pond

@✧ Taekwoon "Not many know about the fact that seeds are a lot better for ducks than bread," Daehyun grinned and looked amused at Taekwoon. He had seen him before, had heard about him before and just recently he had watched the other from afar, keeping an eye on him. Maybe even boarderline stalking but that was a different story. He brushed through his hair and watched Taekwoon. "You come here often?" he asked as he kept his eyes on him like he was watching a prey.

@✦ Daehyun Taekwoon hummed as he sprinkled seeds over the water for the ducks, looking furtively around to make sure no one could hear. If anyone did hear, doubtless they'd go to Father Frollo about it, and then... and then... it didn't bear thinking about. Still, the quiet man let his hums take a more musical turn, working his vocal cords into an exercise almost forgotten, allowing himself a little smile as the waterfowl nibbled at the seeds he scattered along the surface of the water.

@✧ Jihoon Chan sat quietly, watching the other practicing his snowy powers. He watched little flurries and smiled a little at the memory of making it snow inside when they weren't allowed to go out and play. But his smile quickly faded when he remembered that the other wouldn't remember such a nice memory. A small cloud forming over Chan and started gently raining down on him. Kind of like what you would see in a cartoon. He looked back out at the lake. The water wasn't even touching him. It was rolling right off of him.

@✧ Chan Jihoon held his hand up to shield his eyes as he stared up at the great blue sky. He smiled and let out a sigh. Today was a beautiful day, a perfect day to spend outdoors and try to practice his magic. Though he was clueless how to master it, somewhere, deep inside him knew that if he remembered how to master it, that he would remember his past. Deep inside his heart, he knew he could use his powers, but it just didnt come out that way. Jihoon sat down at a small clearing by the pond, unaware that he was being watched, and he opened his palm out in front of him. Taking a deep breath in, Jihoon closed his eyes and softly released the breath as he concentrated on the center of his palm. Small sprinkles of flurries swirled around in a ball in his palm and he smiled. He some how remembered vividly of doing this with someone, but it was all a blur.

@✧ Jihoon Chan was sitting by the lake, playing with the water. He was making fun little patterns in the air, which he typically did when he was bored. He looked up and saw an all too familiar face. And was about to leave but didn't want to appear rude. Instead he stayed there and quiet, trying to to get emotional at the sight of his brother.

@Taeyong Seungmin was at the end of the list of things he had to do today. Dropping off some paperwork in the castle from his mother, took an exam in one of his classes, and returned some of the books he had borrowed from the library. Thankfully, there was still plenty of time before the sun would set which meant that Seungmin had the rest of the day to do whatever he wanted. His footsteps brought him to the park, the one place where time seemed to slow down and allowed his thoughts to clear in case life started to get messy and too fast for his brain and body to handle. He wasn’t currently feeling that way to that extent at the moment, however, but Seungmin would always appreciate the calmness nature brought to him. He walked further into the park and made his way toward the pond. Seungmin was pleasantly surprised to find a certain male out in the public—the son of Jack Frost and Pitch Black. They had only exchanged a few friendly conversations in passing, but Seungmin knew Taeyong was infamous for his lack of presence in public spaces. To see the other by the pond was like a breath of fresh air. Seungmin didn’t want to disturb him just yet, observing the way he made ice and snow dance around the gazebo from a respectful distance. When the other had stopped, Seungmin slowly approached the other while clapping his hands. “Woah, that was really cool! The gazebo looks beautiful now.”

@✧ Seungmin It had been an odd morning that Taeyong had woken up to especially because he had been rudely awakened by pounding at the door to his studio. He didn't have many friends so it had made him a little anxious as to why somebody was there to bother him but he had opened the door only to have a letter and rushed words pushed at him. Somebody had specifically asked him for a small job to decorate a part of the pond for a little celebration for one of their children and it was supposed to look like a winter wonderland. But the person that they had hired didn't have time to finish all the decorations so they had hoped that Taeyong, with his limited powers could make up for what the designer couldn't create. Not wanting to turn down such an earnest request had brought the male out to where he was now, standing in front of one of the gazebos scattered around the gigantic pond. "Okay yong. let's get this over with and then we can get a treat from the ice cream parlor" he mumbled underneath his breath, closing his eyes to concentrate as he envisioned what he wanted to create in his mind before the familiar pull in his gut started as ice and snow swirled around the gazebo.

@✦ Mark Chris’ breath hitched as soon as the figure in the near distance finally turned around to reveal himself. He froze in his tracks, not believing that the childhood friend he thought to be dead all this time was living and breathing right in front of his very eyes. And then his name slipped from the other’s lips and that was when Chris knew that he was not hallucinating. This was not a dream and Mark is really there. Alive.

Snapping out of his trance, Chris took careful steps towards Mark. But the closer he got and the more of Mark’s facial features he was able to see amidst the dark and under the moonlight, Chris’ steps quickened to the point of a light but hurried jog. “Mark—” Chris had unapologetically thrown himself at the other, catching Mark into a tight hug by wrapping his arms around Mark’s being. “You’re really here. How—” Chris let him go as quick as he had captured him, staring into Mark’s eyes with utter disappointment and sadness. Mark has aged since the last time he saw him, and so did Chris. Over ten years of no contact or any sign that his old childhood friend was even alive. Yet, here he was, perfectly alive and the years of aging doing him well. “You left. You were gone for so long.” Chris’ lips turned into a frown, an overwhelming rush of emotions from how he had felt when Mark left him without any contact and reason during their teenage years. “I thought you were dead.”

@✧ Chris It might have been a gentle sound, a subtle brush of air against his eardrums, yet even something as fragile as this was enough to put Mark on a full alert. He has became a bit paranoid, living in hiding for years despite being before people’s eyes this whole time. Poor citizens of Euphoria who haven’t suspected him of not being one of them once. Tuan’s dark magic skills were nowhere close to his mother’s level, but they seemed to be just enough to make him certain of his cover. Enough to let him live relatively peacefully. Until he found himself in situations such this one.

The young octopid turned around immediately to see who decided to join the lonely walking in the deserted park. His eyes spotted a man who was around his age, his bright hair and pale skin made him easier to find in the darkness of the late evening. He looked strangely familiar, those eyes, nose and lips reminded him of someone he used to know in past, his dear friend who he lost irrevocably when crossing the waters of the enchanted river. Over ten years have passed, Tuan was nowhere near being the same boy who crawled out of the river which he firstly jumped idly into. And the man knew his name. Each of his hearts for some reason lost their pace for a moment.

“Chris”, he said, this name hasn’t slipped past his lips for so long it almost felt strange to finally utter it. “I…”

@✦ Mark Chris softly hummed to himself as he walked through the park. Looking up at the twinkling starry sky above him reminded him of when he often stargazed back in Malum. A pleasant feeling rushed through his being at the clear evidence that he was indeed gazing at the same celestial sphere. The azure of Euphoria looked exactly the same as the azure of Malum. And during times of many differences, at least there was one thing that was an equivalent between the two different worlds separated by the river. Chris mentally thanked the friendly lady once again for letting him know that there was a pond in the middle of the park because he could already spot it in the near distance. He could already see the way the beautiful moonlight reflected on the water’s surface. What he didn’t expect to see, however, was the silhouette of an awfully familiar figure. A figure he thought he would never get to see again. As Chris walked closer, he wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating or if this person really was standing in front of him—right here, right now. There had been too many years lost between them, to the point in which Chris thought that the other was dead, but he could recognize him anywhere.

“…Mark?”

@✧ Chris Water. The element which has never allowed Mark to forget where he truly came from. Which has always enticed him, pulled him closed, made him incapable of laying down his inheritance of the dark marine blood. In moments like this, when he was standing in front of a huge body of water he couldn’t enter, he found himself regretting jumping into the enchanted river, sacrificing his previous life to the delusive prosperity of the unknown world. Staring at the surface of the pond, Tuan saw the reflection of the white round moon with small stars sparse over the boundless sky. Subtle waves disturb the peacefulness of the image, yet they had a soothing effect on the young octopid, sick and tired of everyday lies he had to pull every single day since his arrival. Standing at the shore, he took a little step forward. Perhaps to have a better view, or simply being lead by the thoughtlessness of his own inner desires. A little swim wouldn’t hurt, right? He was in the park by himself, the quietness of his surroundings was almost unleashing. Or so he thought until the noise of rocks squawking under someone’s soles woke him up from his trance.