thick as thieves || bts x mamamoo

twenty five;

Jungkook has just taken his first bite of kimbap when Hoseok's group arrives last at the private dining room in the back of the restaurant and announces the bad news.

"Well, there goes my appetite," Yoongi places his pair of chopsticks back down against his plate. "Can't even eat a goddamn meal on land without the fucking navy interrupting."

"Hyung, that isn't the point," Jimin flounders in panic next to Jungkook, looking over at Hoseok with wide eyes. "You're sure it was their flags by the ports?"

"It was definitely them alright," Namjoon speaks up from the doorway, ushering Hyejin and Yongsun into the room before shutting the door so as to maintain privacy. "They weren't there earlier when we passed by so I'd figure they've only arrived recently."

"Was it Seunghwan's crew?" Taehyung asks nervously. "Do you think they ratted us out?"

Namjoon shakes his head. "I don't think so, it seems unlikely. Even if they did try and make an exchange of information on us for a lighter sentence, there's no way that they could predict or have any certain idea of which direction we left from that town."

Yoongi nods in agreement. "And even if they tried to tell the navy about the other three, they don't exactly have much to go off of, other than the fact that a couple of strangers helped Bangtan out in a scuffle at the bar. That's not exactly convincing evidence of anything worth worrying over to a naval officer. Those three have kept a low profile up until now as well. It's much more likely that they're simply stopping by due to a high traffic of pirate ships being spotted in the area."

"There are definitely a good number of pirate crews that have been frequenting this town since we were last here now that the town has enough funds to stabilize their economy." Byulyi confirms, gesturing for the newcomers to take a seat. "Sit down and eat some food. There's no use trying to sneak out of here on an empty stomach. We should draft a plan of action while we're here. Has every group done everything they intended on doing in town? My group has already paid the village chief a visit."

"Our group is good as well," Seokjin casts a glance at Wheein who nods in confirmation. "We have enough supplies to last us for up to two months on the seas and they're all already on the ship."

Yongsun pats the knapsack by her side. "We're also ready to leave whenever needed."

"Perfect." Byulyi turns to look at Yoongi. "Well, captain? What's the escape plan?"

Yoongi crosses his arms as the corners of his lips quirk up in amusement. "You ask that as though you don't already have one in mind."

Byulyi smirks. "I just wanted to see if we were on the same page."

"Since you all know this town best, my plan is your plan." Yoongi levels his gaze with Byulyi's. "I trust you and your judgement on the situation."

Byulyi smiles. "Thank you, that means a lot coming from you."

She scans the others in the room for a brief moment, before letting out a soft hum. "If they were already at the ports earlier, they've most likely already made it into town. Travelling in our current groups isn't the safest option anymore. My recommendation is that we split up into pairs and cut through the back alleyways to get back to the ship to avoid detection. This also depends on how many of your all's faces the navy recognizes."

"They definitely know me and Yoongi," Hoseok gestures towards himself and Bangtan's captain. "Possibly Jimin and Taehyung as well, since they're our other swordsmen. It's unlikely that they know enough about us to be able to recognize the faces of the other three but not impossible."

"Excellent." Byulyi nods as she processes the information, pursing her lips in thought. "I think that you and Yoongi should stick together in one pair. It seems counterintuitive to our logic for forming our groups earlier today but in this case it'll lower the risk of other pairs being picked out as being associated with Bangtan. Since we have an odd number to begin with, I'll act independently and stay nearby should you come across trouble and need assistance. The rest of you need to divide up into pairs where at least one of you is skilled enough to fend off naval officers should they somehow give chase."