raven ღ na jaemin

10

you entered the city, weaving through the throngs of people. despite the cold morning air, you were warm thanks to the moving bodies bustling around you. you kept a hand on your dagger, but your unease was starting to ebb away as you continued further into the city.

you marvelled at the market stalls and the countless people roaming around them. children laughed as they ran past, their parents yelling and chasing after them. street vendors shouted and waved as they tried to get you to buy their products. your eye caught on colorful silks and muslin, and you stopped by to run a hand through the soft fabrics. the buzz of conversation surrounded you as you kept walking, unsure of where exactly you where headed to.

you smiled to yourself. at last, you were free. of course, you still had a duty to perform, but you were more than happy to shove that thought from your mind. you stopped at a fruit stall to admire the shiny and colorful fruit that were on display.

"they're delicious," a voice said, bringing your attention to a woman. she was short and wore a friendly smile, her kind eyes crinkling at the corners. her hair was streaked with gray and pulled into a low bun. her wrinkled face showed years of age.

you smiled brightly back at her. "they sure look so." you took out the pouch of money from your pocket. "how much is an apple?"

"one for two coins. two for three."

you opened your pouch, drawing out two coins and handing them to her. she took them from you and tucked them into her pocket. "since you're such a lovely young lady, i'll pick out the best apple for you."

your face warmed and you let out a shy laugh. with a focused expression, the woman scanned through her display of apples. she scrutinized each one until she found one she was satisfied with, her face brightening as she held it up to you.

you accepted it gratefully, and thanked her. you were about to bid her good-bye when you saw a flash of movement in the corner of your eye. your head whipped to the side, just in time to see a burly man barreling toward you.

the woman screamed. luckily, you had dodged the man's attack and he landed directly in the display of fruit, causing them to spill everywhere. you shot the woman at the stand an apologetic look before flying into action. as if on instinct, you pulled your dagger out of its sheath and whirled toward the man, who had just recovered from his crash. he flung himself forward, readying for another attack when he slipped on an apple that was rolling on the ground.

you caught him by the collar and tugged him up. grinning, you pointed the blade of your dagger at him. the look of fear on his face nearly sent you into a fit of laughter.

"what do you want?" you asked him, forcing your voice to sound cold. you channeled your inner jaemin, hoping that you looked intimidating.

"i-i wasn't doing anything!" he replied, breathing rapidly. you suppressed a haughty smirk when you saw sweat beading on his skin. he was scared shitless. you had scared him shitless. your chest swelled at the realization.

"you"—you drew the blade closer to his face and he stared down at it, shuddering—"are going to pay this lady for all of the fruit you just ruined." you tilted your head in the direction of the woman, who was standing at her stall, frozen in fear with her hands covering her gaping mouth.

you looked back to the man, whose eyes had gone wide. he stammered an unintelligible reply, but stopped immediately as the blade grew closer. "that should teach you not to target vulnerable girls." you applauded yourself mentally for managing to sound threatening. even though you still hated jaemin, you had to admit you did learn a thing or two from his intimidation.

"please," he begged, 'i-i have two girls at home. i just wanted to buy them some food. one of them is sick and she—" his voice caught. your smirk fell, conflicting feelings suddenly raging in your mind. you brought the dagger away from the man's face, your expression softening as relief washed over him.

you sheathed the dagger and took out your pouch. "here, i have a couple of coins that i can—" in the blink of an eye, he had snatched the pouch of your grasp and pushed you to the ground. your head slammed onto the floor, and you yelped in pain as the man darted away.

your face screwed up and you clutched your head, praying to the heavens that the wound hadn't opened back up. you attempted to lift yourself up, hissing a string of curses through clenched teeth.

you felt a hand at your back helping you get up to a sitting position. you looked up, seeing a young man, maybe around jaemin's age. he was looking at you with a concerned expression and asked, "are you okay?"

you nodded, and he helped you up, supporting you with his arm. you glanced around and saw a small crowd had gathered. people were beginning to slip away after seeing you get up, but others were still staring at you and whispering to each other.

you heard someone run up to you, and you looked over the see the woman from the stall. "are you hurt?" you shook your head.

"i'm sorry about your apples," you said weakly, "i'd pay for them, but..."

"it's nothing, i'm just glad your okay," she smiled softly at you but her forehead was still wrinkled with worry.

"don't worry, ma'am. i'll take care of her," the boy helping you spoke and your attention shot back to him.

"wha-what? no i'm—" you stammered as he led you away.

[a/n]

long chapter :DD