sangvislunae

[sangvislunae]

&& - tested positive for covid after learning a client had it and brought it in this week. 😔

[sangvislunae]

Ammo check!

sunhwa isn't interested in thinking about what ifs or what could've been for her and byungho in a world that wasn't ruled by infected. she knows the two never would've even crossed paths and if they had, he would've likely been married to his fiance and living a life she would be wholly unprepared to give him. it makes her feel selfish and cruel but if she can thank the fall for anything, it would be giving her someone like byungho to stand next to, even if that's something she's currently unable to voice.

having byungho around again has introduced little stops/checks in her routine that she hasn't incorporated in years. checking to make sure she always has one cigarette left for if he's run out, making sure he's where he should be before she goes to bed and that he's still there in the morning and hasn't singed off his eyebrows or someone else's, asking what he's up to so she knows if they need a medpack ready.

she often catches a glimpse of him and thinks how proud his grandfather would be of him, of his will to keep fighting even when things seem hopeless. she sees the spark in byungho that his grandfather told her of with pride in his voice. she sees a good man, a kind man, a strong man.

[sangvislunae]

seeing the young woman with her dog made sunhwa feel a twinge of jealousy. it must've been nice to have a familiar face with you at all times, a true constant. it felt as if people had become nothing more than sand, slipping between fingers no matter how desperately you tried to grasp and hold them tight. everything done right and you could still lose them. having something to tether you to the here and now was such a wonderful gift.

it made her miss her small lap dog, lily. she had been so feisty and high maintenance, a true diva, but also the first face sunhwa saw after entering her home after every defeating and difficult day. lily greeted her with the same unfettered enthusiasm and acted as if sunhwa had hung the very stars in the sky. it was nice to have someone who loved her so unconditionally.

"then it seems we're in good hands, aren't we saja?" her tone is playful as she regards the dog with a bright smile, still careful to not encroach on their space. "has he?" she snorts, an eyebrow raising in amusement. she was touched to know wontaek still viewed her with favor after years apart. at her question, she looks out towards where the group meeting had taken place earlier, as if she could see them standing their to size them up. "an odd mix, truthfully. we have some some members that will be invaluable during the mission. others seem a bit...miscast? i'm interested to know how many infected some of the younger have killed." she turns her gaze back to eunji before asking her own question. "what readings are you getting?"

@eunjiisms ... the raven haired female seemed to be preoccupied with her canine companion, opting to shower him with attention rather than socialize. she couldn't blame her, honestly. even before the outbreak animals had always been much preferable to people. animals were loyal, they were knowable. sunhwa cautiously made her way towards them, lips pursed into a thin line. she was unsure how to introduce herself or offer a connection. it had been years since she relied on anyone besides herself or been part of a real team. the kdr was a farce with everyone looking out for themselves. acting like that out here would get them killed. "i know we were introduced at the initial meeting but i just wanted to introduce myself again before we had runners on our backs. i'm sunhwa. you're eunji, right?" she hadn't exactly been listening intently, shocked to see two familiar faces among their ranks, head swimming with thoughts. the meeting, frankly, had been a blur despite her trying her best to be present and put on a good show. "and who is this?" this time her smile was genuine and reached her eyes as she gestured towards the dog, keeping a respectful distance as to not spook him or his owner.

working on a team made eunji anxious. once upon a time, her entire job was to work with a company of dancers and trust them to do their parts well to pull off a performance. but now? the stakes were higher and she was out of practice. her ability to trust was a bit rusty.

she'd spent some time watching the rest of division 4 prepare to move, and after ensuring that her own pack had everything she'd need she opted to sit down and try to calm herself down by focusing on saja.

she gently took her dog's face, arms, and paws in her hands as she gave her a quick check to make sure she was in good shape to work. as she went about the task, she nervously murmured: "the river took pity on the delicate snowflakes, which jumped down into none other than the river water..."

she noticed sunhwa approach out of the corner of her eye and she paused her recitation mid-line, a hesitant smile appearing on her face.

"that's right. and this in saja; she's my partner in crime and the best spore-detecting dog in korea." eunji stood up from her crouched position and rested her hands on her hips, putting her full attention on her new colleague. "our fearless leader told me some good things about you. i trust his judgment. how do you feel about the people on the team so far?"

[sangvislunae]

sunhwa had been sure she left the kdr behind when she departed to join the fireflies. the past would be behind, the horrors of the qz behind her, who she used to be would be behind her. this was going to be a fresh start with the ability to be a person who made hard decisions that others weren't willing to make-- for the greater good. of course, much like every other dream in this apocalyptic hellscape, it was a pipe dream. it had been a big enough shock to see wontaek, who she assumed dead or worse. the feeling was bittersweet and a stark reminder of who she used to be. she had been weak and naive and much too forgiving. kindness had been a weakness she had once worn proudly on her sleeve that had been tossed for her own benefit.

kindness is what got her into the situation she was in now. if she had hardened sooner, been ready to treat everyone like a cog in the machine, it wouldn't be so awkward between the two women. she had been so desperate to take hanna under her wing, to shield her from the brutality of the qz and the kdr. she had overstepped boundaries, to be sure, but she had done it from a place of compassion and care, only to be pushed away with such an intense ferocity.

fingers wrapping around her arm bring her from her thoughts and she skids to a halt, a deep frown tugging at her lips. she wants to chastise her companion and free herself from her grip but the genuine distress in her voice causes sunhwa to falter, remembering that, in some ways, hanna is still very much a child. "what do you think you saw?" sunhwa asks as her gun goes from pointing downwards to pointing towards the tunnels before them. "only step where i step, okay? once we clear the area i can get you a new torch from my backpack." she does her best to not sound like a mother lecturing their child, hoping hanna can understand that sunhwa just wants to make sure they both make it out of this alive if she can help it.

it is said that the hardest part about losing a limb isn’t the initial shock of it, but the phantom pains that come after. it’s losing the ability to walk, to have to depend on people and things and coming to learn of the importance of the limb you once took for granted. it’s the shooting pain with no remedy, the incessant itch with nowhere to scratch. hanna’s still got all her limbs and digits intact, but she argues that she knows this best.

and perhaps she’s right. after all, there’s this way in which her hand reaches out in the dark for haneul that’s reminiscent of an amputee’s plight. if there were ever a piece of her that was his—that was him—she’d think it her heart. the memory is bittersweet on her tongue, how her older brother would shine a torch to the ceiling whenever the lights blew out from the storm. she’d always known he’d been her leg to stand on, but she’d only come to terms with it fully now, in this abandoned subway. she’d been afraid of the monsters back then, too.

but haneul’s not here, and the torch in her hand is flickering from overuse. hanna reaches out for her brother but her fingers clasp around sunhwa’s arm instead, and she chooses to forget that sunhwa might just as well throw her into the horde if she was given the option to. “wait— did you… did you see that?” because what’s important right now isn’t the clashing of hanna’s defiant nature and sunhwa’s unsolicited mothering tendencies to sour their relationship. what’s important right now is the fact that hanna swears she saw the shadow of something moving right before her torch blew out.

BEDSIDE MONSTERS / @sangvislunae

[sangvislunae]

seeing the small group puts sunhwa on edge the moment they come into sight. her muscles tense and she's ready to engage in fight or flight-- whichever wontaek deems more prudent. his request pulls a look of confusion from her for a moment before she comes to her sense, realizing she's no longer with in the midst of people like the kdr. the fireflies foster a community, a place for those with hopes of greater things to run towards.

her lips pursed into a thin line at his observation. he's right, of course, it was protocol and it was the right thing to do but doing the right thing had gotten plenty of people killed in this new world. she studies his face for a moment before following his gaze to look at the group, to size them up. if this turned out to be a trap, could they take them? would they survive the encounter?

"no, you're right. it's the right thing to do. however," her gaze intensifies as she looks from the strangers to her partner. "we need to assess them a little better before we just lead them back to camp. what weapons do they have? that one seems like a tank on legs. could be dangerous."

as true as ever, dried paint upon the concrete, the fireflies sigil is clear. the motley crew look towards the two of them, fatigue pulling at their countenances. wontaek lowers his rifle, pivots away from them where he faces @sangvislunae. ‘can we talk?’ he doesn’t wait for her answer, instead leads her away from earshot, a hand hovering precariously at the small of her back.

‘protocol states that we take them with us.’ a cursory glance thrown over his shoulder, a beat. it occurs to him in ones and zeros. after all, it really is that simple. take them back to camp and there’s more mouths to feed, more bodies to keep alive. leave them and go against the fireflies’ code. if wontaek is one thing he is a man of honour thus he is resolute. alas, it is under sunhwa's gaze that he remembers he doesn’t think solely for himself now but for a team of fourteen, so he adds, ‘but if you don’t like the sound of that, i’m willing to hear you out.’

[sangvislunae]

SITUATION #01-02b

YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO GO RIGHT.  as you wander further into the tunnel, you notice a source of light that seems to be coming from a fire. you also hear the echo of quiet chatter. these are people. you catch the sight of three civilians as you near the fire, and they quickly raise their hands in surrender. “don’t shoot!” in the light, you notice the spray-painted fireflies logo above where they have chosen to set up camp. when you’re lost in the darkness… do you honour the fireflies’ code and bring them back?

EXECUTION

TASK 1b  it seems that wontaek and sunhwa's decision has led them to a civilian camp, and they're all eager to join the fireflies! these are playable characters that may be added to division four’s roster. choosing to bring them back to camp will trigger a voting event. please message the main once you have plotted with your partner and made your decision.

please post this prompt once you have received it. you can incorporate this into a thread with your night watch partner, headcanon what happens during the watch, or write a solo about the aftermath if you wish!

[sangvislunae]

lee joobin in “ _ go back ”

[sangvislunae]

what does loyalty look like to you?

her lips purse and she tilts her head to the side as she considers the question with a level of sincerity rarely seen from her nowadays. "loyalty to me doesn't mean unwaivering faith or refusal to question someone. that's just foolishness. loyalty is an unspoken acknowledgement that when push comes to shove, even if the person is lashing out, you'll remember who they are at their core, what their heart stands for. you'll know the person you're standing beside is a person you support, through good times and bad, through failures and triumph." she sighs, her shoulders sloping. "don't let it blind you or make you weak. don't ever let it make you feel trapped. it shouldn't feel easy but it shouldn't be an insurmountable burden." she's quiet for a moment before her gaze focuses and her features become rigid. "I want to say you'll know it the moment you see it, who you'll be loyal too-- who deserves loyalty. but it surprises you, sometimes in a good way."

[sangvislunae]

[EYES ON TARGET] which member of the division would be the easiest for you to abandon in the case of a crisis?

"haneul. he can't be trusted, plain and simple." she clears her throat and does her best to make sure there isn't a single crack in her facade. "he's antagonistic and that'll end up with a lack of trust and foster a hostile environment, which will get one of us killed." her words ring true as she doesn't trust him or his ability to work within a team setting despite assurance that he won't hinder the mission but more than that she's worried that he'll interfere with her personal mission or turn those in the division on her side against her. "none of us need to die and if we can be smart about our every move, we should all make it back home safely."

[sangvislunae]

@eunjiisms

new blood meant uncertainty. she knew wontaek and byungho had her six. she knew solgyu and hanna would make her want to pull out her hair. she knew haneul didn't trust her. it was the unknowns that made her worry, especially when it came to the other scouts. she would likely be spending ample time with wren and eunji. she needed to know who they were, how they operated under pressure, what to expect if things went south while scouting. uncovering those unknowns would likely be the difference between life and death in the field and wasn't something she was going to leave to chance or wait to test during a trial by fire.

the raven haired female seemed to be preoccupied with her canine companion, opting to shower him with attention rather than socialize. she couldn't blame her, honestly. even before the outbreak animals had always been much preferable to people. animals were loyal, they were knowable. sunhwa cautiously made her way towards them, lips pursed into a thin line. she was unsure how to introduce herself or offer a connection. it had been years since she relied on anyone besides herself or been part of a real team. the kdr was a farce with everyone looking out for themselves. acting like that out here would get them killed.

"i know we were introduced at the initial meeting but i just wanted to introduce myself again before we had runners on our backs. i'm sunhwa. you're eunji, right?" she hadn't exactly been listening intently, shocked to see two familiar faces among their ranks, head swimming with thoughts. the meeting, frankly, had been a blur despite her trying her best to be present and put on a good show. "and who is this?" this time her smile was genuine and reached her eyes as she gestured towards the dog, keeping a respectful distance as to not spook him or his owner.

[sangvislunae]

@fatheranthony

after their initial run in, sunhwa wasn't happy that haneul was going with them on this mission. she was even less happy that he was second in command and would have wontaek's ear. she just had to hope that their history before the fireflies would be present in his mind if haneul ever tried to bring up any suspicions. wontaek knew who she was, he knew her character, she only hoped he could remember that if push came to shove. as it was, she also hoped that haneul's gruff personality and standoffish nature would make him at odds with more members of the division than her. it would be a numbers game if it came down to it and she needed as many on her side as she could manage if anything were to go awry.

still, he was someone that needed to be kept close and under a watchful eye. her eyes narrowed and jaw tightened as she saw wontaek speaking with him. she knew better than to think they were speaking about her, especially at this moment, but her sense of self preservation kicked in and set off red flags at the thought. they were likely discussing the change of plans for the mission and what they thought would be the best course of action. she was probably the last thing on their minds.

the two in command split with wontaek leaving the other standing near their supply set up. she felt her resolve harden as she straightened her shoulders and crossed the distance, pretending to be interested in the weapons as she knew she would likely need them for scouting. her eyes never bothered to meet haneul, instead she kept them firmly locked onto the weapons. "you don't trust me, which is fine but our leader does. he knows me." she hoped appealing to authority might help, even if it was an uncomfortable truce at best. she didn't need to be liked by him nor did she care to be. she needed to trust her wouldn't get her killed or kill her himself.

"we don't have to be enemies."

[sangvislunae]

&& -- i owe @fatheranthony and @eunjiisms a starter. if i owe anyone else one can you pls kick my butt on this post and remind me??

[sangvislunae]

@insideghosts

having to travel through the tunnels was never a choice sunhwa would've made unless it was an absolute necessity. even then, the thought of such a venture still made the hair on the back of her neck prick up with discomfort and worry. some of those involved in the division four mission seemed to be sheep walking to the slaughter. they were naive, untested, some even still soft. a character trait she used to value like precious gems and metals was now something that could see teammates, or herself, dying. as much as she wanted to protect any light left in the world, doing it at the expense of life wasn't an option.

out of the corner of her eye she caught movement, turning slightly to see uiseong wandering towards a seat. he looked worried or maybe she was simply imagining it. still, with her background as a former kdr agent it wouldn't hurt her to make connections that could shore up her position within the group. showing him kindness might prove beneficial if push came to shove and haneul continued to question her loyalty and motives.

biding a temporary farewell to byungho, she made her way towards the younger doctor of the group, a sympathetic smile tugging at the corner of her lips. slowly, careful not to startle or worry the young man, she sat next to him giving him plenty of distance if he felt uncomfortable. "i don't think you smoke but maybe some candy might make you feel at ease. it's what i used to get through my masters program." she produced a chocolate bar from her jacket pocket, one she had been saving for herself just in case but it was about making choices that could benefit her in the now.

"how are you feeling about all this so far?"

[sangvislunae]

do you regret joining the red cross?

"I should, in all honesty but I don't." she confessed with a rueful smile. "it changed me in ways I didn't expect, in ways I probably can't even completely account for myself. it exposed me to some of the worst things I've seen in my life but it also saved me. if I hadn't been working for the red cross, I likely never would've survived the first outbreaks. I have to believe I survived for a reason─ to make some kind of change we all like to think that, don't we?"

[sangvislunae]

[sangvislunae]

the touch is feather light, something that could be ignored or explained away with ease. with anyone else she would do either of those in her mind and refuse the desperate grasping at straws for meaning behind it. with byungho it was easy to allow herself to wonder if something unspoken could be present. his silence is never just a lack of things to say, there's always reasons bubbling beneath the surface if one takes the time to decode their meaning. worry, a burden placed on him by knowledge, even comfort as odd as it sounded.

she chuckles at his answer and nods in understanding. :i smoked myself out. literally." she tries to lighten the mood, whether it's because his presence is swallowing her up, leaving her to grab for a lifeline, or because the upcoming days she doesn't know and doesn't give much though to either. her eyes are searching his, for those reasons of his, as she produces a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket.

"nasty habit." she teases as she places the cigarette between her lips, lighting it with a practiced efficiency. she takes a single deep drag, the poison filling her lungs soothing her, and then it's gone, between her thumb and forefinger as she hands it to byungho. "i avoided them my entire life." she confesses with a shrug. "about a year after i last saw you, i picked up the habit." they reminded me of you.

the words are unspoken and she's curious if he can feel their implication. he always seemed more relaxed and clear headed after a cigarette, feelings sunhwa had been chasing with desperation since the outbreak. it couldn't hurt tp try one she had thought to herself. now she couldn't be found without a pack on her person. maybe just their presence created some kind of placebo effect and knowing she had them when she needed them was a source of comfort in and of themselves.

"i didn't know you'd be on this mission." another confession. how did he pull them from her so readily? "but knowing you, it makes perfect sense." she shifts on the balls of her feet, eyes flitting between his face and the scenery in the distance. "i couldn't stay there anymore. i had to do something different."

@decolere

unfocused eyes watched the trail of smoke coming from the end of a cigarette as they leaned against the side of the building. it was a nasty habit, she knew that, but it was cheaper to barter for than alcohol and didn't take away her clarity like other drugs that floated around the qz did. steady fingers brought the slim cigarette to her lips robotically, more muscle memory than her being an active participant. her mind was elsewhere-- on the trip division 4 was going to be taking--curious who else had volunteered and wondering if they could actually succeed in their goal.

reclaiming a qz from infected was no small task, even for the kdr who seemed more equipped and were able to operate out in the open. for a ragtag group of survivors with questionable skills and motives it might just be impossible. regardless, sunhwa was honor bound to try her best. between drags of her cigarette, she chewed at her lip, new thoughts flooding into her mind before she had the chance to properly digest the first.

the sound of gravel crunching under feet brought her from her daze and her head slowly lolled to the side to see who was approaching. she was fairly certain wontaek didn't know where she was and would probably be far too busy wrangling cats to try and find her. a hand was brought towards her eyes to shield them from the sun so she could see who had found her hiding spot. a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as their identity was revealed.

"fancy seeing you here. just can't stay away, hm?" her tone was playful as she drug the tip of her cigarette across the concrete next to her, extinguishing it, her other hand desperately wafting at the air to try and clear the smoke. "who gave my location away? I thought I was hidden away from all the kids."

[sangvislunae]

❝ alright team, excellent work today. it’s time to wrap up and get some rest for the night. over and out. ❞

welcome to fireflieshq’s first ask meme! to participate, please REBLOG THIS POST and make sure to send comms to everyone who’s participating too! as per the guidelines, answering TWO ASK MEMES will also get you through the next activity check.

[EYES ON TARGET] HONESTY HOUR  send questions on or off anon for an honest answer! [AMMO CHECK] HEADCANONS  write 3 headcanons about your muse and theirs – this can be about anything from what’s happening in the present, what they might have been like pre-apocalypse together, or even what-ifs of a world without the infected!