⫯ outside

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：jasmine yim。⁰¹ A flick of his wand opens up the locks on suitcases and unveils neat, magic-packed trunks. Myeong kicks off his shoes to put his feet up on the guest bed where he's made himself quite at home already. "It's nice, you have a lovely home, bit too prim and proper for you? Yes, I imagine you'd find all this," he waves his arms, gesturing around them, "too suffocating." with a few casual swirls of his wand, he sends his clothes neatly into the wardrobe, exposing a pretty crystal jar filled with colorful bon bons sitting at the bottom of his trunk, looking rather odd next to the rest of his less delicate possessions.

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：joseph myeong yi。⁰¹ Later, when Jazzy and her "boyfriend" for the weekend have escaped the questioning insistence of her mother, she finds herself questioning what he thinks of her family, of her home. At school, Jasmine Yim had always presented herself as messy, uncontrollable... so much that those who didn't know her wouldn't have expected her to have come from such a prim pureblood family with a long history. She had always been the black sheep of her family, and she wonders if he's thinking that now. But what should it matter to her? "So," she starts as she leans against the windowpane of the guest bedroom. Now that they've satisfied the mother Yim's interrogation, Jazzy's shown Myeong to his room.

It's a medium-sized guest bedroom with a large bed, a dresser, and nightstand (all made of her mother's very favorite dark mahogany, of course). She doesn't bother helping him unpack; given that she had cast the spell that got his bags up the stairs, Jazzy figures she's done her share. "What do you think? Are you starting to think that the manor is too prim and proper for Jazzy Yim, and that she better fits a box under a troll bridge, yet?"

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：jasmine yim。⁰¹ Joseph tries his best to look unaffected when a hand that isn't the love of his life, the light of his world, Holly Barousse, but his micro expressions are his biggest tell to how out of place and uncomfortable with holding hands with a girl Holly didn't like, and attractive too, not that he'd ever admit. It doesn't last long however, when he's pulled into the kitchen, one that his own mother would be happy to own. He lets go of Jazzy's hand to reach for her mother's, with a suave grin that could rival the infamous Lockhart's. "It is lovely to finally meet you, Madame. Thank you for having me for the holidays. You have a very beautiful home, befitting of a beautiful homeowner." he allows the French accent he had hidden at Hogwarts (after Sage about it when they were 11) to seep through his words. It was cringe, but he knew he played the role of a French heartthrob to perfection when he leans in to give her the faire la bise — a kiss on each cheek.

His own mother would be proud.

This ought to be convincing enough a show for Mrs. Yim, and he turns to throw a wink at Jazzy. It was good that she hasn't said much about him so they wouldn't have to match their stories and potentially risk getting found out. Why was he so invested in this little charade? He wasn't so sure but since he was here and Jazzy was sort of a friend, or a friend of a friend, he could do his best for her. "At my expense?!" Holly had yelled at him in tears, when he told her and he could hear her angry voice in his head from the moment he left for the Yim manor.

A voice that is now getting softer..

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：joseph myeong yi。⁰¹ As he turns to make a fake vomiting expression toward her, Jazzy responds with a simple roll of her eyes and a low whisper of, "Behave." As their luggage carries itself past them and up the stairs toward their respective rooms, Jazzy grabs his hand with a mischievous smile, interlacing their fingers whilst monitoring his reaction carefully. She's held hands with more than enough people to grow comfortable with the feeling, but this time she meticulously observes the way his face might change; she realizes in that moment that she's never really paid such close attention to his face.

"Feel free to impress her with the French," she says as she tugs him rather brashly through the intimately decorated hallways of the Yim manor. By the time they reach the kitchen, characterized by its grand crystal chandelier in the middle of the marble island, Mrs. Anastasia Yim, Jasmine and Maya Yim's mother, is found standing at the counter, slicing with a knife a platter of fruit. "Hi mum, I'm home, this is Joseph, he's my boyfriend I told you about," she says all in one breath as though she couldn't care less, tossing her coat onto the kitchen chair.

"Oh!" responds Jazzy's mother, looking pleasantly surprised. Anastasia Yim is the hearth of the Yim household, black hair tied up into a tight bun and a purple blazer over her pencil skirt. "Hi Joseph, I'd like to say Jasmine's told me a lot about you, but that's far from the truth." At the use of her birth name, Jazzy hides a roll of her eyes and shrugs her shoulders. "I figured you could meet him first, mum."

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：jasmine yim。⁰¹ This was going to be one hell of a Christmas Holiday.

Most years he spent his Christmases with Sage, with their families being friends, at his family's vacation home in the South of France. In recent years he had spent them with his beloved girlfriend, choosing to go to her place, in Paris before spending a week with his mother back in Marseille. Never would he have imagined that he would be spending Christmas here with a fake girlfriend in the form of Jasmine Yim at her family home.

He turns to her to feign vomit, at the ridiculous pet name she had for him. "I'll go sweep her off her feet. Will she like the French? Lead the way." he brushes his hair back, his hair in its natural shade of brown, locks of hair loosely falling in all the right places. "Do I hold your hand now or what." he unfolds his arms to smoothen down his brown calfskin jacket, hands awkwardly holding out his hand to Jazzy.

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：joseph myeong yi。⁰¹ To say that she was undisturbed was an understatement.

Evident in the way she flicks her wand casually, silently floating her luggage through the front doors of the Yim family mansion, it's clear that Jasmine Yim has no worries or qualms about the lie she will be living this Christmas holiday. Why would she? Despite her declared dislike of Joseph, she knows him enough to trust that he will play his part well (and if he doesn't, a certain jinxed contract is on her side). Plus, she gets to relish in the pure entertainment of seeing him act a lovesick fool for her.

"Hey, don't worry about the luggage," she calls to him behind her. Her dark hair, made so by the hand of Sage's attempt at an accessory spell, flies over her shoulder as she turns to look back to him. "The spell should take care of it. You should just come and meet my parents... schoopsy-poo." A snort threatens to leave her, though she does a fair job at hiding it. Sure, his overprotective girlfriend banned him from pet names, but that didn't mean /she/ couldn't have some fun of her own. After all, what Holly Barousse didn't know wouldn't kill her. (And Jazzy could surely take the witch in a duel, if the crazy woman did decide to take it up with her). "My mom's in the kitchen," she says.