human, but she had human tendencies, so sex was something she couldn't say she didn't enjoy also, but she had never come across anyone who could talk about it in such a nonchalant manner until meeting Yeon, but it's sort of what made him, him, and what she knew so far, she enjoyed very much. Mirae grinned playfully "True that. I wish I could act childish more often, sometimes people forget how to live .. and so many that ive met in this city just seem... dried out.. stale like a bag of chips" she expressed, lack for better words, chuckling. But it was true, she'd encountered so many uptight people lately, that meeting Yeon was like coming up for air.

Mirae nodded, happy to hear what he had said next "A routine can definitely be a good start for you, especially with your restlessness.. sadly not many things will take your nightmares away except for a clear mind before you go to sleep" she expressed with her lower lip poked out, almost like she was pouting at the fact that she couldn't be more helpful in relieving him of his nightmares. When the Valkyr got a little deep with what he said next, Mirae could only smile. Something about how he spoke about things just caused her to adore him a little, it wasn't something she could explain even if she wanted to. All she knew, was that it was refreshing. "Well Yeon, I may not know every detail about you yet, but I can go ahead and assure you, that who ever turned you, did the opposite of making a mistake. I think it's okay that you wanna prove that, but you're a pretty great person, i'm sure your sire, or is that what you call them?" she asked giggling, "Anyways, im sure the person who turned you knew what a great person you were already" she finished off, giving a reassuring smile.

Miraes smile only brigtened at the mention of her climbing a latter with someone as successful as Yeon, "Bet your ass, ill be climbing right beside you someday" she stated, teasingly. She would have liked thinking so, as much as she knew she'd never be quite as successful as him. "Im just crazy happy that you've given me a chance to even explore the idea of doing something more with my dance skills than twirling around in my back yard" she chuckled, but it was true. To be in a dance studio, was only a dream of hers the rare times she had ever thought about where she wanted her life to go in the future. It had been hard to even think she'd have a future back in the past when things with Coldren went down hill, but now, everything was so much different. So many possibilities that her head spun.

Mirae remained quiet for a moment after exploring the idea of someday being known for her dancing, as she noticed that Yeon had went somewhere with his thoughts. She did that too. Sometimes Mirae could go from speaking to cutting off midsentence because of thoughts in her head, and naturally, she was a distracted female. She never could keep her focus on one thing for more than a matter of a few minutes, all except for working in the herb shop, something about helping people in that way, relaxed her more than anything. But maybe Yeon was becoming an exception, so far Mirae was captured by just having conversation with him , and for once, her attention was purely on him without being side tracked by a ton of other things.  With others, besides her brother of course, Mirae never even got into conversations like this, or shared any details about her past, let alone take the time to listen to others  and their stories.

A glimmer of hope sparkled in Mirae's eyes to learn that some of Yeon's best dancers now, had been some of the worse when he had recruited them, maybe that meant she'd actually excell in this, it's not like her dance skills were that bad anyways to have captured someones attention like his in the first place. Mirae noticed the look he'd given her, when she mentioned introducing him to Daehyun. Even if she had never said a word to Dae about it, sometimes you just knew when a male's interest had never resided within females, and now that she thought of it, Daehyun would have certainly found Yeon as a challenging person, and as she knew best, Dae would rise to that challenge. As dirty as that sounded to her gutter mind, she couldn't help but laugh,, probably seeming crazy since Yeon had no idea what she was laughing at. She'd only wished she had thought of that a little differently now. Gross. Pull it together Mirae.

Shrugging away thoughts of someone quite literally rising to a challenge in a sexual way made her want to run her head through a wall. FFs it was her brother. That's something she'd never in her lifetime want to have in her head again. Coughing, in a pretty awkward way at that and clearing her throat, the Niveis shuttered before shaking her head, "Sorry. I normally don't act this insane, just had a really awkward thought that i hope to never have again" she admitted but wouldn't dare go in detail, but she did want him to know why she'd suddenly laughed out loud like that. She then grinned at what he'd responded with about the whole money situation "I can only imagine. You'd be one hell of a sugar daddy" she expressed, flashing a playful wink at him. Mirae was thankful to hear that she could eventually be one of those to avoid the hassle his dancers got, if she ever needed to, but for now, she was ready to live in the moment, and go with whatever was meant to come next for her.

She twirled around, grinning as she gazed to Yeon for about as long as he had her, she knew she probably looked a little pitiful, being this excited for something, but then again, Yeon only radiated the same excitement, which relieved her. For now, she probably seemed more like a fan than anything with how insanely excited she'd gotten when she saw the studio light up. Her heart sped up when Yeon told her it was about to get a little more real than this, she couldn't imagine the feeling that would come with things getting anymore real than they felt "At this rate, ill end up fangirling and feeling stupid" she chuckled, but if she became too much more overwhelmed, then she most likely would act like some teenage girl flailing around at a concert.

"But, how much more real are we speaking?" she questioned with the raise of a thin dark brow. The fact that she'd told him something as deep as she had, made her wonder just how good of friends the two of them would become, she felt safe though, and that meant something to her. Mirae had never trusted anyone outside of her brother. Yeon was someone she clicked with the very second she'd danced her way through her herb shop and embarrassing herself. Now she felt anything but embarrassment, had she not done that, they might not have been here right now, because it was dance that'd brought this friendship to light. Mirae nodded, for a moment, recollecting the vague images of blood seeping from her brothers shirt that day, but once Yeon had began stretching, Mirae paused, arching a brow, almost in awe. He was pretty fit. She didn't mind noticing someone when they were this attractive, but she also knew what boundries meant. This felt to good as it was just to have formed a decent friendship finally, "Yeah, it was uh, damn" she stated, getting side tracked at his toned body, after he had said how deep her story was,  immediately covering her mouth, realizing she'd been gawking at him and how he stretched.

"Sorry! rude of  me" she said, laughing at how much of a typical female she just acted like. "I don't get distracted like that often" she added, blushing more heavily than she ever had right now, and finding herself just a tad bit flustered. Mirae then nodded, god did she feel embarrassed right now, but she pressed on either way, pretending like she hadn't just totally eyed him in a way she shouldn't have. "Working in the herb business, i'm allowed to help a lot of people who cant even seek help at a hospital due to not having medical coverage, and sometimes not even cash. You'd be surprised what all has been traded to me for herbs" she stated, smirking at him in return.

Mirae nodded then as he thanked her, "No need, youll never hear nothing but the truth from me" she stated, before dropping down, and finally focusing .. or well at least trying to focus on stretching, by following his exact steps. "Also, thank you. I can say the same though, i'm really having fun.. and i don't do that very often, and i never ever share my past with anyone, but you made me feel comfortable, even if it makes no sense, i just knew that i could be that open with you, and with that, the words just started falling out" she admitted, chuckling. It was true though, when she had began to tell him about her past, about her brother, once she started she couldn't really stop, and any other time, Mirae was too paranoid to trust someone with even giving them her name. "Im definitely keeping you, so I certainly hope you mean that" she added, grinning from ear to ear. This just felt really good.

Mirae watched as Yeon tapped his foot then as the music played loudly, and the excitement in her grew. She couldn't deny how nervous she felt, and she knew she was a little stiff with her movements, but she was thankful when he got to his feet and joined her. Mirae followed him step by step. "Damn the work out is hard itself huh?" she asked, referring to the stretches she'd never even knew were possible to do. Her body had gotten into a few positions she didn't assume she'd be able to get out of as she stretched the tension away from her muscles. It sounded scary though, to pull a muscle? She'd rather not. Mirae then nodded, his second tip had given her a little bit of hope, because more than a few times, she'd been complimented on her smile, but she did wonder. Could she smile and dance at the same time? That question was just to embarrassing to ask, if she couldn't multi task those two things, then she was simply doomed.

She continud listening intently though, mentally noting all three things he'd given her advice on, and it was then that she knew he was the real deal. His advice was only advice you'd hear from someone who knew what they were doing, and she was now confident that maybe he could help her get some place good with dancing. "So basically, Stretch, smile, be confident and own the stage, and feel the music?" she asked, hoping her summary of his advice was the right kind of summary, and that she hadn't forgotten anything.


'When Yeon moved however, Mirae had been taken by surprise, feeling the air escaping her lungs as she gasped a little when he twirled her, but after that, moving with him felt natural, and in no time, she was doing so in sync, following his routine step by step, even repeating it a few times to make sure she had it down. "The foot work, that's a little tricky. I think it's what ill need the most help with" Mirae admitted, "it seems ive always been better at moves that you'd only see females doing in videos, it's mostly how i learned. Not saying I can't do moves other than seductive ones though" she stated, figuring she'd give a heads up about what she was about to do next, blushing, but continued "Those are just easier for me, I do want to learn more of the stuff I just repeated from you though, foot work will be my biggest challenge." How he had stepped in, then out, the twirled before going down to the floor had nearly tripped her up the first time she tried, but thankfully she almost nailed it the second time, and the third time, well that was the charm. Mirae's features lit up even more She figured he was no stranger to couples dance choreography, or not even couples, just two people entangled in a sexy dance, when she stepped closer, blushing a little, and reaching for a comfort zone before she could even attempt to do this. Shakira being one of her idols when it came to dance, Mirae had perfected all of her moves, almost flawlessly, and since there was no wall behind her, she grinned and used Yeon for said wall; she wanted to show him what she was capable of, and a part of her was a little day dreamy about coming up with some sort of sexy dance choreography with him. She'd only ever seen as much in videos, where two friends could dance that freely and not think nothing else about it,  and  it seemed way to fun to not try at least.

From belly dancing, to hip rolls, poles, chairs and much more, Mirae wanted to dig as deep as she could and explore her true capabilities. Giving him a challenging smirk, she gestured for him to do the same, figuring with how he'd just moved a moment ago, that there probably wasn't a single dance that he couldn't do, or at least master the first time trying it, if he never had before. After what probably seemed more like a teasing hip roll, Mirae twirled herself back out, the same way Yeon had just moments ago, laughing, and having what felt like the time of her life for once. "Since I did absent mindedly challenge you before we got here, have you ever actually done any sort of choreography with someone? Like couples choreography, or simply two friends entangled in some sort of dance together?" she asked, and continued moving, not seeming to slow down for a second until she needed to breathe.

Now that she had found her comfort zone, Mirae was ready to do anything he would teach her.

Yeon had laughed when she said she wasn’t usually this insane, somehow he didn’t believe her, people usually had many weird thoughts throughout the day, they just normally knew better than to say them out loud. But when she called him a sugar daddy he smirked raising his brows a little “You wouldn’t be the first person to tell me that actually” he commented with an amused look on his face, she wasn’t wrong, he liked spending money on people to make them happy so he supposed it wasn’t an impossible situation. “I don’t really tend to keep the same people around though” he admitted with a wrinkled nose “Personal preference about attachments” he explained as he rolled his shoulders back, didn’t have many friends, didn’t sleep with the same person twice, quite the complicated life to lead.

Her enthusiasm literally oozed from her, it was hard not to be hyped up when you could quite literally feel the energy coming off her in waves, she gave him the want to just get up and dance, which wasn’t hard to do really but considering how tired and cranky he had been earlier it felt like quite the turn around. When she spoke about feeling stupid he shook his head a little “You shouldn’t be embarrassed to show your passion, if someone makes you feel any lesser for liking it then they’re the problem, not you” he hated toxic people who made you feel like an idiot for being excited about something just because they weren’t interesting “Believe me when I say you can be yourself around me” he hadn’t judged her in the slightest as he watched her dance around her show after all, not the kind of person he was to shame others.

“Well, if you impress me then we could be talking, you know, professional dancing real so” he wasn’t going to make promises before he saw her full potential but he saw a willingness to learn, a natural rhythm and an enthusiasm he had barely ever seen matched in her and that was certainly a very good place to start. He didn’t fail to notice the way she was staring at him as he stretched and he turned his head to smirk a little at her, the blond valkyr was very used to being the center of attention and he kept his body in very good shape. He knew he was attractive and he worked very hard to stay that way, so when people stared, he took it as a compliment. When she apologized for being rude he chuckled “Stare all you like, dancers like to be the center of attention” he winked, she was in good shape herself, well toned and proportioned, her dark hair and striking features made her look stunning and she clearly would turn a few heads on the street.

Still, he never crossed that line with someone potentially of professional commitment, one of his hard rules he wouldn’t break because business tended to come before pleasure for him. Though a bit of harmless flirting he would never say no to “You don’t need to feel embarrassed around me, take anything you feel, spur it into your dance” he explained with a nod of his head. When she spoke about the work she did, he understood that she was quite the kind-hearted person, wanting to help other people, even when it wasn’t for her own gain, he could respect that greatly, he was trying to put a bit of good into the world, it seemed like she was too.


“Good, then we have a mutual understanding” he agreed with her and glanced over at her for a moment, ensuring she was doing the stretches correctly, he was a big believer in warm-ups, you fucked up a muscle, you potentially fucked up your career. Dumb move. He reached over to press a hand onto her leg to push it just a little further in one of her stretches “No pain, no gain” he smirked “If your legs aren’t completely killing you in the morning you didn’t try hard enough” he teased with a chuckle and then did the same to himself, really feeling the stretch as he did so.  He smiled when she said she felt like he could talk to him “Well that’s a good start, I’ve got a feeling we’re gonna get along well” and by that he meant he actually wanted to keep her around, he liked working alongside people who knew how to laugh and who had plans and goals for their life. It didn’t feel awkward between them anymore, in fact, they were both just grinning as they finished their warm up together. Now for the real fun.

He watched her in the mirror as he danced, leading the way because he was the professional here but also taking little cues from her, he supposed this was kinda like a lesson and a semi audition rolled into one. Not usually how he went about things but he found that sometimes the spur of the moment stuff tended to yield the best results and he’d met some of his best dancers in some very strange places “Well I’d hope so, it’s prepping you for quite the performance” he admitted with a chuckle. She seemed to be taking in what he was telling her but he could also see her tripping over some of the advice and taking it too methodologically “Correct, but start by just dancing, I’ll tell you when I see something I think needs correcting” he nodded, he didn’t want her to overthink what she was doing because that made dancers stiff and robotic.

He watched the surprise on her face as he twirled her around but the smile that quickly followed allowed for the valkyr to see the confidence increase in her tenfold, he nodded encouraging as he led the way, watching her with keen eyes in the mirror as she copied his movements “Keep it fluid, if you’re focusing on your feet too much you lose the momentum of the whole movement, I’d rather see you miss a step than that” he nodded a little, though with a few more tries the move was looking pretty good. “The multitasking you can work on with time, don’t expect to execute perfectly every time, because I don’t most of the time, but make me believe you know what you’re doing” the more they danced the more she seemed to be taking to his advice and the better she was looking. She already knew how to flaunt her body, the way she moved gracefully showed her curves well.

She stepped it up a notch as she moved into some freestyle though, he watched the way she rocked her hips in a smooth motion, the way she held herself was admirable for someone non-professional and it was clear she had some experience in this kind of dance, he supposed it would be in some sort of club setting. He was more than happy to play along though, an amused smirk on his lips as he watched her get into it, the beat and the movements taking over and a sexy confidence settling in. He stepped in closer, he had been watching the way she held herself to get a feel for where they could take it and now he had it he was ready to play along. When she twirled out, he grabbed her hand pulling her back in, so hard that without proper balance she would stumble into his chest but thankfully she seemed ready for it.

He continued to move to the beat, their two bodies moving in sync together as he placed a hold over her waist as he danced in a circle around her, dropping to his knees as he moved gracefully downwards and then back up to face her “I’ve done my share of pair work” he spoke with a chuckle “Can you keep up with me?” he asked as he took one of her hands in his and placed the other on her waist. He moved them from side to side, moving their arms in complex seeming knots which then unfolded again as they turned. His hands moved to slide down the side of her ribcage before he tipped her off balance for a moment and held her by the small of her back as she arched over, he grinned down at her “Damn girl, you know how to move” he commented with a smirk as he pulled her back up again.

“It seems a little superficial but use your long hair to your advantage, every part of you can be an extension of your performance” he nodded a little “And when you move your hips make the circles a little bigger and drag it out for an extra beat for effect” he showed her what he meant as he waited for a beat and then did a body roll which went through his entire body before he returned to his original position and pulled her in “Also, just because you’re the girl in the dance doesn’t mean that you can’t take charge too” he grinned waiting to see what she had for him.

RSS

© 2024   Created by ✓ Ophelia Dreyvalian ~Admin~.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service