Wanting and Having

Three: Pantheon

~ Jimin PoV~

Watching Namjoon struggle through the conversation with the woman in front of us was equal parts endearing and alarming. He's not usually this uncomposed in public, had he hit his head??

I cut into the conversation with,  "Care to clue us into what exactly is happening, or are you happy to carry on as if we all know what you are saying to her?" I softened my words with a grin and a wink in her direction, and surprisingly she responded in fluent, albeit accepted Korean.

"My apologies gentlement." She addressed all of us formally, moving forward, me first, and then quickly made eye contact with each of my brothers and companions.

She explained, "I'm Charlotte Powell, Charm to my friends, I guess..." Charlotte glanced back with a sly grin at Namjoon, who had shaken his head, his eyes reluctantly moving toward the check-in desk clerk with his credit card in hand.  "I work as a Manager for the Resort up the mountain. My staff had booked all the rooms here tonight, and I noticed that Chase, " she waved toward the front desk staff, "needed some vacancies to accommodate you, so I gave my staff alternate arrangements so that you would have rooms."

"Hello Charlotte, I'm so pleased to meet you, and surprised that someone in this village speaks Korean..." I winked but carried on, not pressing that point. I was more curious about whether she would know who we were..."I'm Park Jimin, you can call me Jimin if you are comfortable."

I smiled wide, her formal stance relaxed as I hoped and I reached out my hand to shake hers.  As she reached out I clasped her hand in mine warmly and took a step, pivoting to introduce her to my companions, spinning her playfully in doing so. She spun with ease and grace- considering it was unexpected - and chuckled brightly. In spinning her, I got a sweeping look at what had stunned Joon into a bumbling fool.

She was slightly shorter than I am, she had long brunette waves cascading in a disarray down her back with an intentional bed-head quality that was alluring. Her face had an impish quality, mischief and seduction simmered under the surface of genuine interest. She had quick and intelligent eyes, and her smile was contagious. Her body was surprising to me, we are taught an ideal in society, but this woman was here to shatter those expectations. Thick, soft, supple curves under an effortlessly chic outfit that could have been seen on a runway in Paris, Seoul, or Bejing, stood in contrast to her surroundings. This was no girl next door, and yet, the beauty was incomperable to anything I'd found appealing before.

The thing that most surprised me was that Charlotte was art in motion. As a dancer, seeing and feeling someone move shared alot about who they are, and this woman was water and fire embodied. As she came to a stop infront of my family, I considered what a shame it was cease spinning her... Maybe after we got some food and settled we could have a little party of our own. We had spent too much time sitting in planes and cars today anyway I mused.

"Let me help you get acquainted!" I gestured to the men before us, who had been speaking among themselves, passively observing what had transpired. "These are my friends, formality won't be necessary, you saved us from a cold night in a snowbank!" She was staring intently at my eldest brother, so I continued. "Jin."

The eldest had been looking at his phone, leaning against the wall by the door. He took her hand from mine and held it in his.

"Thank you, Ms. Charlotte, with your  assistance." As her eyes moved to with me toward the rest of us, I watched Jin take her in with a guarded appreciation. He went back to his phone, but I could see him peering over his glasses after us.

"Jungkook, and Yoongi" The two of them were peripherally paying attention to what had transpired. Mostly they had been rummaging in their respective leather satchels for their phones. When they looked up they grinned like conspirators. Charlotte was tolerating my gentlemanly act by leaning into the demure role. She held out a hand and Jungkook took it.

He said in English, "Thank you for helping us get rooms," he switched to Korean, "we've been traveling for more than a day, on our way to shoot some winter sports at River Rock, but if we have to be stuck in a storm, I'm glad we have good company! Hyung said driving tonight has shortened his lifespan" gesturing to Yoongi who sauntered forward, ruffling his hair.

"By a few years for sure..." He feigned weariness and wiped his brow in relief, winking as he did so.

It's not often that these two would drop into familiar informality with someone foreign, but they clearly noticed how unfazed she was and decided pretenses were for the rested and well fed.  Of all the of us, Suga and JK can be counted on for their vigilance - noticing everything and adjusting themselves to imperceptable changes in tone. They also both understood far more English than they let on, and were both in lessons regularly. They must have been evaluating our heroine from the moment she opened her mouth.

Taehyung and Hoseok stood away from the rest, talking quietly as I slid in front of them, Charlotte in tow, bowing to the others as they joined RM and the crew in organizing rooms.

Hope still looked pale and clammy, Tae had one hand on his back and had put one of his earphones in Hope's ear, distracting him with a new favorite track they must have been discussing in the other car on the way. When they looked up, Taehyung went imperceptibly rigid, while Hope leaned forward to give me a hug, as if checking to make sure I'm real.

I casually wrapped my free arm around Hobi, and gestured from the last of my family to be introduced, and said, "Charlotte, this is Hoseok and Tae." The look in Tae's eyes was rimmed with worry as he glanced at Hope, he looked back to me and I continued, "I'm not sure you noticed, but we are just getting our rooms sorted and then I think we will get some food." They both looked curiously at the woman, Jhope bowed his head politely but his usual magnanimous spark was subdued.

"How was your drive Taehyung?"

JHope stiffened and squeezed me on the shoulder, as Tae replied. "That was the worst drive of my life," switching to English, "How did you get here without a car?"

"We usually ski or snowshoe when there is snow in the forecast since we are less likely to get stuck. Most of my staff are avid hikers, so they do that stuff for fun. The Staff Accomodations for the Resort are about a 15-minute walk away." Charlotte's explanation in Korean was adorable with its accent, but Taehyung and Jhope were both clearly pleasantly surprised by her fluency.

Holding her by the elbow now somehow, I allowed myself another assessment of this delightful surprise. She was completely unphased by the company she found herself in, and the easy and enthusiastic way with which she began to hold court, making sure to learn about all of our experiences on the drive here was grounding. I must have been shaken up too because a tension I didn't know was there began to melt away as we warmed up from our trip and reconnected. Even Hope eased and began to playfully banter about the prospect of some food and maybe a game of billiards.

"Would you join us for dinner this evening Ms. Charm, as a thank you from us to you?" RM had walked up behind us, his mouth close to her ear but loud enough for us all to hear. To her credit, she didn't seem surprised by his proximity.

He placed one hand on her shoulder, the other deliberately squeezed the hand I had left on our hostess' elbow.  I pulled away, as she turned toward him and out of my grasp.

"I would love that," Charlotte agreed graciously, "I'll be waiting." I smiled my broadest and warmest grin as we began milling toward the elevator, leaving her with the Reservations Manager, all eyes seemingly locked on the same target as the elevator shuttered closed.

Curious... We were used to orbiting one another, knowing each other's trajectories and ebbing easily between them like a dance, but the addition of this little comet to our constellation was an unexpected addition in every way, least of which, that this... Charm.... was inexplicably hosting us as though we weren't a Pantheon of God's.

*Next Up: JHope POV*