{Magic Shop} · A BTS Medival Magic AU

#3 Pebbles

Hoseok's pov:

Hoseok reached up as high as he could, but the apple was just out of reach. He swallowed and stepped onto the next branch. The tree swayed and he shut his eyes, willing himself to stay still. When the tree stopped moving, he finally reached up and grabbed the fruit, ready to get off the unsteady branch as soon as possible.

He breathed a sigh of relief as his feet touched the ground. He plopped the apple into his full basket and decided to return to his farm. These should be enough to start a tiny orchard, right? And he would make an apple pie out of the rest. Hoseok knew almost nothing about gardening. As far as he was concerned, you just put the apples in the ground as they were. Somehow, however, most plants felt sorry for him and grew anyway.

His farm and small cottage were located a bit beyond the Resadon woods to stay out of trouble. They were small and cute, overgrown, and busy with bees and butterflies. Not knowing much about how to take care of plants, Hoseok didn't differentiate between wanted plants and weeds, which gave the garden a wild but rich appearance, aka heaven for animals.

Humming a tune, he made his way between the trees. Before long, he spotted his home through the branches. It was one of those places you could only see once you got closer unless you were deliberately looking for it. Just then movement in the garden caught his eye. He hid behind a tree and carefully peered around it. Someone was in his garden. They looked around like they thought they were being followed, then turned back to... stealing Hoseok's food? Hoseok dared to get closer but made sure to stay out of sight. Was this a robbery? Were there more? If they were the only one, he could probably fend them off. After contemplating a moment longer, Hoseok slinked closer until he could make out the person's features. A boy with blonde hair was pulling up a carrot. Right, that's it! Hoseok was rather proud of his carrots.

"Hey!! Leave my plants alone!!", he yelled and stepped into the open. The boy looked up in surprise, then turned heel, fruit and vegetables falling from his arms. Hoseok took after him and leapt the fence but was careful not to tread in his plants. by the time he jumped over the fence on the other side, the boy had climbed a tree and was gone. Hoseok frowned at the mess his garden was in.

Jimin's pov:

Jimin didn't stop until the cottage had completely disappeared out of sight. His heart was pounding. The man must have been a tiefling. If he had known that, he wouldn't have dared go near it. Ler alone steal. But he had been so hungry and tired of having to ask Taehyung. He just wanted to prove he could get his own food... although stealing barely counted. He should have just grabbed a few fruits and left. This evening I'll hunt properly! the half-elf promised himself as he tried to figure out where he was. It didn't take long and he found the stream that went past the cave he was currently living in. He followed it upstream.

The soft splashing of the river calmed Jimin's nerves. Once he knew he was close to the cave, he washed the food, found a nice branch overlooking the stream, and started eating.

After finishing his meal, Jimin washed his hands in the river, then headed off in the direction of Taehyung's home, veering away from the stream. If he'd remembered correctly, his friend would be leaving for town soon. Leaves brushed his skin and clothes as he dodged branches and twigs skillfully, alternating between running and jumping like an otter in a swift river. The forest was familiar to him every step of the way. He'd been travelling within it for years and years, always changing homes. Unlike Taehyung. He'd stayed in that woodland cottage, shrouded in a spell of invisibility, for as long as Jimin could remember. And he didn't have a reason to change. Everything was precisely to his liking. And if anything needed changing, he could always just ask the house nicely.