#but often--the ivory dagger being a good case in point

[e-louise-bates]

"... And once I stole something." "What did you steal?" Susan did not look very guilty. "It was a puppy belonging to the woman next door--when I lived with Camilla. The people used to go away for days and leave it without anything to eat. And at last I couldn't bear it, so I burgled their back yard at midnight. I was about twelve. And first Camilla scolded me like mad, and then she became an enthusiastic accessory after the fact, and we went out hand in hand with the puppy in a basket, and walked about four miles in the middle of the night, and knocked up some friends of hers who were all fast asleep and made them accessories too. They were just moving into the country, so they were frightfully pleased, because they were meaning to get a dog, but they couldn't really afford to buy one." "After that," said Anthony, "of course the whole thing's off. My heart is broken--" he clutched it-- "but I can never, never, never marry a puppy-snatcher."

Patricia Wentworth, The Coldstone

[sepublic]

Bone Hunters

           In the wastelands of Zakaz, especially within its Baran Desert, one may be caught up within a sandstorm. In such a scenario, the raging winds and biting sands alone would already be terrible enough; But if time passes, you may see something moving just beyond your sight. You may spot darkened silhouettes, hiding behind the sand-filled winds… With some shapes even rising from the sand on the ground itself. These silhouettes do not look remotely human, with some covered in spindly spines, others sporting long snouts, curved fangs and claws, and so forth. When confronted with such a scenario, there is not much else one can do, other than come to terms with their fate. For they have been surrounded by a pack of Bone Hunters.

           The Bone Hunters are not beasts; They are Xians, who have adapted to the harsh lifestyle of the Baran Desert, as well as a select few other areas in Zakaz. Consisting of multiple clans, the Bone Hunters are a nomadic culture that frequently roams the wastes, hunting, scavenging, trading- But especially raiding.

           While there are minor differences amongst clans, generally speaking all Bone Hunters have the same design aesthetic; They wear dark, heavy cloaks that completely cover their being, designed to withstand the sunlight, or the harsh, biting winds of a sandstorm. Beneath these cloaks are special cooling units that transport cooling water around a Bone Hunter’s body. Most notably, Bone Hunters, as their name suggests, wear bones- The bones of beasts, but even of other Xians. The attire of a Bone Hunter will vary, but they all wear skeletal remains as a means of protection, as well as intimidation and cultural purposes.

           Helmets, masks, hoods, and other articles of clothing are made from the bones of creatures they have killed. Bone Hunters will wear skulls over their heads, the insides filled-up with protective cloth while lenses are installed within the eye sockets. Weapons, spears, and blades made of bones are often wielded in combat, with sharpened ribs acting as handy daggers, and spines converted into spears and other pole-arms.

           Bone Hunters usually get their skeletal remains from creatures they kill and hunt, saving the meat and skin for sustenance and other purposes. The arid, brutal conditions of Zakaz have taught their culture that nothing is to be wasted from a kill, and naturally this philosophy extends to the skeletal remains they don. They are not just decorative, but functional- A special form of taxidermy ensures that repurposed bones harden, becoming durable and long-lasting, capable of withstanding the blows of steel weapons.

           Bone Hunters worship the bones of a being as the ‘true’ self, the part of a being that remains even after death, the very foundations and structure of a living creature. It is what holds a person together, and allows them to withstand threats- And when the sands have eroded everything, with flesh picked clean, all that is left are one’s skeletal remains. The bone is associated with eternity, as well as solidity, stability, life after death, etc. According to some Bone Hunter legends, the bones of a creature still contain its ‘essence’, or parts of it, and a Hunter that dons its skeletal remains may be gifted with the creature’s strength, speed, senses, and/or luck.

           (Of course, if the creature had been slain by the Bone Hunters, it may not have been so lucky- But then again, everythingdies eventually, so this may be a moot point.)

           Bones aren’t just used to decorate and adorn armor, either- They also have a structural purpose in tents, with whittled bones helping prop them up, while larger skulls are set above doorways and the like to better mark locations. Pieces of furniture and taxidermied skeletons are also set up, purely for decorative purposes, and the Bone Hunters are incredibly skilled with carving ivory sculptures. An ivory sculpture from a Bone Hunter can cost hundreds of widgets, and their impeccable craftsmanship is valued- Their process of taxidermy is a secret to their lifestyle. A bone can become a flute, a spoon, a drinking horn, baby-rattle, good-luck charm; Anything is fair-game.

           Not only will Bone Hunters eat the meat of creatures, but even their bones, if deemed useless, or if there is already an abundance, can be eaten. Bone Hunters are skilled with sapping the nutrition and taste from just about anything, and specialize in making delicious, rich broths from the bones of creatures. Bone Hunter cuisine also includes bone-marrow as a major aspect of their diet, and sometimes decorative bones will be set up as a pretty garnish for important meals or feasts.

          Traditions involving who gets to eat which bone, or keep it, are common and important; Certain bones, such as the skull, are prioritized as having more spiritual significance or meaning than others. Superstitions dictate that breaking the pelvic bone of a creature can curse one with infertility, while some traditions mandate that the youngest, or eldest, be allowed to break a certain bone before devouring its original owner. Traditions and superstitions can vary across clans. Leftover bone shards are often given to the Rock Steeds to feast upon- More on those later. Bone Hunters know multiple ways to convert meat into jerky for a long shelf-life, typically as rations during a long hunt or while travelling, and spices and seasoning for meat are highly valued by the clans.

          Aside from meat and bone-marrow, Thornax fruits are highly-prized by all Bone Hunter tribes, and are a major aspect to their diet and cuisine. Various delectable dishes require the greasy meat of a Thornax as an ingredient, and Bone Hunters will frequently make use of the sharp, hardened shell of a Thornax, or harvest the explosive chemicals of an overripe one. Different takes on Thornax Stew are common and a delicacy, and Bone Hunters will pay good money for the plants.

          Some warriors will even utilize Thornax in combat, swinging around a hard, spiked Thornax as a mace, or shooting it forward with a specialized, if impractical, launcher. Many bold Xians on pilgrimages to expand their cuisine and palate have even visited Bone Hunters to try local recipes Thornax Stew, and even discern a few secrets on making them. And while raiding is always a possibility, most Bone Hunters prefer good relations with Thornax farmers, both out of respect for their mutual appreciation for the fruit, and also because Thornax farmers tend to possess growing and harvesting techniques that the clans are unaware of.

          Bonesmiths are highly respected amongst the clans, and while every member has decent knowledge and skill in crafting with bones, it is Bonesmiths who are taught the most advanced techniques and secrets. Many shamans will take the bones of a creature, or an enemy, and discern messages from them- The bones from a foe can reveal information about their allies, while the bones of a meal can provide information on a good hunt, and whether or not the next one will be successful. Some messages can even show if a season shows good bounty, or poor nutrition in the future.

           In terms of religion, these shamans are skilled in reading bones and hearing the will of the dead. Sometimes, they can tell if a bone is bad luck, or if the ghost of a victim still haunts them by examining their skeletal remains. To the Bone Hunters, bones are also a medium between the dead and the living. Bone Hunters lack any particular gods or deities- They believe only in nature and spirits. Some rituals exist that involve burning the bones of a creature to learn secrets, or simply to honor a worthy kill.

           Medicine men make use of the bones of particular creatures, grinding them and incorporating the marrow and dust with other ingredients. The Bone Hunter diet prizes calcium, and outside-sources of it will be paid for plentifully by Bone Hunters- Or in some cases, they will just be stolen.

           Bones make good trophies as well, either from hunting or combat. It is not uncommon to spot a seasoned veteran who wears a bandolier hanging with the skulls of their enemies, or a youth who has passed their coming-of-age ritual and now proudly wears the teeth of a hunt as a necklace. Bone Hunter jewelry is both morbid, but also beautiful in many ways.

           From youth, a child is typically seen as the responsibility of the clan as a whole, even if the mother has the most say and dominion over how they are raised. Children are raised on stories from Bone Hunter myth, warned of superstitions, and gradually introduced to the arts of crafting and bone-smithing. They are taught to respect elders and veterans, and to despise wastefulness- For this reason, the upper-class of Xia’s other districts are looked down upon and seen as the epitome of greed.

          While many reasons exist for those in Zakaz to not just ‘move’ to another place, for the Bone Hunters in particular they loathe Xia’s capitalistic, hoarding culture. Bone Hunters are advised not to over-hunt, and poachers going after endangered species can be attacked by Bone Hunters in retaliation, not just for their goods but also moral principle.

           As a Bone Hunter gets older, they are adorned with tattoos, piercings, etc. Some will have their teeth sharpened, and all are subject to a surgery that installs a second ‘eyelid’ beneath their main one, a thin, clear film that allows a Bone Hunter to filter out the sun’s light to aid in vision. While dismissed by some groups as primitive hunter-gatherers, Bone Hunters have skilled knowledge in medicine and surgery, especially eye surgery. The more precise tools and parts to install a second eyelid typically comes from trade, or raiding.

           Youths go through multiple rituals and coming-of-age traditions as they get older, before going on their first hunt. In a first hunt, the youth is expected to perform the kill, or at least the final blow, on a creature- A bone from that creature will then be seized as a trophy. Supposedly, the exact creature that one slays for their first kill will bestows certain properties to a Bone Hunter, so obviously a first hunt is an incredibly careful, sacred tradition. The youth must choose carefully, as the shamans advise.

           Depending on the clan, the youth will take one bone from their first kill, or some, or all of them. They may choose the bone, or choose those that are undamaged, the criteria can vary. The meat is always eaten however- One cannot be wasteful, but of course how the meat is distributed also varies based on local tradition.

           When a Bone Hunter dies, either of old age or battle or some other reason, a funeral is held for them. Family members and the rest of the clan grieves, and sometimes an ivory sculpture is cast in the likeness of the deceased. Once this is done, the flesh of the deceased is striped and cleaned from their bones, gathered within a bag and set aside for scavengers to eat; Wastefulness cannot be allowed for their prey even in death, and so the same applies to the Bone Hunters themselves. The bones of the deceased are handled as the family (or clan, if none remain) deems fit; Often, they will be taxidermied and displayed, converted into sacred family heirlooms. Other times they will be fed to the deceased’s Rock Steed, or another one, to fuel the health of the clan as a whole.

           Contrary to popular belief, Bone Hunters are not cannibalistic- They will not eat the flesh of humans they kill, but they will feed it to their Rock Steeds, or leave it behind for scavengers to consume. Similarly, the bones of actual people are not to be ground into medicine, unless that medicine is used for their Rock Steeds.

           The Rock Steed is a reptilian, scarlet-armored creature that walks on two legs and has a diminutive set of clawed-arms. It has a tail with a sharp blade at the end, as well as a beak with ragged lower-jaws for tearing apart meat. Rock Steeds are carnivorous, highly-social creatures, and can be found roaming in packs, but occasionally some will go off to function as lone predators.

           Bone Hunter culture has domesticated the Rock Steed. From youth, a Bone Hunter is encouraged to befriend a Rock Steed, choosing one for themselves, but also vice-versa; Once a bond has been formed, it will be fed and facilitated as both rider and steed grow and become strong. An inseparable, lifetime bond is formed between a Bone Hunter and their Rock Steed, and often the Rock Steed will get the leftovers before any other creature. Rock Steeds are hardy creatures with great endurance, and have long lifespans.

           Still, the dangerous climate of Zakaz ensures that sudden deaths are always prevalent. If a Bone Hunter dies alone, it is not uncommon for their Rock Steed to curl up around their corpse defensively and then choose to die with their master. If funeral rites are properly held, the Rock Steed may move onto a new rider, acting as an auxiliary, back-up steed, or it will instead curl up around the flayed flesh of their previous owner. These creatures are highly-intelligent, and have been known to mourn their riders. It is encouraged in Bone Hunter culture to name one’s Rock Steed.

           If the Rock Steed dies, then its bones will be harvested and cleaned. In some clans, the rider will eat the flesh as one final gift from their steed, while in others it is left behind for scavengers- Rock Steeds will not eat one another’s flesh. A Bone Hunter will mourn, before finding a new Rock Steed- Perhaps from taming one found in the wilds, or by choosing an auxiliary Rock Steed that has no master. It is not advised to try raising a new one after one’s Rock Steed dies, as this can be seen as disrespectful- Otherwise, it will just be viewed as a futile attempt at recreating a lost, irreplaceable bond. Still, there are Bone Hunters who have found new joy in helping raise and take care of new Rock Steeds for youths, and even adopting one.

           Every hunter and warrior in a clan has a Rock Steed, but a few others are amonst the clan as a back-up supply. These back-up Rock Steeds will usually bear the load of heavier items, carry shamans and those who aren’t warriors, and act as replacements. Some are sold off to traders, with buyers advised to treat the creatures well- Even auxiliary Rock Steeds deserve some respect amongst the Bone Hunters. New Rock Steeds either come from trade with other clans, newly-born babies, or by finding one in the wild and taming it.

           Rock Steeds are vicious fighters who will fight to the death for a master, and can normally be territorial- Even after being tamed and domesticated, they require their own space and respect from a rider, and will guard camps whether or not their owners are present. A Rock Steed is a useful ally for a Bone Hunter, who fights with their weapons, and usually a handheld rail-gun, usually from trade or –you guessed it- raiding.

           Bone Hunters are nomadic, and know how to navigate the desert through its winds and night-time stars. They follow the movement of packs, always making sure to leave survivors- But they are also bandits and raiders as well, as necessitated by a harsh lifestyle in Zakaz. Bone Hunters will track the movement of sandstorms, tailing behind them, and/or lookout for victims and travelers to stalk and ambush.

           When travelling through a sandstorm, Bone Hunters hide behind the cover of the sand, often stalking prey and victims, surrounding them before going on an ambush. Sometimes they will lie in wait for a victim, digging up sand and covering themselves and their Rock Steeds with it. Because of their bone-adorned attire and habit to rise from the sand, some have mistaken Bone Hunters as undead monsters coming to haunt the living. Those traveling in sandstorms have seen the unusual silhouettes of Bone Hunters and mistaken them for terrifying beasts, with survivors frantically speaking of zombies and ghosts.

           Locals, of course, know it is the Bone Hunters- And when one is surrounded by a clan, they are quickly attacked and slain. Depending on the clan and the policy of veterans, a victim might be left alive to eventually die, be slain, or be taken hostage to later barter with anyone who may want them; If not, then the former two options come into play. Bone Hunters make for lethal opponents, as they are masters of their environment and skilled hunters, able to disappear into the cover of a sandstorm at will, and knowing how to use the winds to facilitate their aim. All Bone Hunters know the best way to break bones, as part of their tradition, and will utilize this knowledge well when fighting and even torturing enemies.

           Bone Hunters get much of their loot from wandering caravans, merchants, and unfortunate travelers. Food, water, tools, and other useful items are either kept and used, or later traded and sold. Bone Hunters have little use for Widgets, but still keep some just in case they want to buy something but don’t have an item the owner wants, nor can they just rob them. Policy on raiding varies- For some, all travelers are fair-game. Some Bone Hunters will attack small villages, raiding them for resources and killing those that they see as potential rivals.

           Others have certain groups designated as not for robbing nor killing. Amongst all Bone Hunter clans, children are to be spared and left with at least some rations to survive the desert with. Otherwise, unless a specific relationship has been established, outsiders are a liability. Some settlements, or certain groups of traders, are on good terms with a local Bone Hunter clan, and frequently engage in good trade with them.

Some clans prefer not to raid unless in dire need, while others clans are ruthless, taking from all they encounter and killing as they see fit. Bone Hunters are known to occasionally indulge in bounty-hunting. Regardless of one’s intention for approaching peacefully, a Bone Hunter must make it clear they mean no harm, and this often involves holding one’s bare hands to the sky as they approach. To approach someone on false terms of neutrality, only to attack, is a cardinal sin.

           While normally hostile to non-Bone Hunters, once one has made a friend of a group, they are generally in good favor. As they are adapted for travelling in the desert, Bone Hunters are good traders and can be paid well to carry cargo, or act as a form of protection for certain groups. Once Bone Hunters have made a ‘friend’ with a person or group, that person is exempt from harm by any other clan, and given an intricate, ornate charm of good fortune to prove their worth.

           Many groups are hostile and wary of the Bone Hunters, seeing them as roaming, cannibalistic savages who kill wantonly and thrive only on theft. Policy towards them can vary- Often times, people will be hired to act as protection against Bone Hunters. Some taverns or the occasional oasis settlement will have a sign dictating their stance on Bone Hunters, with some allowing a visit –fights non-permitted of course- and others banning any presence of the nomads.

Rules regarding Bone Hunters who break a clan’s policy vary, but universally, killing other Bone Hunters –especially one within your clan- is a grievous crime, and worth branding and exiling someone for. Deliberately endangering one’s comrades, or even betraying them, is also looked down upon.

           Some clans will have a reigning chief, while others are democratic in nature. Even amongst chief-led tribes, the advice of a shaman, priest, or retired elder is always valued and heeded. Once a Bone Hunter is too old to fight, they typically train to become a shaman, or a medicine man, or some other task that requires little physicality. Elderly who are too sick and weak to do any of these things are nevertheless looked after; Despite their fragile state, they are not seen as ‘parasites’ by a clan, as their age is one earned from years of hunting and competent fighting. Mistreating elders or leaving them behind is another cardinal sin for the Bone Hunters.

           The authority of a chief varies between clans, with some having the final, total word on matters, while others prefer to heed their comrades’ input. If a leader or clan feels particularly wronged for whatever reason, a chieftain may gather their most trusted friends and comrades to go on a revenge-hunt and salvage the honor of either themselves of the tribe as a whole.

           New Bone Hunters typically come from conceived children, or members of other clans coming in to support a dwindling one. Bone Hunter policy on outsiders joining varies, with some outright forbidding it, while others allowing a newcomer in only after they fully adopt the traditions and culture of the clan. Depending on circumstance, rejects and outcasts may be welcomed more warmly. If Bone Hunters find a child or even an infant stranded in the desert, they may take it upon themselves to deliver the youth to a nearby settlement, or even adopt them in some cases. Such adoptions are more frequent and lenient case than fully-grown outsiders coming in. Obviously, this rule doesn’t apply to children involved in raids, and sometimes clans won’t bother transporting such youths to safety.

           Bone Hunters typically speak a language different than the one most Xians speak, and a few variations in dialect exist, but otherwise they will all understand one another. Most Bone Hunters are bilingual as well, and to some outsiders, Bone Hunter speech sounds like gravelly-grunts. Throat-singing, coupled with flutes and other wind instruments carved from bones, make for good Bone Hunter music, and songs will sometimes be passed around to ease the burden of travel.

[loveseungs]

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happy birthday to our favorite dancing gem with a 4D personality !!

↠ pairing: violinist!lee know x pianist!reader ↠ word count: 12.8k words [yes,, indeed,,,,,] ↠ warnings: female reader ↠ genre: enemies to lovers au, absolute tooth-rotting, cavity-inducing, heart-fluttering fluff ↠ summary:  In all his life, lee minho had never been desperate. But, in the moment his accompanist had ditched him, it was as if desperate was all he felt.

- you were part of the top students of your level, notorious for being one of the most hardworking and competitive people there were - often times, you’d decline invites to hang just so that you could study for upcoming tests. acing them was a must for you despite your looming desires to get some spice in your life - but honestly who has time for drama lol - anyway one time in class you were finishing up a project wherein you had to build a diorama of some sort out of trash objects - yours was turning out to be quite nice. it was a beautiful structure of a traditional korean house, and you were really proud! it took u days to finish the project and it really felt like your hard work paid off - when the bell rung, your teacher told you to pack away and allowed you to bring your projects home to work on them - with the utmost care and gentleness, you carried yours out of the classroom, thinking about what other lil’ embellishments u could add to make it dazzle - if you could find some spare, broken jade pieces you could form into some nice designs for the exterior, that’d really float ur boat - halfway into mentally designing some accents for your project, you could hear the quick and erratic tapping of school shoes on the floor. - your first instinct was panic because u knew people were running and did not plan on letting them destroy the product of ur blood sweat and tears for the past week - you stood aside quickly in attempts not to get in the way of those running in the hallway - when you looked up, lee minho and some other people were rushing through - it wasn’t like it was hard to know something about lee minho. he was only the top student of your level and one of the best musicians in your school’s orchestra - you worked so hard just to surpass him, but somehow, he was able to maintain his monster of a rank in the academic ladder. - plus, it didn’t help that he was your classmate and that your competitive spirit ignited three times more passionate when he scored the best in class - being second sucked, but what could you do except work harder, right? - anyway, his entire face looked panicked and the least you could say about his hair was that it was disheveled, but he was running towards you and he was running fast, violin case in one hand and a bunch of books in the other - would this be an interesting fic if nothing happened - of course not - you guessed it fellas - with that atrocity of a violin case came the demise of your beautiful korean house - bam - he’d accidentally toppled over your project and just like that, it shattered to the floor - rest in pieces haha literally - completely flabbergasted, it took seconds for you to realize the implications of your current situation. - if things could not get worse, that jerk of a boy did not even stop and proceeded to turn a corner in a rush - you were unsure of how to react - watching the whole situation unfold, your best friend, changbin, hurried over to you to help you pick up the remnants of what’d once been such a beautiful diorama - “holy heck, [y/n]! you alright?” changbin asked in a panic, bending down to scoop up whatever he could - tears started to form in your eyes as the thought of having to redo your project all over again danced in your mind. You had a test tomorrow and didn’t even know if you’d have time to study for that now that your project (which, mind you, was due in TWO days) practically didn’t exist. - was sleep even an option? as the seconds flew, you were paralyzed in the moment. Stress began to hit you like a brick and you wanted to shoot lee minho and then yourself - “[y/n]! please don’t cry, we’ll do something about this—I promise. That absolute jerk! Let’s talk to Mr. Park, I’m sure he’ll understand,” Changbin assured you, looking up from the floor. “Do people not even have common courtesy nowadays? The least he could have done was apologize! Damn, I’m so pissed! I’m so sorry this had to happen.” - it was so difficult to speak. You eventually bent down to help Changbin pick up your fractured Korean house. - “Thanks Changbin,” you mumbled, letting out a deep and frustrated sigh. “Come with me to Mr. Park? I’ll ask if I can get an extension.” - Changbin nodded, taking a half of your load with him. “Yeah, yeah. What happened? I heard some running, then a crash, and next thing I know, my best friend’s project’s been jeopardized. Do you want me to help you rebuild it? I’m already almost done with mine.” - “That son of a—” you began, cutting yourself off. “I don’t know. His violin case bumped into my diorama and before I knew it, I no longer had a diorama. I bet you that was on purpose. Just because I beat him in the last test? I didn’t know he was so petty. I swear, he’s always trying to one-up me!” - Once you got home, you gently laid down the broken pieces of your project on your desk and threw your bag on the floor. Before you decided to pull an all-nighter in attempts to do a two-week project in only a couple of days, you flipped open the cover of your piano and started to play, letting your anger and frustration out as you pressed on the ivory keys. - it was going to be a long night. You might as well’ve started it off on a good note.

〔✿〕

-“Ssaem!” Minho groaned, not comprehending his current situation. “You can’t just deduct points from me like this! It was an accident!” - if mr. park was going to deal w someone today, it was not lee minho fellas - “You didn’t even bother to say sorry or help me, at least!” you shrieked, shooting daggers at Minho with your eyes. - “That’s—” the boy started, “well, I’m sorry! It was an accident! I was in a rush!” - “And now, thanks to you, I’m also in a rush! Do you know how many points this project is worth? Thirty percent!” you yelled, exasperated. - “Students!” Mr. Park cleared his throat. “Mr. Lee, I’m expecting you to either spend one hour every day for the next three days after school to help Ms. [L/N]. Otherwise, I’ll have to transfer your points to her.” - “Ssaem!” Minho grumbled once more. - Your eyes widened at your teacher’s suggestion. “Ssaem, I’d rather get only one day of extension rather than three days stuck with him!” - “Do you really mean that, Ms. [L/N]?” Mr. Park challenged, adjusting his glasses. - “I-I…” you trailed off. “I’m sorry, sir. I’m just quite stressed. I’d be glad to take those three days of extension. Thank you for your consideration.” - “And you, Mr. Lee?” - Minho sighed, rubbing his temples. “Ssaem, I have practice! The concert I’m representing the school in is soon, you know that!” - “Okay, then I will simply transfer 5% of your final project grade to Ms. [L/N].” - “Alright, alright!” Minho snapped. “I’ll do it, sir! Please don’t deduct points from me—I am sorry for my behavior. May I get to practice now?” - “You are both dismissed. Ms. [L/N], I will meet you in the faculty room on Friday for your presentation. Mr. Lee, I will ensure you that I’ll be checking if you’re truly helping her. Go now, it’s going to get late.” - With that, you two bowed respectfully and headed out the faculty office. - “You don’t need to help me out. I just complied because I really need that three days of extension. I’ll tell Mr. Park that you helped me out or whatever. Just go and do your practice thing,” you mumbled, not daring to meet Minho’s eyes. - “Whatever. If you weren’t standing in the hallway that day, we’d not be in this situation,” he snarled, shoving his hands in his pockets. - “Excuse me?” you piped up, folding your arms. “You were the one running! Running isn’t even allowed in the halls!” - “I—” Minho attempted to retort, but ended up fumbling with his hair in frustration. “I’m going! I need to practice.” - “Jerk.” - “What did you say?” - “I thought you had practice? If you won’t go first, I will. Don’t bother thinking about this anymore, since you clearly don’t care about anyone but yourself. Bye, Minho.” - In that moment, something inside Lee Minho snapped open, the strings of his heart aching in fury. If words were weapons, yours was a dagger, slowly but surely inflicting great hurt to the boy. Minho dragged his feet into the opposite direction, clenching his fists until he could feel his nails digging into the top of his palms. 

〔✿〕

- you waited patiently in the library for Changbin to come help you fix your project, but time was ticking and you didn’t want to waste it. - so, as you waited, you started mending the cracked fragments of one of the Korean house’s walls, gently gluing two pieces together. To give it a cleaner finish, you used craft glue and white paint to conceal the cracks. - just then, a message appeared on your phone. - binnie boy: sorry, [y/n]. don’t hate me for this, but I need to go home early. noona came home from college and my parents want to me spend time w/ her. Im so sorry ill help you tomorrow - you couldn’t blame him, but your heart sunk in your chest - there was just so much to do. after fixing the walls, you needed to replace all the furniture inside the house and fix the exterior. you didn’t even want to think of your upcoming math test—you still couldn’t even understand some of the lessons. if you flunked that, you might as well’ve said goodbye to your high ranking on the academic ladder. could you bear to deal with the disappointment when your report card came out? stress gnawed at you; tears threatened to start filling your eyes. this week was going to be utterly horrible and it’d just started yesterday. there was too much to do in too little time— - “move over,” came a low voice, a hand tapping you from behind. - you mustered all your strength to conceal the looming impulse to start crying and turned your head to the owner of that voice - goodness gracious u wanted to scream !! - why the flippity flop was lee minho standing behind u ???? why was the world against u :((((( - “the hell are you doing here?” you snapped, not budging. “thought you had practice.” - minho sighed, “look, i just don’t want to be that guy who messes people up and doesn’t take credit for it. i don’t particularly like feeling like a jerk.” - “if you’re here to satiate your own moral codes and do something so that you can feel all heroic about, just forget it. I don’t want your pity party, and frankly, I don’t want to uplift you into thinking you’re less of an atrocity than you really are.” - “no, that’s not what I meant. I just really feel mean and I thought about what you said about me being selfish and stuff, so I want to help you. I’m willing to sacrifice at least thirty minutes if you’ll let me help you. I’m planning to be late for practice today. but sure. if you really don’t want my help, then don’t take it.” - you were taken aback. minho? everyone knew that he’d always turn down any after-school activity to go play the violin, even if it was an activity no one would wanna miss. this was some big stuff, chief - “do what you want, but I’m still mad at you. I still have to study for math after this to make up for my pathetic lack of knowledge, so if you could help me cut the time in two, just start helping me repair these walls,” you mumbled, scooting over a little bit to make space for the boy. “glue the broken ones together and then coat them with glue and paint to conceal the cracks.” - he nodded. “you still don’t understand math?” - “are you mocking me? sorry for not being the top one, Minho.” - “would you stop antagonizing me? i was going to ask if you want me to explain it to you while we fix these walls. I know you want to do well on the test.” - you raised a brow. “I thought you didn’t pay attention to anyone? I mean, you’re never around for long.” - minho looked at you with offense. “do you really think me to be that self-indulged? besides, I’m highly aware of those in the top of our class. you need to know who competitors are, you know. just because I don’t hang around with our classmates much doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about them.” - “my bad,” you answered. “you kinda like, don’t talk to anyone except the people in the music building.” - “I just… don’t see the need to converse.” - “I like the theory that you’re married to your violin better, though.” - “Look, do you want help in math or not?” - “No, as a matter of fact, I don’t. I’ll figure it out myself, thanks.” - “You sure? Last time I checked, you barely passed the seatwork we had last week.” - “How do you know that?” - “Oh, I keep tabs on people who threaten my ranking.” - “Aren’t you a sweet little snowflake?” - “I’m just trying to offer you assistance, so there’s no need to be so uptight. But, if you’re so insistent, at least I’ll be able to maintain my top spot when you flunk.” - You rolled your eyes. “Don’t get so cocky. Just because I don’t get it doesn’t mean I won’t by the time the test comes around.” - lmao who were u kidding tho u lowkey needed his help but u didn’t want him to know that - pride is a thing folks - u both were full of it - anyway u continued fixing the walks of ur project while casually speaking in the corner of the library, making sure not to make too much noise as you worked - even if you were still quite uncomfortable with minho because of his attitude towards being a top student and the fact that he was the cause of your extra stress for the next few days, the whole meetup went surprisingly well - after what seemed to be an hour of endless banter and project mending, minho checked his phone and almost jumped in his seat - “!! i’m late for being late to practice!! hell!! bye!!” - you didn’t even get the chance to bid farewell to the boy who quietly fast-walked to the exit of the library - he almost hit a shelf and the librarian glared at him, but he still ended up bolting towards the music room as soon as he stepped out - you rolled your eyes - he was still annoying but more tolerable, at least

〔✿〕

- “bin, please u gotta” - “[Y/N], bold of u to assume I even understand the lesson” - “wdym??? Aren’t u good at math??” - “screw math!! Why do u think I pursued music and not numbers??” - “but u got high scores last time!!” - “we all did, though??? The topic last week was easy!!” - “im so screwed I still have a 20% chance of making mistakes!!” - “damn!! what r u so worried about?? at least u’ll pass” - “no but I have a rank, fam!! Holy crap im going to go insane” - “mm? what’s this?? Oh, is this your so-called ‘understanding’ the lesson, [y/n]?” - you turned around and there minho stood, a simper dancing on his face. U wanted to punch him - “shame, really. If only someone could help you” - changbin eyed the newcomer. “what’s he doing here, [y/n]?” - “he’s supposed to be in practice, so I’m not sure,” you answered, glaring at minho - geez let the man live, reader - “oh, I’m supposed to help [y/n] fix her project” - “go practice or whatever, minho. changbin’s here anyway” - “only for another ten minutes, though,” changbin mumbled, and you whipped ur head to him faster than lighting - “what?!” - “i told u!! noona’s home for the next few days and my fam wants me home as much as possible!! I love u [y/n] but duty calls” - “I thought you were my best friend,” you sulked, shoulders drooping. “whatever,, I’ll just,, fix this on my own I guess” - “are u guys really gonna just ignore my presence like this or??” minho piped up, still standing- “bin please don’t leave me here with cocky instrument man”

- “to be fair, you can get cocky and you play an instrument, too,” changbin teased, ruffling your hair. “I have ten more minutes, so let’s make this worthwhile?” - “guys?? Hello?? are you guys really this rude usually??” minho interrupted once again, scratching his head. - “you’re the one who busted [y/n]’s project up without apologies,” changbin began in your defense. - you panicked, not wanting to be mean. “uh!! No it’s okay he apologized and stuff. Um, he’s just here because Mr. Park made him. It’s okay, he was tolerable yesterday” - “he came to you yesterday?” changbin made a face, - “only because you ditched me, changbin,” you rolled your eyes. - poor minho was starting to feel awkward - “if you don’t need me—” - you instantaneously grabbed his wrist by reflex “nO!! hold up!!” - WHOOPS - you let go immediately and waved ur hand in front of you. “just sit there!! It’s going to take forever if I fix my diorama by myself. i really need to buy time, sorry.” - “what’s on your plate anyway?” minho questioned, a smirk creeping up on his face. You, whose eyes became glued to your project, didn’t notice though. - “This, proofreading the ten-page essay to accompany it, and studying for two tests. It’s a busy week, I guess,” you answered, sighing. - “I finished putting these two walls together. Gotta run, [Y/N], Minho. See you both tomorrow,” Changbin announced, standing up. - “Already?” you pouted. “Fine. Thanks, Binnie. Say hi to your sister for me!” - And with that, it was once again just the two of you - “If I finish all the repairs today in under thirty minutes, I’ll be able to get an extra thirty minutes to study for math…” you mumbled carelessly, attaching the two walls Changbin’d fixed up to the base of the diorama. “Ooh, but I need to continue to write that cursed essay…” - your eyes trailed off to minho, who was quietly working on the pieces you’d told him to fix - I mean, u could just,,, ask him - ASDLKJKJKJLKLSKSKS - NO - FOOL!! - s IMPLE, BASIC RULE #1: ENEMIES DON’T FEED U BREAD - u couldn’t. he wouldn’t, anyway. but you were growing desperate and if there was one person who’d know— - “I’d like to think you’re staring because I’m attractive, but the more you keep your eyes on me, the more I feel that you’re boring a hole in my forehead.” - FLIPPITY FLOP U NEED TO STOP, LEE M I N H O - asdfghjkl if u didn’t ace the next math test tho,,,, u might be overtaken by the people in the lower ranks - golly why were u born competitive - “ifisaidineededhelpinmathwouldyougivemefifteenminuteofyourtime??” you grumbled quickly - “if ur gonna speak u might consider making urself understandable” - “im sorry but I need your help in math” - “again?” - “I don’t understand this one particular math lesson, and would appreciate it if you could help me because our math test’s tomorrow. I don’t wanted to be screwed.” - “I couldn’t quite catch that.” - at this poINT, U WERE READY 2 THROW HANDS, SIS - “I NEED YOU TO HELP ME IN MATH!” - the librarian shot u both a glare and put a finger to her lips - hhholy crap - that simper minho wore a while ago was BACK AND THE SMUG LOOK WAS ONCE AGAIN DANCING ON HIS FACE LIKE A TAUNT - U WANTED TO SHRIVEL UP IN A HOLE AND SLEEP FOR LIKE A MILLION YEARS but also dropkick him (✿◉‿◉)🗡 - “u know what,, forget it just go to practice—I’ll finish this up myself.” you slumped back in your seat, wanting to crawl into ur bed and scream in ur pillow - “you get impatient with equations. listen, if you stop rushing, you’ll get there. look at this problem.” - slowly, he started explaining the questions one-by-one and you began to… understand - WHAT??? KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING?? IN M Y HOUSE? - “go check with your calculator,” minho urged, painting the last wall piece for your diorama. - you punched in the numbers and lo and behold, u managed to perfect every problem minho gave you to practice - except one because u can get stupid sometimes and u simply forgot that 6 times 8 was 48 and not 42 - lmao mood - ur face lit up and u started quietly clapping ur hands together - “minho!!! i did it!! look!! holy heck,, they’re right!!” ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ - “yea but not perfect bc ur dumb” - “stop,, u know how fried brains can get while working w numbers,,,, im H UMAN” - “Well,” Minho began, attaching the final piece to ur diorama, “I finished up the structure of the diorama. Gotta go, I’m fifteen minutes late to being late.” - u glanced at ur phone and voila he was right yall’d already spent like,, forty-five minutes - ???? already???? - time flies when ur having fun i guess lmao ( ͡☉ ͜ʖ ͡☉) - “!!!!! Okay!! By the way, since the music room’s near the campus store, can you buy some paints for the diorama?? Let’s spend tomorrow decorating it. I’ll bring embellishments.” - Minho slung his backpack on one shoulder and his violin case on the other. “You finally want me to come over and help, huh? It’s only been two days since you wanted to stab me and now you’re already looking forward to seeing me. Ah~ I have irresistible charm.” - You rolled your eyes, scoffing. “You’re disgusting. Don’t forget, I’m still holding a knife to your neck. I’m awfully close to getting top one.” - “Once you stop being careless while multiplying, maybe I’ll be threatened.” - “Get to practice, Lee Minho.” - “No ‘thanks so much for helping me, minho!!’?” - “You’re the one who broke my project. If it wasn’t broken, I’d have plenty of time to find someone else to help me.” - “Yeah right, like ‘Binnie’ will increase your chances of overtaking me.” - “Goodbye, Minho.”

〔✿〕

- when you arrived home, your mom held up a piece of colored paper with printed details on it - “what’s this?” she asked, watching you untie your shoelaces. - you squinted at the paper, trying to make out what it was. “ah, that’s just a flyer someone gave me. that competition’s in four months and it’s for serious musicians. i was going to ask you if it’d be fine to watch it with my friends.” - she shook her head. “honey, don’t you want to compete?” - you set down your backpack and took off your socks. “n-no? i’ve barely prepared for it. it’s too late now. Even four months of preparation would be rushing it.” - “but you’ve been working hard on your latest piece. don’t you at least want to show it off?” - LMAO NO - you laughed. “mom, you know I hate playing in front of people.” - “you’re fantastic, though!” - “and you’re my mom!” - she smiled. “well, if you insist. who’re you going to be with and how are you going to go?” - “Changbin and his friends can take me. What’s for dinner?” - “I was going to whip up your favorite, but I actually wanted to make my favorite more.” - “mom!!”

〔✿〕

- “your score?” - “perfect. and you?” - “we tied,” minho announced, holding up his paper. “not bad. but then again, this is still technically my victory, since I taught you.” - “it was out of convenience, really, that i asked you. and you owed me big-time,” you fired back, painting intricate designs on your still-unfinished Korean house diorama. - it was the last day before your big presentation for the diorama project that the boy in front of you so conveniently broke the other day. which means this was the last time you’d ever need to hang out in the library with him,, thankfully - he chuckled. “whatever you say, miss multiplication.” - “I checked my answers three times! I deserved this perfect score just as much as the next person! Just because I made a mistake once doesn’t mean I’ll make it again.” - “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Anyway, Changbin mentioned before that you play an instrument. I’ve been curious. Which one?” Minho inquired, resting his chin on his hand. - a drop of sweat trickled down your forehead. you didn’t really like flaunting that particular fact… - “um. piano… I don’t really like to show others, though. The only sorta public thing I’ve ever done asides from play in front of my family for gatherings is play some keys for Changbin and his band because the keyboardist fell sick during their gig.” - “Classical or contemporary?” - “both?? i’m trained classically so it’s not hard to switch to contemporary.” - “interesting,” minho nodded, “favorite composer?” - “I love most of the romantic-era pianists and Fritz Kriesler.” - “kriesler’s a violinist and not a pianist, though.” - “who cares? jus sayin’ classical music SLAPS. Libestraum?? a boP. Chopin’s waltz op. 69 no. 1 in a flat major??? complete BANGER!! kriesler’s schon rosmarin????? MmMMMM,,, good stuff. Pianist, violinist, cellist—I give 0 damns. music is music” -Minho’s eyes watched your face as you spoke. ur eyes kinda crinkled as u smiled while talking and he found it quite intriguing -  lmao intrigued - “How about you, Minho? Which composers do you like?” - “I like the classical era composers. Mozart, Bach—call them overrated, but I do love them. And even if his pieces are monstrous, I love Paganini.” - “Ah, would you look at that. We’re almost done. You can leave now, if you want. You can be a whole ten minutes early to being late. I can finish this up, no big.” - Minho checked his watch. “Oh, you’re right. But I actually have violin lessons today, and they’re still at six. I’m leaving school at five-thirty anyway because the academy’s just fifteen minutes away. I can stay with you until then, so you can finish this faster.” - “It’s only 4:46, though,” you begin to smirk. “Maybe you’re the one who wants to be with me and not the other way around, as you claim.” - “Are you trying to tease me?” he leaned forward, staring at you. “It’s not working.” - You dared to match his stare with a rivaling amount of intensity. “Mmm, but I’m quite competitive.” - oh holy crap what’s with this tension im screaming where’d u get that confidence from, reader hskskskkdkhdkdh - “Do what you want. I’m going to keep my top one title,” he rolled his eyes. - for the next couple of minutes, you both continued painting pretty designs on the bare walls of your Korean house diorama while talking about each other’s interests - turns out Minho also liked to dance, a fact that’d slipped unexpectedly - he made you swear not to tell anyone and you felt proud bc u had dirt on him (◕ ˬ ◕✿) - there were so many weird sides of him that you hadn’t noticed before - lowkey u liked his sense of humor - lol at some point he admitted that he had random urges to just scream for no reason - “???? Minho u ok???” - “bold of u to assume I have the capability to be ok” - “???????????????????” - “lol im joking,,, the look on ur face is priceless” - “ah,, u like the look on my face?? Can’t help it if im pretty~” - “u wish, sis” - “can I call u MEANho bc ur being rlly mean rn” - “wtvr u want bro. sorry that the truth hurts” - “RUDE” - u continued to banter like this until minho had to leave and u decided to walk out together because yall were finished anyway - wheeze!! Ur newly refurbished house was… u’d daresay,,,, quite a candy to your eyes - with the help of Changbin (though he only contributed like,, 2%) and Minho, your project was back to its good state - it might’ve,, even been better than it used to be - minho gave u helpful insights while u worked on it, too - (◕︿◕✿) (◕︿◕✿) u had to admit, ur project turned out supernice - “uh,, I just wanted to say…” you began, gripping the sides of your diorama’s base, “thanks. I know it must’ve been a lot to sacrifice practice time to help me out. I forgive you for dropping it, even if I never got that apology.” - Minho looked at you indignantly. “Hey!! I did give you an apology!!” - You grinned. “I don’t recall.” - “Alright, I’m sorry, again.” - “Could you repeat that, please? I couldn’t hear you.” - “I said sorry, [y/n].” - “Again?” - lmao get played,, lee minho - “whatever, bro. I’m leaving. don’t wanna be late,, see you tomorrow.” - “Hey, but I’m serious. Thanks for your help. Also for math, y’know, since I was able to perfect it.” - “ok hold up don’t get sappy on me now,, that was a one-time thing and im totally going to clobber whatever chance u have of beating me on the next test” - “we’ll see about that”

〔✿〕

- few weeks’d gone by since then and whenever u’d see minho, u’d wave amiably instead of shooting daggers @ him w ur eyes - sis we love character development 😤😤 - sometimes u’d have some small talk but it’d never get further than that, even if u were classmates - usually it’d just be about borrowing smth - but u guys were still SUPERMEGA competitive towards each other - like whenever test results came out u guys were the first to rush to the board - the few times u were able to one-up minho made him !! super mad - he’d always study extra so he could ruin ur chances of getting a win streak - LMAO BUT THE FIRST TIME U WERE ABLE TO TOP HIS SCORES TWICE IN A ROW JUST MADE HIM INTO A MONSTER - suddenly nobody saw lee minho for like,, three days - and so when test scores came again after that and he was #1 once again, all he could do was smile smugly at u with that Minho SmirkTM - frankly u found urself powerful for being able to cause minho to disappear like that - u thought to urself if u kept getting #1 maybe minho’d disappear again and u wouldn’t have to see him (  ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈ ) (  ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈ ) - reader that’s not how it works damn it - chief called, he said THAT AINT IT - A N Y W A Y - one day minho came to class looking like a zombie - y’all have heard of zombie!bang chan when he was featured in twice’s “like ooh-ahh” but fellas minho looked worse than that - eyebags?? Like a racoon - hair??? You wondered if he had a comb in his house?? - expression?? hoooo babe we don’t wanna go there - it felt as if anyone who talked to him would face the wrath of the Lee - but he had reason as to why he was looking so miserable - just the other day, his accompanist told broke their arm in a PE accident and couldn’t play with minho for his upcoming concert/competition - like bro what kind of musician breaks their arm??? Um?? u know u have a concert so TAKE CARE OF URSELF??? - he was furious because the concert was like,, just around the corner and he couldn’t find another accompanist - he’d asked everyone he knew but to no avail - they all had different excuses. family affairs, too soon, whatever reason people’d find to reject his asking - In all his life, Lee Minho had never been desperate. But, in the moment his accompanist had ditched him, it was as if desperate was all he felt. - it was all he could think about during class - like the teacher was discussing history and mentioned something like “duet” and minho wanted to scream - poor boy - he tried to look elsewhere—anywhere but the board - u were just drumming ur fingers on ur table,, imagining an invisible piano bc lol ur teacher was boring u half to death on a lesson u already understood - that’s when minho’s eyes stopped, watching u mindlessly press on the keys of your little desk-piano - he could… - it was possible… - but at what cost…? - ‘no no no’ he thought, shaking his head. - he had too much pride to ask u for help at this point - he didn’t even know how well u could play the piano - but I guess in times like these, desperation trumps pride and before he could think of the logical implications of his actions, minho found himself rushing towards u as u packed up ur things - “hey,,, uh… [y/n]…” - “if you’re going to ask for my history notes, forget it. they’re just messy pointers and I doubt you could understand it.” - “ew no. what makes u think I’d ask u for such a thing?? I don’t even think YOU’D be able to understand it. besides, I’m covered for that.” - “so why r u like,,, so eager to go to my desk?? oh?? wow, do you miss me already? mm, lee minho. didn’t know you were so straightforward~” - U WERE MAKING THIS SO HARD FOR HIM - MINHO WAS HIGHLY CONSIDERING JUST THROWING IN A SNOOTY REMARK AND LEAVING - BUT HHHH WHEN WOULD A CHANCE LIKE THIS COME AGAIN?? - “I didn’t come to boost your ego—that’s-“ he stopped himself before he could pour out an insult. He didn’t want to piss you off before asking you a favor. “Listen, I need a favor from you. Please. I’ve asked every single person I know.”

- minho?? politely asking u a favor?? Shocking - “If this is about lessons—” - “How well can you play the piano?” - “Minho, I already told you. I hate playing in front of people.” - “No, but I came here to you already knowing that. I know you literally have every reason to tell me ‘no’ right now, but I don’t want to miss a chance. There’s this competition happening in around two and a half months. If I back out now—let’s not even talk about what’ll happen if I back out now. Anyway, bottomline is that I really, really need an accompanist and you are my last resort.” - “u realize how much of a rush two and a half months is,, right” - the thing is though, you’d been practicing some pieces for some months now, in the secret hopes that one day, maybe you’d gather courage to play it somewhere - “Changbin told me you’ve been playing piano a lot.” - traitor - u looked into minho’s eyes and at this point they were pleading you with such vigor that u even considered saying yes - you always wanted to perform onstage, even once in your life - “…What’s the piece?” - “We can play anything you want. But let’s confer and choose a piece we both already know, if possible. Don’t worry, because I’ll help you. If you’re down, let’s practice during breaks and after school. Days before the event, we can get an excuse slip from the faculty so that we can practice, since we’re representing the school.” - ur stomach did a flip - “w-we’re representing the school???” - “uhh… yes???” - rhfekwnkjfsekfn you literally had every ounce of reason as to tell him no and carry on with life - but minho had never asked people for help, not even when he looked like he could really use some - you wondered just how bad it was for him to be on his knees like this - “I’ll try?” - minho’s face literally switched from zombie to the mcheckin’ SUN bc he started to gRin liKe A fOoL - “yesyesyesyesyes thank u!!! thank u so much!!” he placed a hand on your shoulder. “you don’t know how much this means to me. i’ll be sure to repay you well!!! let’s meet during breaks tomorrow so we can start?” - “if you can repay me by letting me be #1 for the rest of the year—” - “,,,, [y/n],,,,” - “im ½ kidding anyway sure see u i guess”

〔✿〕

- “okay, I’m going to need u to do more crescendo on this part” - “what do you mean” - “like, swell it more.” - “like this???” - you attempted to play the part minho’d instructed you to practice, but your hands were trembling - askjhfgdfjhahdsbjhasdjhad hoW DO U EVEN NOT SHAKE WHEN THE VIOLIN PRODIGY OF THE ENTIRE SCHOOL WAS RIGHT THERE - LIKE SURE U WERE RIVALS BUT NOT IN MUSIC,,, - u felt like u were WASTING his tIME - “uh, [y/n], your playing sounds too soft and hesitant” - “im so sorry aghhh” - gosh u didn’t know what to do like - u were panicking bc u kept messing up for the past 30 minutes,, ur hands were everywhere and u just couldn’t play properly - which made u even more panicky bc !!! u were fine when u were at home but suddenly u felt so inferior to the keys - “your hands are… shaking…” minho pointed out, tilting his head. “what’s wrong??” - EVERYTHING - “nothing!!” you lied. “just probably not my day,, I guess” - “[y/n] you’ve been trembling ever since we started this practice session.” - what even do u say to that - like,, at this point u just wanted to tell him sorry but ur too much of a wuss - that’s so embarrassing tho esp bc he might never let u live that down - ughhh u were conflicted and u couldn’t even hear what minho was saying - “[y/n]! you’re not paying attention!” - “I am!” - “I asked you what was wrong, and you’ve been staring at the piano for a full two minutes.” - “I’m sorry!” - “Stop apologizing if you’re not going to do anything about it!” - golly those words cut thru ur chest like a knife - hhhh as if you weren’t already so afraid and insecure - “I’m trying my best! Look, maybe you should just find a better pianist. I told you, I’m not cut out for this. Honestly, you’ll save yourself time.” - minho frowned. you were always so confident in everything else you did—academics, hobbies—but now you were so readily admitting defeat + bringing yourself down - lee knows when something’s up so he immediately places his violin down. “let’s take a walk.” - you sighed and closed the piano before following the boy outside - the sky had darkened already and the streetlamps illuminated the campus ground - minho tried to observe u but all u were doing was walking w ur hands in ur pockets, eyes fixated on the ground - your unconfident demeanor concerned him a little,,, - “hey, you sure nothing’s wrong??” - lmao he knew something was up but like,, he didn’t wanna seem imposing - “no, not really, but i’m telling you. you’re better off finding another accompanist…” - “you have to give me good reason as to drop you, if you’re so insistent.” - “Well!” you started. “look, I’ve practiced that same piece for two whole hours every day—just that piece—for the past three weeks and yet I can’t even play the first part without messing up somewhere. I know two hours might mean nothing to you, but I’ve been trying really, really hard, I swear. It’s so embarrassing because I’ve been able to perfect until the second page during my time, but whenever we meet, my hands literally betray me and won’t allow me to get past the third measure.” - you didn’t want him to see your face because you were actually this close to crying of frustration. “I’m sorry. I usually don’t give up so easily but I don’t want to hassle you for such an important thing. Sorry for wasting three weeks of your precious time,” you mumbled, trying to conceal your shaky voice. - oooohhh wheeze u wanted to bop yourself in the head bc ur eyes!!! were doing The ThingTM!!! the teary teary thing!!! in front of ur arch nemesis, lee minho !!!! ur pride !! was on the line !! - minho noticed u trying to avoid his gazes so he just stopped walking altogether - “Do I scare you?” he asked, halting his steps. - “What? Ew, no.” - “Then why are you so afraid to play?” - “I’m not afraid!” you insisted, pretending to scratch your eye in attempts to clear them of tears. - “Your hands shake and your notes sound unsure all the time. Do you expect me to believe it’s not fear? If it isn’t, then what is?” - “So maybe I am scared, what’s wrong with that?” you shot back, facing him this time. “Alright, fine! Maybe I feel inferior every time I lay my hands on the keys. Maybe I’m really insecure of the fact that I can’t seem to get things right. Maybe I am afraid!” - “You can’t just be afraid to make mistakes! That’s what’s making you hesitate every time we meet up, that you’ll mess up somewhere in the middle. You can’t keep thinking like that!” - “I know that! But it’s getting increasingly difficult to get that out of my head. I can’t help but think that if this whole thing flops, it’ll be because I messed up your flow.” - “Would you quit thinking that you’re below me?! Quit thinking you’re mediocre. If that’s your mindset for this competition, then mediocre’s all you’ll ever be. Give yourself a break!” - “That’s easy for you to say! You don’t screw up!” you yelled, gripping your fists. “I have to go, Minho. It’s getting late. Find yourself another pianist, please. I would not like to waste your time anymore.” - “[Y/N], I—” - “See you around.”

〔✿〕

- aghhh minho was so conflicted the next day - he didn’t know how he was going to find another accompanist but most importantly he didn’t know what he was going to do about you - he wasn’t the type of person to just drop people - he rlly wanted to talk to you but he couldn’t find you after classes - every time class would end, you’d bolt outta there with changbin - and when minho asked changbin where you’d went, changbin would make up some excuse that he didn’t know - !! he really needed to get you to get a grip, and fast - the competition was nearing already and it was too late to back out - deep down, minho knew how you were feeling and it made him even more determined to find you and get you out of your own head - he knew how it felt like to be afraid of the instruments - seeing how hard you worked but having it all washed away by insecurity made him really wanna throw hands @ those said insecurities bc he knew u !!! didn’t deserve this - but he couldn’t get a hold of you - he even tried to talk to you in class but u pretended like u were sleeping - “hell, woojin!! what do I do??!!” minho asked, fussing up his hair in frustration.

- woojin was part of the acapella group and mmMPH GIVE ME THAT MUSICIAN SOLIDARITY 😤😤😤😤😤 - woojin wisdom hours = open - “be gentle with her,” woojin spoke, taking a bite of his chicken lunch. “i think she’s the type of person who really needs gentleness at this point in your situation.” - “oh, for sure. but how do i even do anything if she won’t even talk to me??? she ‘slept’ in class, woojin. she never sleeps in class because the teacher might get mad and that would affect her grades. i checked out all her usual spots, but nothing!! before i came here, i even asked the lunch lady if [y/n] passed by, but she didn’t. which is totally weird because she always gets those little rice ball snacks from the lunch lady when its available!!!” - woojin squinted his eyes. “you sure know an awful lot about [y/n].” - “?? Of course?? I keep tabs on my enemies??” - “…chan is in third place in ranking. do you know what he eats during lunch??” - minho started to sweat. “w-we worked on a project in the library, okay?? [y/n] and I have had some time to talk!! in my defense, i know all of chan’s test scores!!!” - “you know everyone’s test scores, minho.” - “what even are you trying to get at??” - “I’m just saying, you know lots about [y/n] for being her archenemy.” - “Oh, he was watching her like a hawk during class earlier. It was weird,” Chan announced, taking a seat on the floor next to Minho. “And for the record, I usually have rice toppings for lunch. But that’s not something I usually tell people.” - “I wasn’t watching her like a hawk!” - “why u always lyin,,,” - “chan i am going to vore you” - “Calm down bro, you know it’s true. Why’re you so adamant, though?” Chan questioned, stuffing his mouth with food. - “I just need to talk to her. She wants to back out being my accompanist because she’s insecure about her playing. But where else am I going to get an accompanist this late?” Minho sighed, taking a bite of his sandwich after. - “What piece are you playing?” - “Romanze Op. 4, Kriesler.” - woojin raised a brow and chan had to restrain himself in attempts not to choke of laughter - “You must be desperate, considering you’re fighting for your nemesis to talk to you,” Chan commented, biting his lip. - Minho gave Chan a playful shove. “Don’t word it like that! You know that this competition is important!” - “Shoot her a message. Get a teacher to help you. Bribe Changbin with food,” Woojin suggested. - “Whatever… I’ll figure it out. Let’s get going. Class is about to start.” - the rest of the day passed and minho thought of a plan to corner u after class - he just - he could not just !! let u go off like that. to see his rival being this defeated was kinda concerning - but just as classes ended and he prepped himself to go to you - the last subject teacher approached him to discuss something - rip minho n his plans - press f to pay respects - f - after being the last one out, he just kinda slumped back and slowly made his way to the music room - he really needed to talk to u but his chances flew out of the window - just as he stepped into the music building, he heard some piano playing from the main music hall - it was odd, minho thought, because rarely anyone would touch the grand piano there - before going in, he listened to the playing and wow,, he was impressed - the lee minho, violin genius boy, impressed - the way the majors and minors danced together to one melody sounded just - ugh - beautiful - it was tchaikovsky’s December, the waltz - the playing felt lighthearted, as the player took some expressive liberties - but even so, the interpretation of the piece was really fantastic and even made minho grin a little at the memory of Christmas -his heart did a little leap bc yes!!!! He could ask this person to play for him considering the chances of u coming back to him was sorta crushed… and this person had wonderful playing - just as he peeped into the main music hall, a familiar sound resonated throughout - it was the accompaniment to the piece you were supposed to play with him - and the person who was sitting behind the piano playing it… was ofc none other than you - let’s get it reader babe - he didn’t want you to stop, so he hid behind the wall once again and just listened - you started to play, letting the music fill your soul and overflowing to the tips of your fingers - e v e rything was on point - the proper tempo, the proper feel - minho was surprised because this - this person playing behind the wall in the music hall wasn’t the hesitant, doubtful pianist he practiced with - this was a free musical spirit in full control of the instrument - of course, your playing got a little wonky once you carried on, but you still managed to continue reasonably until the end. Some of the latter parts needed lots of work, but it was okay!! - you managed to hit the right end note, too!! WHEEZE U WERE SO HAPPY U DIDN’T FAIL MISERABLY @ THAT END NOTE - when you finished, you started going over the parts you needed work on - you didn’t notice minho approaching you until you heard a voice come - “I thought you said you only perfected until the second page?” minho asked, resting his elbow on the top of the grand piano - you were REALLY STARTLED - U ALMOST FELL OUT OF THE PIANO SEAT - AKAJDSKDHASJDHKASHDS WHAT WERE U GOING TO DO - “h-how long have you been listening in?” - “From the start of your Tchaikovsky piece.” - AJSLDKJAKSJDKASDJKASK U WANTED TO HIDE IN A HOLE - U COULDN’T EVEN COME UP W A COHERENT REPLY??? - luckily ya boi lee knows what to do ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°) - sorry I cant go 1000 words w/o mentioning that pun im sorry - minho opened his violin case and took out his instrument. “let’s start from the beginning, shall we? don’t be afraid to make mistakes. i’ll just be here, and we can go over the parts you want to as many times as you want, okay? slowly first, one, two…” - you guys started out okay, but you fumbled up a bit on the second page and minho noticed that your shoulders were kinda riding up - he stopped and walked over to you, placing a hand on your shoulders and giving them a gentle pat. “relax your shoulders. they’re tense. don’t worry, we’ll fix it. again,” he instructed, standing right beside you - even if he was beside you, you suddenly felt all anxiousness lift off - there was something about his tone and his demeanor that just!! made u feel sorta safe ?? - u ended up doing well until minho said to repeat the part!! To which u did well again!! - U SMILED A LIL’ AND MINHO SAW IT BUT HE SAID NOTHING N CONTINUED - did he resist the urge to smile, too??? HELL YEA BROTHA - you guys practiced and practiced and practiced anD PRACTICED - nonstop nonst00p - you decided to take a break and checked the time after a long time of just repeating and repeating certain parts then playing all those parts together - ur eyes widened when u saw that a wh0le tw0 hoURS HAD GONe By - like b r o u DIDN’T EVEN FEEL THE TIME PASS - WERENT U FLUSTERED BY MINHO’S SUDDEN APPEARANCE LIKE,, 2 MINUTES AGO - wHy diDN’t U NOTice - ur arms and fingers were kinda tired so u both decided to take a break and walk around campus - lmao it was already like 6 o’clock and it was getting dark outside - “we need to polish the notes after the piece’s halfway point,” minho told you, walking towards a vending machine. “there are still lots of phrases where we fumble up. On page four, where your left hand does the arpeggios, you forget to do the dynamics.” - “Sure, sure. Oh, and in the part where you have rubato, you kinda sound angry.” - “I do?” - “Yeah. I mean, I don’t really know, but like, that’s just the vibe. I could be wrong, though,” you told him, stopping in front of the vending machine. - “No, no, I’ll keep in mind. Want anything?” he offered, pointing to the vending machine. - “Can you press for grape soda? Hold on, I’m just going to fish for my money,” you answered, reaching into your pockets. - Minho pressed one button for grape soda and one button for strawberry milk. “No, it’s okay. I put my money in already.” - “Take it, it’s not like I can’t pay you back.” You held out your money. - Minho reached for the drinks that fell out. “I refuse. This one’s on me.” - u almost droPPed UR MONEY - “bro??? u ok, pal?? r ok w/ u treating ur arch nemesis???” - he let out a little minho laugh (HIS SOFT MINHO GIGGLE OMG). “well, you’re kinda my partner now, so…let’s put the nemesis title on hiatus.” - he placed the cold grape soda can in your hands. “u-uh,, thanks minho!!” you said, flabbergasted @ his actions - WHY WAS MINHO BEING SO NICE??? (,,꒪꒫꒪,,) (,,꒪꒫꒪,,) - lee minho?? n i c e??? in THIS economy?? - U WERE SO CONFUSED - lmao phat mood sis - you guys walked around in comfortable silence for a little bit, enjoying the bit of breeze and fresh air while sipping on your drinks - y’all ended up sitting down on a bench in the courtyard, jus chillin’ - minho decided to steal a glance from you for a bit - BIG MISTAKE -  a small smile was playing on your lips as you looked up at the sky drinking your grape soda - you tucked some stray hairs waving in your face because of the wind, and hhhHHHOLY HECK MINHO’S HEART STARTED TO DO THE TTUGS TTUGS BOOM BOOM - were u always that attractive before??????? like??? Maybe ITS JUST THE STREETLIGHTS PLAYING TRICKS ON HIS EYES - u felt the power of his stare and u turned to face him. In a quiet voice, you mumbled, “minho? is there something on my face?” - beauty, probably - “u-uh!! No!!” he blinked, whipping his head literally anywhere else - “oh, alright then,,” u were kinda bashful bc like?? Uh,,,, why was he staring at u - MINHO WANTED TO BOP HIMSELF IN THE FACE LIKE !! WHATS THIS - HE WAS PANICKING BC HE KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS WHAT THESE HEARTBEAT SHENANIGANS ARE IMPLYING - too soon, heart, too soon - !!! FEW MONTHS AGO HIS HEART BEAT IN ANGER TOWARDS U BUT THIS,,, DIDN’T FEEL LIKE ANGER - or maybe it did?? BC U WERE DOING SMTH 2 HIM N MAKING HIM FEEL THESE E M O TI O NS - he felt like he betrayed himself!!! why couldn’t he come up with some genius, witty remark at this time?? WHERE WERE HIS FLIRTING POWERS?? - “let’s head back!!” he said, standing up and walking towards the music building - he squeezed the last remaining bits out of his milk cartoon and SUCKED WHATEVER LAST DROPS HE COULD GET - ‘mmMMM STRAWBERRY MILK IS DELICIOUS,, ITS NOT LIKE MY HEARTRATE’S GOING LOCO RN MAYBE I SHOULD TAKE MY BLOOD PRESSURE WHEN I GET BACK HOME’ was all he could think - ?? u were so bamboozled. “minho, you’re walking too fast,, wait for me” - “i’m not fast, you’re just really slow!!” - when you two reached the music hall again, minho zipped UP HIS STUFF LIKE LIGHTINING - “See you next Monday, [y/n]!!! practice well!!!” - he z00000med outta there - yeeted outta that place - that night, he threw himself on his bed, screaming incoherently - soonie and doongie didn’t even know what to do with their human brother - but?? They tried?? To console him with small ‘meows’??? - “Soonie, Doongie, your brother’s super mad. [y/n], my rival, did something really bad again today. She just!! decided that it was okay to look cute under the dim lights of the campus??? Like??? excuse??? Me?? that was so rude, don’t u think??” - soonie gave a ‘bro-u-srs’ face and doongie just meowed in disappointment - big same soonie and doongie - “doN’T GIVE ME THAT FACE, SOONIE!! U KNOW THAT IT’S UPSETTING!!” - soonie just… hopped off minho’s bed - ‘i-can’t-take-u-any-longer-hyung’ - “NOO!! SOONIE COME BACK!! Doongie, help me!!” - doongie meowed again, crawled to the foot of minho’s bed, and took a nap - “why won’t my siblings love me???” was all minho could say before shutting off the lights and drifting off to dreamland

〔✿〕

- “you’re starting to like him, aren’t u” - “shut ur mouth hole changbin and help me pick out an outfit for the concert!!!” - “the concert’s two weeks away, why r u doing that now??!!” - “BECAUSE ITS 2 WEEKS AWAY??” - “anyway stop dodging my statements. Minho’s warming up 2 ur heart n u know it” - “changbin u wanna like,, get out of my house” - “uhhh?? Do u wanna like,, start admitting that ur rival isn’t even really ur rival now considering that u guys literally do everything together now” - “excuse me I do everything with you!!” - “not anymore u don’t” - “what are u talking about??” - “u study together,, take breaks together,, spend after school together,,,” - “that’s because u don’t like helping me with acads and I need to spend as much time as possible practicing for the compet!!” - “k but r u sure u don’t have a thing for him. Like, u don’t consider him cute??” - “changbin, no one could be cuter than u.” - “um,, of course?? I’m your binsual always and forever, but that doesn’t mean you don’t think minho’s cute.” - “t-that’s!!!” - you turned to face changbin, cheeks warming up. U could not lie 2 ur best friend,, he’d know immediately - “don’t even think of lying to me, [y/n]. u know its physically impossible.” - “so what if he’s cute?? Chan’s cute, Woojin’s cute,, you’re cute. Do I like any of you?? no!!” - “whatever, [y/n]. once u admit to me that you’re starting to catch feelings for violin boy, u owe me a chicken night out.” - “no I don’t!!!” - “but you’ll want to because u’ll wanna ramble about ur undying love for ur arch nemesis” - “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, SEO CHANGBIN” - “no thank u”

〔✿〕

- your breath was hitching and your palms were excreting buckets of sweat the more time passed on - once you got to the venue for your performance, you kinda just - f r o z e - today was d-day, love, and u were just,,,, so unsettled - you tried to shove off your nervousness away but it wasn’t that easy - anyway, minho saw you from a distance and started to approach you - but like,, the nearer he got, the clammier he felt f0r some REASON - HHHHH HOLY CRAP YO - “[y-y/n]?” his words came out with a little bit of a stutter and he wanted to scream - minho fighting - you turned around and hollllly moly did lee minho always look THIS gorgeous?? - his hair was fixed so his forehead was seen and overall gave off a fresh, clean look - the first few buttons were undone on the black polo he wore, showing off a lil’ bit of his collarbones - oooo my heck sklkaslklaklsklskldsklaskdajkdljk he looked spicy - “oh, hi minho,” you greeted, waving - “you look rather pretty today,” he grinned, giving you some kinda smug look - but inside, his heart was like - SLKLSDAJLKASJDKLAJSHKDJASHJKSAHKJDSLKAHJKFSGJDHKJFKAHDLKJDGHFDSDFGHJKLKJ - he was a flustered mess inside but like,,, it’s lee minho everyone - how else would he try to cope other than being smirky - “I can say the same to you,” you answered, not wanting to give in to his charm - ugh,, we stan competitive people!!! <<333 - anyway, yall walked to the holding rooms to wait for the concert/competition to start - you took out your lil’ finger exerciser mechanism thing - I don’t know what it’s called but basically it’s just an object with some knobs you can push down with your fingers as you hold it in your palm,,, its to exercise the fingers and some musicians use it askjalskjdalkjdla lmao - you guys were eleventh in the lineup, but once the competition started, you started really freaking out - minho was practicing one final time but he noticed that your eyes were glued to the floor like you always did when something was up and you were kinda gripping your finger exerciser thingy unnecessarily hard - he immediately stopped and walked over to you, put his violin down, bent to the floor, and stared u straight in ur eyes - “hey,” he started, softly, “look at me.” - you did as you were told, but your breath was still unstable and your heart was palpitating - “minho—” - “When we get up on that stage, I want you to forget that we’re in a competition. I want you to focus on nothing but just savoring the moment and letting the music that’s deep in your soul just burst out. And if you ever feel, even for a moment, a pang of hesitation, I want you to look at me and remind yourself that you are not alone up there. I’m with you, I’m your partner.” - just then, he took away your little finger exerciser and replaced it with his own hands, intertwining your fingers with his - “I don’t care if we don’t win, hell, I don’t care what the crowd will think. I just want to play a song for you, with you. Let’s dance, [y/n]. Please let my melody waltz with yours.” - you gripped his hands a little tighter, observing the intricate details. His palms were pudgy and soft, but the tips of his fingers were rough and calloused.  Nevertheless, there was something about those hands that made you feel a sense of relief, a sense of serenity. - “okay,” you answered, looking at his chocolate eyes. - “When we get there, forget about being perfect. Let’s just let loose and play whatever we feel a ‘Romanze’ is.” - just then, the organizers called you to head towards the side of the stage to line up for your performance - despite standing up and heading there, minho didn’t let go of your hand - it was just a simple gesture he wanted to convey, that this stage was to be shared by you both and that he and you were now a tandem. - all waits eventually come to an end, and so did yours. after a soloist finished their piece, it was finally your turn - he still,,, didn’t let go of your hand,, as u bowed to the crowd,,,, - minho… a sweetie… - it was only when you turned to head to the piano did he gently let your hands fall apart, but he gave you a reassuring smile and mouthed ‘let’s do this’ - you settled into the piano seat and looked at minho for the cue - and you were off - it started off quietly, but immediately you started to pour out your soul - with every crescendo, every vibrato, you just let the music in your heart overflow to the tips of your fingers - and you’d periodically steal a glance from minho to let him know you were still with him - he smiled and you both just followed each other, matching each other’s pace and vibe perfectly - when I say perfectly, I mean PERFECTLY - the atmosphere was a canvas that was to be painted upon with the color of music - as if one artist, you two splashed the vibrant color of your Romanze - the sound of the piano took the sound of the violin in hand, dancing steadily and beautifully together - as you reached the end, you took one more glance at minho and locked eyes. - that’s when you let the music fade away, lingering in the air as you both raised your hands from your instruments - There was no applause. - but it was alright. - minho walked over and took you in his hands once again, faced the audience, and bowed - it was only then the audience realized,,, wow,,,,, you guys were finished - one clap melted into a chorus of applause - you spotted changbin and your family jumping in the front seats and u COULDN’T HELP BUT SMILE LIKE AN IDIOT - its worth noting that changbin was screaming his head off, too - “YESSSS!!!!! [Y/N]!!!!!! QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNN!!!! MINHO!!!! LEGENDS!!!” - one by one, people started to stand - you were CONFUSED - U TURNED TO MINHO AND WENT ALL LIKE,,, “????” - he just gave you the BIGGEST sunshine grin and led you offstage - when u reached the backstage, u just,, took one look at that same sunshine grin and couldn’t hold it in anymore - you engulfed minho in a tight embrace, letting a laugh tickle the air - “minho!!!!” you squealed. “w-we… we did it!!!!” - much to your surprise,, he didn’t shove you away in disgust, but he started to hug you just as tight - in fact, he sorta just picked u off from the floor and hug-carried u to the holding rooms - “we did, we did,” he laughed, letting his forehead rest on yours. - he was rlly close but u didn’t rlly mind,, u were just so happy - you could see the light bounce of his irises and ugh it was beautiful - “[y/n], I’m so proud of you.” - “Thank you so much for believing in me when I could barely believe in myself. I owe so much to my family, Changbin, you—but mostly you. I really appreciate how you invited me and even talked me out of my trance. And you held my hand; you don’t know how much I needed that. Really, thank you so much. I’m so happy right now.” - “Wait, can we sit down? My legs hurt from standing so much,” Minho requested, pulling away from you. - actually it was not because his legs hurt,, son,, his CHEST HURT - HIS HEART WAS DOING FLIPS AND FLOPS AND HE MIGHT HAVE REALLY ENDED UP SCREAMING - anyway u guys sat down on the couches that were available in your holding room, sitting a few inches away from each other - out of nowhere, minho just yelled, “AAAAAAAHHHH!!” - ????????? u looked at him, absolutely confounded - “minho??? why’d u scream??” - “oh nothing I just wanted to” - u were like?????? ????? ok??? - “can we take a cute pic?? I need to post this on my Instagram,” he asked, pulling out his phone - “o hell yea!!” - he opened up his camera and told u to pick a filter - “bro I promise SN*W has like,, the cutest filters ever can we pls take one with this cherry filter,, SIKE I WANT THE ONE WITH THE DANK GLASSES” you exclaimed - minho made a double chin and u gave a korean heart to the camera - “absolutely stunning. this pic overflows w/ visual power,” minho commented, picking another one. “okay, now can we take one w this rlly cute cat filter see look at this OH DAMN,,, LOOK,, SEE HOW CUTE MY FACE LOOKS” minho announced - “lee minho why are we friends??” you asked, smiling for minho’s selfie - “because im cute and everyone knows it” - “whatever,, please send me the selfies so I have my own copy,” you chuckled, “can u take pics of me actually?? It’s rare for me to be dressed this nice so I’d like to take advantage. Let’s head outside for a bit so we can get those aesthetic outdoor backgrounds!!” - minho got up in like, 0.2 seconds - “hell yea!!! I love that!! U gotta snap pics of me, too!!!” - long story short yall went out while the other contestants performed and started taking pictures of each other - “[y/n], please get my good side” - “shut up, lee!!! It’s hard to take photos when im on the ground tryna get u @ a good angle” - “actually, nevermind. just take as many photos as u can because ALL my angles are good anyway ;))))” - anyway ur lil photoshoot sesh was short,, just 10 mins before yall headed back to chill in the holding rooms again - u guys started to talk about random things like minho’s dancing hobby and your catastrophic friendship with seo changbin - “one time, when we were kids,, I caught changbin crying bc he accidentally left his stuffed munchlax in his house when we were on vacation” - “ok but have u heard his music, [y/n]??? 3racha SLAPS” - “im his best friend, u idiot,, I get pre-release privileges to spear.b’s hottest new drops” - “im going to hunt u down for them” - “shut up ur friends w chan u can just ask him” - while talking, you guys listened to the other performers who were also!! Super good - there was this one violin duo that heckn,,, RocKED THE STAGE OMG,,, - anyway time flew by and u were once again called to line up @ backstage - wheeze,,, they were announcing the winners already - minho started to sweat and even if u heard him saying he didn’t really care about the win, u knew it would mean a lot to him - poor baby looked nervous - so u did His Thing and grabbed his hand reassuringly - he almost JUMPED but he immediately softened up and mouthed a ‘thank u’ - one by one, contestants were called upon the stage - until it got to the top three - you guys waited… so tensely… - … - but ur names were never called ;; ____ ;; - when the first place winner was announced, u saw minho’s eyes turn from being hopeful to being absolutely defeated - u were about to give him a hug but then yall heard another announcement - “But wait!!! We wanted to give out a special award for the performers who captured the audience’s hearts!! During the intermission, we asked you to vote your favorite performance, and we’re announcing that now!! Ladies and gents, would you please give it up for… … miss [L/N][F/N] and Lee Minho!!!” - AKDSKLDJAKLDJLSKAJDL MINHO’S EYES GREW WIDER THAN PLATES - !!! THE AUDIENCE AWARD?? WAS JUST AS PRESTIGIOUS AS A TOP 3 AWARD - u had to drag him out of backstage so u could accept the award - cue changbin and ur families SCREAMING their heads off AGAIN - changbin almost fell down trying to yell, press f for respects - u engulfed minho in a gigantic hug again and u swore there was some dust in ur eyes that made some tears pop - its ok minho had some ‘dust’ in his eyes also - when u guys went offstage again,, you told minho, “c’mon!! our families are waiting for us, let’s have dinner together.” - “wait!!” he piped up, grabbing your hands. “listen, i need to tell u something. I promised myself that I would if we won something.” - u were like,,, okay,,, sure,,, - “I never got to thank you for helping me out that day. Honestly, I was really hoping you’d say yes. When you told me you wanted to drop out, I felt something telling me that I couldn’t just let you go like that. You worked really hard, and I really wanted to see you have it pay off,” he began, ears turning the slightest shade of pink, “and I also wanted to say that these past months have really been meaningful to me. I know we didn’t have the best start, but after the library thing—which, oh damn, has been like,, so long ago—I realized that you weren’t such a bad person. For the past months we’ve been practicing together… I-I… sorta super enjoyed it. And now, at this very moment on this very night, I’ve come to accept that I really, really like you after a period of fighting with myself. I… I just wanted to tell you because I might not get the chance when things go back to normal and we do our own things in school.” - u lips. parted like the red sea - “Holy crap, I thought I was the one going crazy,” you whispered, “I thought it was weird because I, too, liked the guy that constantly threatens my grades…” - “wait wh-“ - you nodded. “yeah… I really thought I was ballistic… but yes. I really appreciate how you didn’t give up on me. There’s just… something… I really liked working side-by-side with you. And I genuinely enjoyed the moments I had with you. I’ve also been fighting with myself to accept that I kinda have a thing for you—but thank you so much for lifting me up when I didn’t believe in myself.” - AKJASKLAJDLKAJSLKDJASLKDJASLK IT WAS AT THIS POINT MINHO WOULD USUALLY SAY SMTH COCKY BUT NO. U, DEAR READER, HAD RENDERED THE BOY SPEECHLESS AND HE WAS REALLY ABOUT TO MELT HIS HEART WAS GOING AT 4419 MILES PER HOUR - he leaned in towards you, staring at your eyes with terribly red cheeks - “Can I??” - you nodded, and that’s when minho closed the gap between u two - the kiss was very sweet and tender, lasting only for a couple of seconds before minho lost it and dropped to the floor in a screaming mess - “[Y/N] U CANT JUST DO THAT!!!!! AKLSKDJLKASJDHGSHGDLKASJDLA HELPPPPPPP” - “MINHO, PLEASE. DON’T DIRTY UR CLOTHES, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE FAMILY DINNER” - he eventually got up and headed out with you to greet your adoring fans (aka ur families who were holding bouquets of flowers for yall and a sCREAMING changbin) - but once again, he decided to enclose his hand in yours. - It was a gentle reminder of how much you meant to him. He didn’t feel like it was a sudden splurge of emotions, nor did he feel like he was just being tricked by this emotional high. He just knew, by the steady hum in his heart, that being with you truly, truly made him a better person. - Maybe it was the way you seemed to match his music, maybe it was the way you both inspired each other to keep being better, maybe it was the way your eyes crinkled as you smiled, maybe it was the way you hugged him like he was the only person in the world. - Whatever it was, he loved to be with you. - Because you felt like home.

〔✿〕

Bonus: - “woOOOOOOOOOOOO I GET A CHICKEN NIGHT OUT!!!” changbin hollered at u, shaking ur shoulders - “shut up!!! U don’t!!!!” - “I do!!!! U finally admitted u have a thing for him!!! Let’s get chicken!!!!!!!!” - u stared at changbin in disgust, looked at minho for help, but all he could do was laugh his lil’ minho laugh damn - did u sign up for this?? No - But sometimes, it just happens. 

[tabletoptrinketsbyjj]

Trinkets, 27: Interesting baubles, semi magical objects and items touched by mystery.

A disturbing mask made of a single long strip of pliant human skin, stitched into a widening spiral by black thread. Gaps between the stitching allow the wearer to see and breathe through the unsettling visage.

A envelope containing a small calling card bearing the emblem of a silver chess knight. Large bold print flanks the knight reads: “Have Sword – Will Travel”. A few concise lines informs the reader to contact “Paladin” at the Carlton Inn, located in a nearby kingdom.

A brass spyglass that triples the range at twice the user can accurately see but always shows a benign, peaceful sight. If there are hostile creatures, they appear as peaceful (goblins appear as deer, or trolls as trees, for example) and dangerous objects or situations appear pleasant and charming.

A sealed glass bottle labeled “Doctor John's Cod Liver Oil”. The bottle is filled with a clear liquid that is so pure and so strong.  

A large tin canister filled with dozens of small red and white striped, mint candies that each have the holy symbol of the God of Trickery stamped on one side and assorted meaningful verses from that deity's holy text on the other. The canister's label proclaims in large bold font that the contents are “Testamints” and are appropriate for after masses or meals. It's unknown whether they are hilarious or blasphemous, which may be the entire point.

A drinking flagon made of minotaur horn. A creature who imbibes any liquid from the horn has vivid dreams of roaming through complex mazes during their next deep sleep.

A crude map of the local area inscribed on a tattered canvas scroll, that bears an “X” marking an area near where the map was found. There is a list of instructions in the bottom corner of the map: Find the big cracked boulder then go north for 3-4 miles, until you find the hill shaped like a tooth. Then go east for 1-2 miles, until you find the rock shaped like a heart. From there, go south-east for 3-4 miles and you'll find the treasure buried at the foot of the cliff. ---Note: It is up to the DM whether or not if the instructions can be followed (The “landmarks” might be a code, riddle or simply not exist for example) and if there is anything at the end. The map could easily be a prank, trap, confidence scheme, ambush or the area could already have been stripped of any value by other adventurers.

A one-gallon cask of used coffin nails.

A single iron earring that when worn, allows the bearer to speak the language of Dwarves, but only to say: "I don't actually speak Dwarven. I only know that sentence, and this one explaining it.” The bearer is not granted the ability to understand the language and doesn’t comprehend what they just said unless they are already fluent.

A leather wallet containing a full set of certified identification papers denoting that the bearer is a taxpaying merchant of the local kingdom and is allowed to buy sell and transport nonmagical goods anywhere in the realm. The section containing the merchant's physical description (Height, weight, sex, race, eye, skin and hair colour) is completely blank and could be filled in by anyone with half decent handwriting.

—Keep reading for 90 more trinkets.

—Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.

A disturbing mask made of a single long strip of pliant human skin, stitched into a widening spiral by black thread. Gaps between the stitching allow the wearer to see and breathe through the unsettling visage.

A envelope containing a small calling card bearing the emblem of a silver chess knight. Large bold print flanks the knight reads: “Have Sword – Will Travel”. A few concise lines informs the reader to contact “Paladin” at the Carlton Inn, located in a nearby kingdom.

A brass spyglass that triples the range at twice the user can accurately see but always shows a benign, peaceful sight. If there are hostile creatures, they appear as peaceful (goblins appear as deer, or trolls as trees, for example) and dangerous objects or situations appear pleasant and charming.

A sealed glass bottle labeled “Doctor John's Cod Liver Oil”. The bottle is filled with a clear liquid that is so pure and so strong.  

A large tin canister filled with dozens of small red and white striped, mint candies that each have the holy symbol of the God of Trickery stamped on one side and assorted meaningful verses from that deity's holy text on the other. The canister's label proclaims in large bold font that the contents are “Testamints” and are appropriate for after masses or meals. It's unknown whether they are hilarious or blasphemous, which may be the entire point.

A drinking flagon made of minotaur horn. A creature who imbibes any liquid from the horn has vivid dreams of roaming through complex mazes during their next deep sleep.

A crude map of the local area inscribed on a tattered canvas scroll, that bears an “X” marking an area near where the map was found. There is a list of instructions in the bottom corner of the map: Find the big cracked boulder then go north for 3-4 miles, until you find the hill shaped like a tooth. Then go east for 1-2 miles, until you find the rock shaped like a heart. From there, go south-east for 3-4 miles and you'll find the treasure buried at the foot of the cliff. ---Note: It is up to the DM whether or not if the instructions can be followed (The “landmarks” might be a code, riddle or simply not exist for example) and if there is anything at the end. The map could easily be a prank, trap, confidence scheme, ambush or the area could already have been stripped of any value by other adventurers.

A one-gallon cask of used coffin nails.

A single iron earring that when worn, allows the bearer to speak the language of Dwarves, but only to say: "I don't actually speak Dwarven. I only know that sentence, and this one explaining it.” The bearer is not granted the ability to understand the language and doesn’t comprehend what they just said unless they are already fluent.

A leather wallet containing a full set of certified identification papers denoting that the bearer is a taxpaying merchant of the local kingdom and is allowed to buy sell and transport nonmagical goods anywhere in the realm. The section containing the merchant's physical description (Height, weight, sex, race, eye, skin and hair colour) is completely blank and could be filled in by anyone with half decent handwriting.

A taut black headband, clipped with a black metal skull, that can be attached on the outside of a hat or worn as a normal headband.

An eight inch, braided leather cord, adorned by a single, polished silver bead.

An ornate scholar's brush with a sharp iron handle. It is easily concealed and can be used as a jabbing weapon or thrown short distances dealing half as much damage as a dagger would.  

A long brass knife like those commonly used by pirates and sailors. Brass doesn’t hold as sharp an edge as steel but it isn’t vulnerable to rust and these knives are mostly used for cutting ropes, cleaning fish, and other sundry tasks.

A round offering plate made of polished brass with a red felt pad attached to its interior. Markings on the underside of the deep plate real that it is the property of a local shrine.

A wind chime consisting of a series of suspended animal bones of various sizes, strung on braided sinew cord. Knowledgeable PC’s will know that wind chimes are often hung outside buildings by the superstitious in order to deter spirits. These instruments can also serve as musical decoration or act as a makeshift alarm.

An artfully sculpted memorial urn in the shape of an angel in flight. In an elegant script on a flat area near the bottom is etched; “If loved could have saved you, you would have lived forever".

A small wooden box containing a dozen long drinking straws made of hollowed bone

A desecrated iron holy symbol of a minor deity of Random Lawful Domain.

A heavy wooden box containing several dozen Randomly Coloured, square ceramic mosaic tiles.

A large tin canister whose lid is stamped with the image of a bountiful orchard whose trees are overflowing with fruit, the ripest of which has fallen and filled a cornucopia. The container is brimming with dozens of pieces of well preserved dried figs.

A warm ivory coin engraved with the holy symbol of a minor God of Random Chaotic Domain

A rhinoceros shaped medallion, carved from the horn of the animal that it resembles.

A hand-sized figurine of a crystalline scorpion that is so full of hairline cracks that it looks as though it could fall apart at any second. Despite its appearance that object is actually quite durable.

A bolt of fine quality, Randomly Coloured felt wrapped in a protective oilskin case.

A small piece of bleached driftwood encased in a rectangular block of clear glass.

A filmy black veil, attached to a thin black chain which can be worn like a crown.

A large tin canister whose lid is stamped with the image of the open plains and a herd of buffalo being stalked by hunters and plainsmen. The container is filled with dozens of well-preserved strips of buffalo jerky.

A cloth bag containing a dozen jade coins, bearing runes representing fortune and prosperity.

A small wooden box containing a dozen long drinking straws made of steel.

A thin, lily-white amphora, this vessel is without adornment of any kind except for a single hairline crack down its body. Twelve inches from top to bottom and four inches across at the shoulder, it is small as amphorae go.

A goblet made from clear glass infused with powdered black jade.

A pair of ornate blue jade, hoop earrings.

An elegant wand constructed a red oak shaft, a burnished brass handle and a flame tongued tip of red jade.

An elaborately carved white jade smithing hammer, whose purpose is no doubt ceremonial rather than practical.

A pair of heavy chain manacles carved from Randomly Coloured jade.

A carved wooden boat that seems like a simple child's toy at first glance. It shows increasingly intricate details the closer one looks, right down to truly impossible filigree under a powerful magnifying glass.

An ornate black-iron lantern once used by Charon the ferryman of the afterlife, to help guide the dead across the waters of the river of souls. Its light is mixed with the blackened shadows of dead men.

A wooden box containing a dozen white candles with black crescent moons that dot their cylindrical bodies.

A large tin canister whose lid is stamped with the image of a well-stocked confectionery shop bustling with children. The container is filled with dozens of yellow, lemon flavoured hard candies.

A mask made of Randomly Coloured coral that wraps around the bearer's face.

A single lacquered oaken earring that when worn, allows the bearer to speak the language of Elves, but only to say: "I don't actually speak Elven. I only know that sentence, and this one explaining it.” The bearer is not granted the ability to understand the language and doesn’t comprehend what they just said unless they are already fluent.

A brightly coloured starfish that's been perfectly preserved and encased in a clear glass star.

A collapsible metal pole that can be extended to a length of ten feet. The tool can be compacted into a three foot long metal cylinder and can be extended with a few seconds of effort.

A smooth, ivory-white cylindrical rod, one foot long and wrist-thick with odd, cursive script carved on one flat end. It feels almost like glass and is always cool to the touch.

A bolt of fine quality, Randomly Coloured cotton cloth wrapped in a protective oilskin case.

A holy symbol of a God of a Random Good Domain made stained glass and wire, strung on a bright Randomly Coloured ribbon. If hung in a window it catches the light and reflects it in colourful patterns around the room.

A sturdy brass compass, painted plains tan and blood red and etched with images of lions stalking their prey.

An elephant shaped statuette, carved from the tusk of the animal that it resembles.

A well taxidermied fox, mounted on an oak plaque covered in green felt.

A heavy wooden box containing several dozen black and white, square ceramic mosaic tiles.

A hand sized statuette of a white porcelain elephant with real ivory tusks

A beautiful glass hummingbird feeder in a Random Bright Colour, strung from three feet of thick hempen cord. If filled with sugared or honeyed water, it will attract the local flying wildlife.

A lustrous shimmerweed flower in full bloom, encased in a clear glass dome.

A worn looking red building brick. If held up to an ear, the sounds of a busy city can be heard.

A large tin canister filled with dozens of sticks of meat flavored chewing gum. Any creature can clearly identify the flavor as “meat” but as to the exact animal the flavor came from, (If it is only from a single species of animal) it is impossible to tell.

A crude map of the local area inscribed on a tattered canvas scroll, that bears an “X” marking an area near where the map was found. There is a list of instructions in the bottom corner of the map: Find the lightning-blasted oak tree, then go south for 3-4 miles until you find the hill shaped like a saddle. From there, go east for 2-3 miles, until you find the boulder shaped like a bird's head, then go north-east for 1-2 miles and you'll find the stash buried under a mighty oak. ---Note: It is up to the DM whether or not if the instructions can be followed (The “landmarks” might be a code, riddle or simply not exist for example) and if there is anything at the end. The map could easily be a prank, trap, confidence scheme, ambush or the area could already have been stripped of any value by other adventurers.

A fine Randomly Coloured silk handkerchief.

A leather wallet containing a full set of certified identification papers denoting that the bearer is a trained doctor of the local kingdom. The section containing the doctor's physical description (Height, weight, sex, race, eye, skin and hair colour) is completely blank and could be filled in by anyone with half decent handwriting.

A round offering plate made of stainless steel with a blue felt pad attached to its interior. Markings on the underside of the deep plate real that it is the property of the large cathedral of a nearby kingdom.

A small wooden box containing a dozen long drinking straws made of bamboo

A full face mask made of beech, which when worn, causes the bearer's voice to become two octaves higher.

A desecrated colour shifting holy symbol of a minor deity of Random Chaotic Domain.

A Randomly Coloured ceramic disc with a single jagged rune violently carved into its surface.

A large tin canister whose lid is stamped with the image of a bountiful orchard whose trees are overflowing with fruit, the ripest of which has fallen and filled a cornucopia. The container is brimming with dozens of pieces of well preserved dried oranges.

A large tin canister whose lid is stamped with the image of a well-stocked confectionery shop bustling with children. The container is filled with dozens of green, lime  flavoured  hard candies.

A demon shaped talisman, carved from the horn of the monster that it resembles.

A large tin canister whose lid is stamped with the image of a rushing river and a half dozen salmon jumping out of the water and being caught by fishermen of the bow, spear and net variety. The container is filled with dozens of well-preserved strips of salmon jerky.

A clear, decorative bottle filled with clear fluid containing the eye of a displacer beast. The eyes of these magical beast are rumored to glow faintly even after their death and any creature who inspects the bottle can confirm this story.  

A desecrated, steel holy symbol of a minor deity of Random Good Domain.

A wooden scroll tube containing a dozen sheet of parchment, covered with one inch grids.

A pair of steel, jeweler's calipers.

A bolt of fine quality, Randomly Coloured hemp cloth wrapped in a protective oilskin case.

A performers trick blade that looks and feels like a normal dagger, but when thrust into something the blade retracts into an empty compartment in the hilt and causes no damage.

A tarnished brass coin engraved with the holy symbol of a minor God of Random Evil Domain

A mage's staff made from a solid piece of worked copper and etched with lightning bolts and electrical symbols. It can only be used as a focus while casting spells of an electrical nature.

A hollow iron sphere, inscribed with an eye-like iris, and a brass hinge and clasp allow it to open.

A wooden walking stick which has five dragon heads carved into the thick knot at the top of the staff.

A silk handkerchief printed with a grid of patterned hexagons.

A pair spectacles made of rose-colored glass lenses set in a wire frame that fits most humanoids.

A durable smoking pipe made rainbow hued glass. The smoke created from this pipe changes colour to match the mood of the smoker (Red for anger, blue for calmness, green for happiness, etc).  

A butterfly made of stained glass and wire, strung on a bright Randomly Coloured ribbon. If hung in a window it catches the light and reflects it in colourful patterns around the room.

A one-foot piece of string that can, on command, tie itself into any knot that the user knows how to tie.

A suggestive shaped lantern made of red tinted glass like those commonly lit outside dens of iniquity

A leather wallet containing a full set of certified identification papers, denoting that the bearer is a member of the apothecary and herbalists guild. The section containing the member's physical description (Height, weight, sex, race, eye, skin and hair colour) is completely blank and could be filled in by anyone with half decent handwriting.

A large tin canister whose lid is stamped with the image of a well-stocked confectionery shop bustling with children. The container is filled with dozens of purple, grape  flavoured  hard candies.

A single whirring clockwork earring that when worn, allows the bearer to speak the language of Gnomes, but only to say: "I don't actually speak Gnome. I only know that sentence, and this one explaining it.” The bearer is not granted the ability to understand the language and doesn’t comprehend what they just said unless they are already fluent.

A fist-sized polished globe of opaque silvery quartz

A large tin canister whose lid is stamped with the image of a lush field, filled with a dozen sheep and a solitary shepherd keeping watch. The container is filled with dozens of well-preserved strips of lamb jerky.

A hand sized figurine of a lighthouse made of smoked grey glass, with a piece of cut quartz serving as a beacon.

A polished shard of translucent black crystal.

A leather pouch containing a dozen circular, smooth edged copper coins, displaying the face of an unknown king on one side and a large tower on the other. The faded stamping reveals the coins were minted in an archaic version of the common tongue.

A one-gallon stoneware jug, covered in a white glaze. A circle of flying blackbirds is painted around the jug’s middle and a cork stopper is tied about the neck with a hemp cord.

A block of pink salt, the size of a large brick, with a hollow interior and holes for ventilation that suggests that it can be used as a tea candle lamp.  

A crude map of the local area inscribed on a tattered canvas scroll, that bears an “X” marking an area near where the map was found. There is a list of instructions in the bottom corner of the map: Find the rock shaped like a horse, then go north-east 2-3 miles, until you find the cliffs of red stone.    From there, go north-west 1-2 miles until you find the petrified forest, then go west for 3-4 miles and you'll find the collection buried under the ruined tower. ---Note: It is up to the DM whether or not if the instructions can be followed (The “landmarks” might be a code, riddle or simply not exist for example) and if there is anything at the end. The map could easily be a prank, trap, confidence scheme, ambush or the area could already have been stripped of any value by other adventurers.

A black silk eye patch, adorned with a skull and crossbones worked in silver thread.

A sturdy brass compass, painted forest green and blood red and etched with images of wolves hunting their prey.

A small small pane of glass in a frame made of black metal that looks like an ordinary hand mirror at first glance. When a creature spends at least one minute staring into its reflection, the image shifts and changes, showing the landscape of another plane at random.

A pair of brass binoculars that doubles the distance at which the viewer can effectively see.

A small sheath designed to be strapped to a forearm and hidden under a long sleeve. The sheath can hold one forearm-length item such as a dagger, dart, wand, or up to two arrows or crossbow bolts. Alternatively, it may store up to one pound of similar shaped materials or small objects. With a flick of the wrist, the bearer can cause some or all of these items to drop into their hand. ---Note: Wrist sheaths are typically coloured to match common skin types (Black, green, tan, red scaled, etc.) in order to further hide their presence, assign a colour or pattern as you see fit.  

[sannasworldbuilding]

Shaeq Chor and Xeprea: Marriage Traditions

This is... A very, very long one. Mainly due to Shaeq Chor’s marriage tradition being heavily based on Chinese...

Shaeq Chor

Marriage in Shaeq Chor is a ceremonial ritual that involve a union between spouses, and romantic love is the norm for most citizens, and it is considered unlucky to propose to a stranger or someone a person has known for less than three years.

Marriage is of grave significance both to families and to society, and marriage brings together families of different surnames and so continues the family line of the paternal clan. As traditionally the husband takes his wife name (and the one with more siblings takes the name of the one with least siblings if it is a marriage of people of the same or rare genders) a girl is preferred over a boy when giving birth.

A marriage has six etiquette's to be followed.

Proposal: One partner approaches their parents about it, and the parents locate a matchmaker whose job is to minimize the conflict of interests and general embarrassments when discussing the possibility of marriage in case the two families are largely unknown to each other.

Fate's Say: If the other partner and their parents did not object to the proposal, the matchmaker will go to a temple of the Goddess of Fate and ask her about the future of that couple-to-be. If the answer is good, they then would go to the next step.

Bridewealth (Betrothal Gifts): At this point the proposing partners family will arrange for the matchmaker to present betrothal gifts to the accepting partner and their family, including the betrothal letter, and the matchmaker will set up a time for them to be exchanged.

Wedding Gifts: The proposing partner's family will send an elaborate array of food, cakes, and religious items to the accepting partner's family. These wedding gifts symbolizes prosperity and good luck. Part of this is the money that goes to the couple, which is given to the accepting partner's family in red envelopes. The accepting partner's family also returns a set of gifts to the proposing partner's side. Additionally, the accepting partner's parents bestow a dowry to the couple alongside the betrothal money.

The selection of betrothal gifts tend to vary slightly with social class and gender, but the gifts are often in even number for the meaning of in couple and in pairs. Food items given to the accepting partner include wine, white pumpkins, and tea, while jewelry for a bride includes gold earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. They are also combined with some local food, such as peanuts and whiteberries. Candles and paper cut "Double Happiness" are often seen on a wedding day.

Arranging the Wedding: Before the wedding ceremony, the families will arrange a wedding day as close to the main deity of both households as they can manage.

During this time a bridal bed is installed where the newlyweds are to be living. A woman of good fortune installs the bridal bed in the bridal room - either in the proposing partner's parent's house or in the couples future house. New red bed sheets are used and a plate of dried whiteberries, lotus seeds, blackberries, strawberries, sprig of chaos grape leaves are placed on the bed. A pair of bedside lamps is lit shortly before the couple arrives to symbolize the addition of children to the family.

Wedding Ceremony: The final ritual would be the actual wedding ceremony itself where couple become a married couple, which consists of many elaborate parts...

Wedding Procession: The wedding procession from the accepting partners's home to the proposing partner's home consists of a traditional band, the bride's sedan, the maids of honor's sedans, and accepting partner's dowry in the forms other than money.

Dowries typically include: bedding (pillows, bolsters, comforter set, blankets, bed sheets), new clothing for the accepting party delivered in a wooden wedding chest, a tea set for the wedding tea ceremony, a tub filled with baby items (baby bathtub, baby potty, washbasin, tumblers, toothpaste and toothbrush, mirror, comb, etc.), two pairs of red wooden wedding slippers, a sewing basket (with even numbered rolls of colourful thread, needles, pincushion, scissors, and sewing wax), gold jewellery given by the accepting party's parents

Welcoming the Accepting Partner: The wedding procession of the accepting party's family stops at the door of the proposing party's home. There are ceremonies to be followed to welcome the accepting partner and their wedding procession into the proposing party's home, which is very formal and neither part of the couple is allowed to speak or see each other during this part.

Actual Wedding Ceremonies: The couple will pay respect to the Queen, the Deities, paying respect to deceased ancestors, the couple's parents and other elders, and paying respect to each other.

Wedding Banquets: The wedding banquet is sometimes far more important than the actual wedding itself. There are ceremonies such as the accepting partner presenting tea to parents, spouse, and guests. The proposing party is responsible for the cost of the wedding invitation, sweet treats (often pastries), the banquet invitations, and the wedding itself. Wedding banquets are elaborate and consist usually of 5-10 courses, with expensive and rare ingredients, and local delicacies. The mother of the accepting party is responsible for the wedding banquet hosted on the accepting party's side and the alcohol consumed during both banquets. The wedding banquets are two separate banquets: the primary banquet is hosted once at the accepting party's side, the second banquet (smaller banquet) at the proposing partner's side. While the wedding itself is often based on the couple's choices, the wedding banquets are a gesture of thanks and appreciation, to those that have raised the couple (such as grandparents and uncles). It is also to ensure the relatives on each side meet the relatives on the other side. Thus out of respect for the elders, wedding banquets are usually done formally.

There are a couple of traditions to pay attention to on top of this.

The feminine dress at weddings is a highly embroidered red silk dress, which consists of a petticoat, adorned with the images of a foxbat and a dragon, and a long skirt. The groom, or proposing partner in case of a same-gender marriage, is expected to give a pair of matching dragon and foxbat bracelets, commonly made of gold, to the bride, which are to be worn during the wedding festivities.

A hair combing ceremony is performed on the eve of the wedding - after showering with water infused with ivory petals, the couple change into a new set of clothing and shoes and attending female family members bless them aloud as they sit in front of an open window with the visible moon or in front of the mirror. The four blessings are: With the first combing, be blessed to be together to the end, with the second combing, be blessed with a hundred years of harmony in marriage, with the third combing, be blessed with a houseful of children and grandchildren, with the fourth combing, be blessed with longevity. A sweet dessert soup containing dumplings is served after the hair combing ceremony to wish the couple a complete and sweet marriage.

The feminine partner at a wedding is expected to hide her face with a fan starting at the procession and ending at the banquets. It is normally the male partner who proposes and the female partner that accepts most commonly, but it varies.

Xeprea

A proposal in Xeprea is for a man to hand a woman a knife and press it and her hand against his throat. From here it is all in the hands of the woman and what she thinks of the man in question. If she only holds contempt or doesn't trust him, she is expected to slit his throat. If she likes him but cannot imagine marrying him she will nick him but withdraw, the wound serving as a denial. If she accepts she will withdraw the dagger without harming him.

Xeprea marriage ceremonies are generally divided into two parts: a religious component, which includes the recitation of prayers and the offering of food and other gifts to priestesses and images of the deities, and a non-religious component.

Priestesses are never present at any stage of the marriage ceremony itself. As they attend to the dead during funerals, their presence at a marriage is considered a bad omen. A couple would seek a blessing from their local temple before or after being married. The non-religious portions of the wedding take place away from temples, and often take place on a separate day.

During the wedding service itself, the couple first bow before the image of the Goddess of War. They then recite certain basic prayers or chants to her image, and light incense and candles before the image. The parents of the couple are then called upon to "connect" them, by placing upon the heads of the bride and groom twin loops of string or thread that link the couple together.

The couple then make offerings of food, flowers, and medicine to the priestesses the following day. Cash gifts may also be presented to the temple at this time. The priestesses then unwind a small length of thread that is held between the hands of the assembled priestesses. They begin a series of recitations of prayers intended to bring merit and blessings to the new couple. The string terminates with the high priestess of the temple, who connects it to a container of water that will be "sanctified" for the ceremony. Blessed water is then mixed with wax drippings from a candle lit before the image of the Goddess of War and herbs to create a paste that is then applied to the foreheads of the bride and groom to create a small dot. The high priestess finishes this part by saying a few words to the couple, offering advice or encouragement. The couple then make offerings of food to the priestesses, at which point the religious portion of the ceremony is concluded.