featherbrain ☆ l.jn ☆ ayakashi series | ✔

jeno [six]

A cool breeze tickled your face, countered by the warm tea you were sipping on. You were visiting Jungwoo like you'd promised, your visits typically consisting of having tea with the old Ayakashi and listening to his stories from the seemingly hundreds of years he's lived. Right now, he had just told you a rather embarrassing story of Johnny when he was young—apparently Jungwoo had known his family since Johnny's dad's birth—and you were struggling not to spill your tea as you chuckled.

The rustling of grass outside the shrine caught your attention, and you just figured that it was Sungchan returning from his trip into town. Taking another sip of your tea, you glanced over at the approaching figure, surprised at who it was.

Jeno was at the shrine, his black wings out, typical glasses and baseball cap on as well. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, he regarded you with a rather emotionless face.

"Oh, you're here," he shifted his weight from one leg to another as Jungwoo went to stand up.

"Excuse me, Lady Onmyoji—"

You were getting used to Jungwoo's title for you, having finally given up on him calling you by your actual name.

"No, Jungwoo, it's fine," Jeno stopped him from doing whatever he was about to do. "Never mind. Just... forget I was here."

Jungwoo looked at him with surprise, "Are you sure, my friend?"

The Tengu didn't answer him, but you guessed that was enough, as Jungwoo's light smile returned.

"Very well. Would you like to join the Lady Onymoji and I for tea?"

"No, no, I've got somewhere to be," he declined, glancing at his phone. "Yeah, Jaemin just texted me so..."

And with that, he disappeared back out of the shrine.

"That was strange," you commented, still looking off in the direction he had left in. "Why'd he come all the way out here?"

Jungwoo didn't respond, and when you looked back at him, he was dropping a sugar cube into his cup with intense focus, seemingly not aware of you.

"Jungwoo," you went to get the Tsukumo-gami's attention. "Why was Jeno here?"

"I am an apothecary as well, some of our friends come to me for help with their ailments."

"What's wrong with Jeno?"

Jungwoo held out a sugar cube between the dainty silver tongs, "Sugar, Lady Onmyoji?"

Now you were definitely sure he was trying to avoid this conversation. But it wasn't really your place to pry into Jeno's health, and with a resigned sigh, you held your teacup out to him, "Yes, please."

Your friend dropped it in, and with a swirling mind, you blankly watched the block of sugar dissolve into the heat of your tea. With your mind still on Jeno, you suddenly remembered your first patrol, and his lack of proper reporting of it, and that reminded you of something you wanted to ask Jungwoo.

"Can I tell you something, Jungwoo?"

"Of course."

"You can't tell anybody about it, I just need to talk about it to someone."

"I do not have very many people to tell aside from my brother. And if I did, I would not."

"Okay, so we've all been going on these patrols at night, they were Sicheng's idea. Just to kind of keep an eye on the city and the Wraiths around town. The very first one we went on a couple weeks ago, Jeno and I were paired up. We ran into a couple Wraiths that had attacked the café before, the ones that he had dissipated. And they said something weird."