Vacation 2.0 {CLOSED}

@huntersxhunted​

Ilkwan clearly needed a vacation after healing from his wounds, it was clear to everyone, even a blind man would be able to see it. Jia happily volunteered to take him on a relaxation, fun vacation filled with lots of sleep, and fun plans to keep them busy, or not so busy. To be honest, she wanted him to choose what he would like to do so it was fun for him, but she figured maybe putting out some ideas could help him decide. It wasn’t like he really took the time to go out and do fun things too often. “Alright,” Jia started as they walked into the resort she’d booked not too far from home. “So we’re gonna have time to do lots of things. First is resting and movies, Jacuzzi ‘s, and later once we have more energy we can do your choice of fun activities too! We could go to an amusement park, or we could just go on a picnic, we could take woodworking classes, we can watch fun youtube videos, calligraphy, whatever you wanna do, it’s up to you. Even if you have idea’s that aren’t those, we can do that too!” She told him excitedly as they went up to their room. 

Gang Daycare || Closed ||

@bornxidols​

Okay, this wasn’t the plan, this so wasn’t the plan. Ilkwan had only gone out to feed real quick, he’d been running himself rather thin lately but now the ghoul was glad he hadn’t waited another day. He’d gotten done with his meal, was on his way out of the cemetery when he saw it- a young changeling near starved curled up on top of he loose soil of a freshly dug grave. Ilkwan could have just walked away, no one would have known he was there he wouldn’t be judged for choosing not to help... But that just wasn’t who Ilkwan was. 

Back at the hideout the awang got the little boy all cleaned up and bundled him up in a clean shirt and he was currently sleeping tucked into Ilkwan’s clean bed. It would be odd for the leader to not be in his office, it was something he knew would cause a stir sooner or later. When his bedroom door opened to show Leedo on the other side Ilkwan was quickly making a shushing motion with his hand as he moved to slip out of the room and silently closing the door behind him. He’d hear if the kid started making a fuss but he was hoping their talking wouldn’t wake him in the first place. “Hey, sorry I don’t want to wake him I only just got him to settle down. Were you looking for me for something?”

Save Me, But Please Don’t Save Me || Closed ||

@bornxidols​

Ilkwan had made more and more steps towards evening out the workload of the gang’s activities as a whole. Of course he took on most of the responsibilities himself, he preferred it that way anyway, but at least he was getting better at letting people help him as well. He was getting more sleep, having more free time to spend with the family, he even made it his personal task to take their newest family members on their first run himself. They’d gotten two newcomers fairly close together, Ilkwan taking the opportunity to show both of them the ropes at the same time while also getting out of the hideout for a breath of fresh air as well. It was supposed to be a time to bond and learn the trade, but the ghoul’s world got turned upside down and torn to shreds before he even knew what hit him. A blow to the back of his head had him hitting the ground hard as he fell unconcious. Vision blurry and distorted as it slowly began to return to him but what he saw upon opening his eyes made him wish he had been left in the blinding darkness. The two he had with him were in bloody heaps on the cold ground, Ilkwan instantly trying to scramble towards what was left as if there was some way to fix what had been done only to struggle against the restraints that bound him. Pulling and twisting, the binds scrapped through skin before the sound of a crowbar clattering to the asphalt reached his ears. 

Tears already running freely down his face Ilkwan looked at the source of the sound, things clicking into place almost instantly. It was painfully easy to spot the marks branding the cluster of men to a rival gang. It wasn’t like the ghoul wasn’t aware of them, he knew how aggressive and brutal their tactics, the way they’d bring their violence and killings out into the open streets not caring about what civilians got caught in the middle or what trouble they got themselves in... They always seemed to have the power to get back out again anyway. Their group was expanding, Ilkwan knew that too but their turf wasn’t anywhere near to being close to the routes his family used... Apparently, he missed something, and it caused two people to lose their lives... And it was his fault. 

Being transported by van to a more secure area, with his eyes covered the aswang didn’t have even a remote idea where he was either. Still bound he was secured down into a chair, and he already knew what the next thing to be coming his way before the first blow even landed. Thankfully the first round of being used as a punching bag didn’t last too long, definitely looking worse for ware by the end of it. Still breathing hard as his body tried to cope with the lingering pain the hood was pulled from Ilkwan’s head, finally allowed to have his sight back just to be looking into the camera on his phone. Eyes instantly falling down to the floor instead instantly a hand was gripping harshly at his hair, tugging his head up to meet the camera again and see the words written on the paper held behind it. Ah, so he was to be ransomed. Bad choice. Eyes moving back to stare into the lens Ilkwan began speaking, ignoring the words he was meant to say. “Don’t do a damn thing they say-” His words were cut off by a punch to the gut, air leaving his lungs in a rush from the force, face contorting in pain. When he could finally talk again the ghoul gritted his teeth, hoping whoever got the message would listen to him the first time around and not risk anything for him but knowing they wouldn’t head it either way. “Five hundred million won. Bring it to the Mukho port at midnight. One person. Alone. Unarmed. If they see one weapon, one hint of potential back up; I die and you’ll get gunned down without question.... I’m sorry.” 

Friends, Not Food || CLOSED ||

@ckingsbury1967​ continued from [X]

Ilkwan knew from the start this wouldn’t be a picture perfect interaction, there was too much working against him for the ghoul to hope to pull off a facade of normalcy here. If he wasn’t in a dark alley, if he managed to come up with a more believable excuse to convince the woman to take a longer and more troublesome route to where she was trying to get, if the aswang could keep himself from giving another quick glance around them out of sheer habit, maybe just maybe he wouldn’t have seemed so strange. However, it wasn’t like he could do anything about it now, but even with how unusual Ilkwan was sure he seemed to the other at least she was accepting his strange offer despite it all.  

“You’re right, they wouldn’t take that currency. But if that’s all you have with you there’s plenty of places to exchange it for won around. There’s little kiosks around just about any main transportation building that are fairly easy to use. They’re easy to miss though if you don’t know what you’re looking for so it’s not  uncommon for foreigners to pass right by them when they arrive.” The ghoul let himself idly explain, hoping his small talk would make things not so awkward as he started to walk in the same direction he’d been going before. His steps were slow for the human’s sake, but internally Ilkwan just wanted to be as far away from rival turf as quickly as possible. “So, would one be safe to assume you are only visiting the area for a short time then? Just, if you only have american currency, it seems likely you aren’t planning on being around for very long. At least, that’s what I would assume.”

Bound To Happen || Closed ||

@bornxidols​

The job was supposed to be rather safe, even if they took a turn, they had the firepower to handle most anything. And honestly, they were more than capable, there shouldn’t have been any real danger, and casualties, even now that the mission was winding down to an end, there shouldn’t have been any genuine risk... But things happen. Sometimes they just... Happen. No one was at fault, no one did anything wrong, no mistakes were made just... A freak accident. Wrong place, wrong time, just. That’s how it goes. Werewolves were amazing healers, but they weren’t invincible. One well placed shot could be all it takes, and it seemed like today was just the day. It had thrown everyone, no one had expected an outcome like this, no one had been expecting something so sudden, so heart wrenching. Ilkwan hadn’t ever been expecting it that was for sure. The one person that takes everything into account for every job he sends others out to fulfill, even he hadn’t been prepared for something like this. 

He’d been in his office when he received the call, talking to Yoongi about an addition to the base he’d be working on when the call from Rina interrupted their conversation. His smile was quick to disappear at hearing the pain in the wraith’s voice as she said words his brain didn’t want to comprehend. There was a few moments where the ghoul stopped breathing entirely, the world seeming to just stop for a while. Numbness taking hold of him, even when he spoke back into the phone it didn’t feel like he was even the one saying something. “I’ll be there shortly. N-no, don’t... You don’t have to explain anything, I’ll... We’ll worry about that later. I’ll be right there.” Ending the call Ilkwan found himself still frozen in place, eyes returning to the male in front of him. Right. There were still people he had to take care of, people that needed him to be the one that held it all together. I needed to be the leader that could pull them all back from this in the end. He’d push aside his own pain and anguish for now, he’d come undone once there was no one to see him, no one to bear his burden with him. For now, he had to get things done. Not only that, he had to be the one to tell Yoongi the news right then and there. He deserved to know, and he deserved to hear it from him in person. Putting it off just... Wasn’t right... “I’m sorry, something just came up I-... There was a incident. Dabin’s dead. Rina isn’t... Handling it well. I’m going to handle things there so she can come back here and mourn the way she needs to... Please, excuse me.”

Tour Vacation || Closed ||

@bornxidols​

Ilkwan had just reached a point where he needed to take a vacation. He needed to get away from all the stress and chaos and just... Reboot. He’d passed the point of feeling bad for it, doing his best to keep everything out of his mind and it was scarily easier than he ever thought possible. He’d no doubt go back to be itching to get back to work before the week was over, but... For now, he was only focused on everything other than things back home. It hadn’t even been a full day yet and he was already feeling more refreshed, completely content with just following Jia around on her schedules and observing what all came with the tours she went on every so often. “So... Where are we off to next?”

@bornxidols​

Ilkwan still didn’t like having free time knowing there was work to be done, however he’d come a long way when it came to working. The ghoul was still meticulous during switches but thankfully over time he’d stopped nervously quadruple checking things were good before finally leaving. Instead of fussing for a half hour needlessly before leaving, Ilkwan had gotten it down to a few minutes for a quick run through of where he was at in that moment but that was about it. Sure, every now and then he’d procrastinate and linger in the office just a few minutes more pretending to gather his things, but at least Yunho and Leedo didn’t have to escort him out every time anymore. Taking a drink of the monster in one hand the aswang pulled out his phone with the other to call Yunho as he walked down the hallway towards his room. “Hey, I just left my office. I was planning on going out to get some fresh air, wanna tag along?”

Secret Home || CLOSED ||

@huntersxhunted​

Every once in a while Daeshim’s brother disappeared, leaving no clues as to where he went. It wasn’t that Korain was trying to purposefully keep Ilkwan’s group a secret from him, especially considering how close they were, he just wasn’t aware whether or not he was allowed to tell Daeshim about everything. Daeshim wasn’t the type to push matters and question endlessly about something like this, however, that didn’t stop him from trying to follow his brother just to make sure he wasn’t getting himself into trouble. His normal ‘trouble’ wasn’t anything to be concerned about, but the last thing he wanted was for Korain to hang around people that might eventually hurt him. It wasn’t an easy task to kill their kind, it required very persis weapon made of a specific metal so that wasn’t a huge concern but that didn’t stop Daeshim from worrying about others inflicting wounds on his twin.

Daeshim didn’t even bother changing his appearance to look different from Korain like he normally did, too busy trying to trail his brother without getting caught. He’d followed him to some building. It looked to be a bar, but not just that. Once he’d followed him in the back, through halls of doors which were no doubt bedrooms, Daeshim was too distracted with taking everything in, staring around in awe that he didn’t notice when his brother slipped into a room. One second he was there, the next he was gone. Well, no sense in continuing his ‘sneaky’ act, he may as well try and find someone so he could ask them if they’d seen Korain, or if they could help him out. He had a feeling he shouldn’t be here without permission, but his concern for Korain outweighed his unease about entering secretly. He walked hesitantly down a long hallway until he got to a door toward the end that was somewhat open. Daeshim hesitated, looking around before he was letting a soft breath out, stepping forward toward the door before he was knocking lightly on the door. Daeshim peaked his head in, immediately spotting another person before he was bowing with an apologetic expression. “H-Hi, um... I know I probably shouldn’t be here and I apologize if I’ve broken some rule by coming into this building and bothering you, but I was just trying to find my brother. Have you seen him perhaps? His name’s Korain, he looks a bit like me. He’s been disappearing a lot lately and I got worried, so I’m sorry if I overstepped any boundaries by being here.”

Calm Down || CLOSED ||

@huntersxhunted​

Xion didn’t really enjoy going on missions. He rarely ever killed unless he absolutely had to, and he preferred it that way. He was there for an extra layer of protection a good majority of the time. Once everything was over, he would promptly push every gruesome scene he witnessed to the back of his mind to be forgotten until the nightmares resurfaced them once more. This was supposed to be yet another mission where he was meant to shield and protect, not be on the front lines fighting the real fight, and that was precisely what he was doing. Until he wasn’t...

It happened too fast for Xion to think clearly. He was doing the best he could protecting everyone. Still, there were only so many people in so many different locations that he could effectively focus on to shield from oncoming attacks. It took a lot of concentration, a lot of multitasking, and a calm mind. A calm mind just wasn’t what Xion ever really had, even if he tried his best during times like this. He was so focused on protecting someone else from a frenzy of attacks that he didn’t even notice when someone headed for Ilkwan. Until it was too late... The moment his head turned, and he saw the blood, the pain on his face, the injury that he was supposed to prevent, Xion could feel something inside of him finally... Snap... All timidness and hatred he’d once held for even the thought of harming someone, let alone actually doing it, were utterly gone. All innocents his eyes and body once held practically vanished in half a second, replaced by sheer rage and bloodlust. It was a feeling he’d only had a few times before, but this time... It was different. He wasn’t starving this time, he was angry. 

Xion had never moved so fast in his life. In the blink of an eye, he’d gone from his place of safety to stand right in front of Ilkwan, putting himself in between their leader and the danger that threatened him. “I'll fucking kill you!” His voice didn’t sound like his own. It was closer to what the voices in his head sounded like. Dark, harsh, blood-thirsty, almost demonic. He wasn’t even sure just how bad Ilkwan was hurt, but that wasn’t the point. Anyone that laid a single hand on their leader, on his family, they’d pay a harsh price for it, they’d suffer at his hands until their life slowly ebbed away. 

Suddenly, the Jiangshi had a fist full of the human’s shirt that had dared harm someone he cared for. Lunging forward with lightning speed, he was tearing into their throat, making sure they’d live long enough to see their allies die, giving a swift kick to their knee, breaking it in the process before he threw them against the wall to scream in agony while he dealt with the rest; and that’s just what Xion did. One after the other, he was impaling enemy after enemy with his crystals, wrapping them around some to slowly crush them. That alone would have been enough, but it wasn’t enough for him. So he continued, using his teeth to rip into them like a rabid animal. His eyes were unusually dark gold despite not being hungry in the least, and blood covered his mouth and clothes. Their enemies were almost all dead in no time, almost too quickly... But Xion couldn’t seem to stop. He continued snapping bone after bone, his teeth ripping and tearing their entire body up only to do the same to the next victim, and then the next, and then the next...

 He’d hate himself later... More so than he already did... But right now, he could only see Ilkwan injured, and the image fueled his rage.

Min Holly || CLOSED ||

@huntersxhunted​

Yoongi had wanted to get his dog for a long time now, but he’d opted to wait until he was settled in more. Not to mention, he had to get permission from Ilkwan to have Holly there, anyway. Now that he’d done both, it was finally time to go get his dog. He missed him so much, but he knew going to his parents to get him wasn’t the best decision, but what could he do? It’s not like they would meet him somewhere. As it was, he was just lucky they didn’t hurt Holly and they fed him. If they hadn’t that would have set him off, that’s for sure. However, now that he was ready to go, he knew he couldn’t go there alone. Bad things could and would happen if he did. 

He found himself in front of Jiah’s door after a long time of thinking, knocking awkwardly before he stared at the ground waiting for an answer. He didn’t even look up when the door opened, instead focusing on one spot as he spoke. “I need to get Holly today, can you come along?” He asked uncomfortably. He didn’t go to anyone with anything, this was definitely a first. 

Sneaky Tunnels || Closed ||

@bornxidols​

Wai was very outspoken about her special closet, but only a select few (that she knew of) knew all her special closet entailed. It was a basewide network in the walls, good for snooping, pranks, hiding, torturing, pranking, you name it! The only catch was: Ilkwan could never know. It was one thing to know it existed, but for someone like Wai to have knowledge and complete power of it? That was a global hazard. For now, however her secret lair of doom didn’t have her there for nefarious reasons. The qareen was simply enjoying her own space in the low light, listening to the music in her head and happily munching on a bag of her favorite snack. She was for once being perfectly harmless all by her lonesome- well that was until her music stopped. The feeling of another had Wai’s attention snapping to the source with cheeks still full. Looking right at her was a... A chipmunk? In her special closet? Did it get in from outside? Or from outside to the base somehow, to the walls to here? No- it didn’t matter where. What mattered was...

“....D-... Do you want one?” Wai muffled out, slowly extending a cheeto towards the animal. It’s eyes looked really.... Not stupid. This chipmunk looked like it had more going on up there than her own brother. “I’ll let you have this cheeto though because I am a fair and just god... But if you bite me instead I’m gutting you like a fish and turning you into a wallet to give to a local hobo. You’re kinda cute and I was having my relaxation time so, don’t make me kill ya okay?”

@bornxidols​

The fate was slowly walking through the halls, one hand outstretched to allow the tips of  his fingers to glide along the walls to keep his sense of direction straight. He’d been offered to have someone around to guide him, Ilkwan insisted it wouldn’t be any problem however Kino had a habit of being stubbornly independent. He’d been doing well so far, well he had thought it was until he somehow got turned all around trying to find the lounge with the huge bean bag chairs. He’d gone there all of twice so far, both lead there by others but he thought he’d be able to get there on his own. He could see the things around him for the moment, using his powers to glance forward in time but only by a few seconds to see his surroundings albeit a few moments ahead of where he was in reality. The only bad thing about wandering this was was that it got tiring after a while. Forcing the visions may make him commit the layout of his new home faster, but it’d still take over a week,  maybe two just because of how draining it could be. Seeing things a little early, it was almost a relief when the fate saw someone turning the corner. Letting the images of the near future fade away Kino waited until he could see the familiar darkening in his field of ‘vision’ as the stranger got close enough for it to register. “Hello~ I’m sorry, but if you’re not busy at the moment would I be able to bother you for a moment? I’m not really used to the layout of things here yet, and I kind of got turned around. I’m looking for the lounge with the really big beanbag chairs... I think I remember Ilkwan saying something about it also having a bunch of gaming systems there for people to play but... I’m just interested in the comfy chairs. Would you be able to point me in the right direction? Or well, not point, but give directions to there? I’m Kino, by the way.”

Feeling Familiar || CLOSED ||

@bornxidols​

Hajun didn’t spend an overwhelming amount of time at Ilkwan’s hideout, in fact he tended to keep a distance when he knew council witches were in the area, despite it being a perfect place to hide from them the phoenix felt his momentary annoyance wasn’t important enough to risk uncovering the entire operation complete with undocumented apostates, a major provider in various forbidden and taboo items- many that were required in more powerful and darker rituals that a simple attempt would have witches imprisoned... Or worse. He’d suffer through a visit or two from Jehovah’s Witness’ stricter and more aggravating counterparts happily knowing he could slip into the base and off the radar after they were gone. 

The phoenix was doing exactly that today. The second he knew he was once again left to his own devices Hajun was taking the half empty bottle of booze he’d started when his company arrived along with him all the way into the hideout. Taking a few gulps from the bottle in his hand the familiar walked down the hallway towards Yoongi’s room when his body instinctively relaxed at the feeling of another familiar nearby, small smile forming as he let his eyes wander for the source. He remembered the idol telling him something about new people hanging around the base, a familiar like him, but considering most times they weren’t exactly sober no one could blame him for not really remembering all the information he was sure he heard at one point or another. “So you’re the familiar Yoongi said was hanging around here lately. Bold of you to be so close to the witches here. Or maybe that was your intent? Ah, but before I get ahead of myself and make even more of a rude ass of myself, I’m Hajun. I haven’t really crossed paths with too many familiars in my life believe it or not. Well, not many considering how long I’ve been around. I’m a phoenix familiar, so mingling around witches was more vital than other familiars. So got a name, kid? Or am I just going to have to call you ‘kid’ forever?”

Tame The Brat || CLOSED ||

@huntersxhunted

Honestly, Korain was a bit bored just sitting around doing nothing. He could only go so long without causing at least a little bit of trouble. Of course, it was all in good fun, nothing ever meant to actually piss anyone off but irritating them a tiny bit was definitely something he enjoyed seeing. Not many could put him in his place, it was a rarity. Leedo could if he was really serious, but right now Leedo was busy with Ilkwan. Everyone else didn’t seem to be in the mood, and that’s how he found his way to the warlocks house. He’d heard about the infamous warlock that often helped the group out. He’d heard a lot about him, actually. That’s what had Korain’s interest and why he’d asked where he lived so he could see for himself. 

At least he had manners enough to knock and wait for the warlock to answer. Chances were that after today, he’d just walts in whenever he wanted. He waited until the door opened before he was glancing up at the warlock with a curious gaze. “Boy am I not disappointed. Hi there, I’m Korain. I joined Ilkwan’s group a few weeks back and I’ve heard quite a bit about you, you know? Everyone else is too busy and boring right now, so how would you like some company, hm? Well, even if you don’t want company, I’ll be your own personal brat for the day. Exciting, right? I hear you do quite a bit of research, why not take a break from that for a while...” He mused as he leaned against the door frame. 

So Far From Home || Closed ||

@bornxidols​

When he was younger, something like this would have been... Almost nice. Now however, all the hydra could think of was getting back home. He’d gotten a new book, bought it off of a black market collector, super under the table. It apparently had a map, or a part of it that linked it to the location of other records that were thought to be lost when the Library of Alexandria was destroyed. Ravn always was a sucker for rare books, something like this... Even if it turned out to be a dead end the book he got from the initial deal alone was too good to pass up, but if he actually found others? He couldn’t pass it up. It was entirely done on his own time, on his own accord. No one knew, no one else was even involved... It was stupid of him, but this was what he got for his own childish longing that he thought he’d gotten out of his system centuries ago. 

The initial deal wasn’t anything bad, it went just as planned. What came after however... That wasn’t. One minute he was walking down the alley to return back home and look into where to start his search, then the next he was waking up in a place he wished he didn’t find familiar. Head pounding it took him a little longer to realize just how bad his situation was. He was collared, abilities suppressed to the point he couldn’t even shift into his true form, locked up in one of his mother’s studies. It wasn’t long before he was coming face to face with the woman he’d accepted was dead years ago, learning why he was even here in the first place. He’d bought the book she was after. She had more of them, more pieces pointing to the real prize... And he was to figure out what she could not. He wasn’t here because she wanted him, he was trapped because he had a chance to work out the location of what she really wanted.... If he didn’t, if he wasn’t able to... He was as good as dead. 

He’d been her just over two weeks so far, but at least he’d shown some progress. He was safe, for now... But that wasn’t what he was worried about. He was so far away from his family... From Xion. Would he be alright without him? Did anyone look for him? Did anyone even realize he was gone? Getting back was the only thing Ravn could think of, he hadn’t stopped trying to think of how to get away without ending up dead. Every meal he got the hydra had been saving bits of, feeding the birds that got close enough. He’d started to even get them at his window now, expecting the food he gave so often. They started not to be afraid of him, and with their new trust Ravn started attaching little notes to their legs. All he would write was his coordinates, where to find him, and digging through his own skin enough to get a few drips of blood on the papers before he was giving the birds their food and sending them off. He couldn’t be sure anyone in the family would even come into contact with them, but... Just maybe... If it was Dabin, or even Ilkwan, hell if Xion caught onto his scent maybe they’d look for the source, maybe they’d actually get his message... Maybe they’d actually know how to make sense of it... He’d have to hope things would align some how... He’d have to hope someone would come to bring him home. Until he was killed for not finding the location, or until he was killed after it was found and the rare books were extracted... Until he drew his last breath, he wouldn’t stop trying to reach out. Even if they all had stopped looking for him, even if he was just shouting out into an abyss that wouldn’t send him back anything but silence, he wouldn’t stop trying. If he was to fade into nothingness, he wouldn’t do it without a fight. 

Shattered || Closed ||

@bornxidols​

Yuchan had convinced Ilkwan to let Jia go on a job with him. It was mostly to spend more time together, and knowing the aswang it wasn’t surprising when they got assigned a tragically easy and minimally dangerous job. Things went well, a little magic usage here and there, getting to one dead drop for a pick up, cross over a few territory lines, get a little adrenaline rush by sneaking past a few hunters that didn’t pay them any mind at all, getting to their rendezvous point and handing the pack off to the next runner. It wasn’t a big deal, one Yuchan had done what felt like a million times when he first joined, only going on more taxing jobs later on but for Jia’s first run, it was a good start to have. It wasn’t overly exciting, wasn’t dangerous or life threatening. It was quick, easy, nice. They had already been on their way back home when Yuchan felt it. He’d felt something was off earlier, the spells he used stirring up the darkness that tainted the magic that flowed through his veins. Sometimes it just acted up, even without using magic there were times the corruption swelled without reason. It was something he planned to just ignore, hope it went away on it’s own but now it was obvious he’d agitated it somehow, and it was getting worse by the second. His entire body pulsated painfully, the energy within expanding and growing angrier as it fought against the body that confined it. 

Breath catching in his throat as an agonizing burn traveled down his face the witch quickly lowered his head, footsteps slowing to a halt. An arm moved to wrap around his midsection, the touch more for comfort than anything else, helping to ground himself through the pain to force himself to breathe again, desperately trying to get his voice to be steady, praying he sounded normal, or at least normal enough to not make Jia panic and to just listen without arguments. “Jia, I need you to get back to the hide out without me. Please, don’t ask questions, just listen to me. We have to part ways for now, I’ll explain things later but... Please just head back and tell Ilkwan the job is done. Go. Now.”