Prophecy (medieval!ateez au)

six

You had never been so overwhelmed in your entire life.

Standing in the middle of a packed market, glued to Yeosang's side. Ateez's market was probably 5 times the size of the one you routinely stole from not so long ago. Atinians bustled around you, some behind stalls piled high with goods for sale, some rushing past you in muddy, floor length cloaks.

Children play amidst the adults doing their daily business. You didn't know what they were playing, but judging by the sticks in their hands, they were pretending to be wizards. Or maybe they were imitating the guards? You pitied them, knowing that the young children most likely idolised the figures who were supposed to 'protect' them. Realistically, the guards didn't give a shit. About any of them.

"Come, follow me." Yeosang mutters into your ear, tugging your sleeve.

You follow him obediently, accidentally tripping him up a few times from how closely you stick by his side.

Yeosang brings you to a small building a few streets away from the market. The glass windows are completely filthy, but the plants underneath it are freshly watered and bursting with colour. Yeosang pushes the door open and a bell tinkles to indicate your arrival.

"Morning!" a voice calls out from the other end of the shop. "Welcome to the Ateez Apothecary! What can I help you with?"

Behind a wooden counter, stands a tall man with a sweep of curly, gingerbread coloured hair. He smiles at you, and you're positive his grin could melt butter. As you get closer, you're also convinced he holds the entire galaxy in his eyes. Even the most expert astrologer would have difficulty telling apart this man's eyes and the glittering stars in the sky. His cheeks fill out when he smiles wider (if that was even possible), recognising the mage you were accompanying.

"Yeosang? It's been ages since I last saw your face around here! How's it going?" His accent  is rougher than Yeosang's, still soft but possessing a twang you couldn't quite put your finger on. 

Yeosang nods, offering a small, slightly awkward smile in return.

"Nice to see you again, Yunho."

Yunho peers over Yeosang's shoulders to look at you. Which isn't hard; you don't think you've seen anybody as tall as him before.

"Who's this, eh? Finally got yourself a girlfriend? About time, 'Sang!"

Both you and Yeosang flush an angry red, mortified at the thought of having that kind of relationship with each other.

"No!" Yeosang counters quickly. "She's my... student."

Yunho nods, looking at Yeosang expectedly.

"Yunho, this is Iris. Iris, this is Yunho. He runs the apothecary here in Ateez, he's also their main doctor."

"Nice to meet you!" You reciprocate Yunho's giant grin with a short, polite smile of your own. The unsettling feeling in your gut hadn't weakened in the slightest, and this incredibly tall, baby-faced medic wasn't  going to change that.

You hung around by the door while Yeosang bought all the ingredients he needed, not wanting to get in the way or interupt a conversation you knew little to nothing about. 

The shop had rows of ceiling high shelves placed in the middle of the room, the only empty space being a straight passage from the door to the counter where Yunho stood. You peeked into the glass jars on the shelves, recognising plants such as lemon balm and chickweed that Yeosang grew himself at home. 

Further down the shelves were much bigger jars containing suspicious things you couldn't make out, although some of the questionable things floating around in the jars of water looked like body parts of small animals, so you decided you would rather not know.