ELICITATION

JUST A GAME

Jungkook is waiting for her to approach him, and Lisa knows that. But she's pretty much terrified of doing that- especially considering how many gifts he's already received from all those pretty dragons around him.

Every dragon learns a craft from their parents when they're young. Be it woodworking or carving, braiding, knitting- every family has something they're good at. For Jungkook's, she has learned that he's a born protector. He's not necessarily good at any delicate handcraft, but is more gifted in anything involving physical strength. He knows multiple self-defence sports according to his friend Jimin, and due to him fully embracing his dragon blood, he also knows his own, and other's, instincts very well, and is able to almost sense if someone poses a threat just by nods, language and instinct alone.

Meanwhile she grew up without a functioning family. She only had her father who had to work most of the time- so she basically grew up all by herself, and never really learned anything she could use right now to impress him.

He's going to participate in the hunt this year, and traditionally, participants will receive tokens of good luck from admirers or family. Lisa knows he's waiting for her to give him something, anything really since that would be her way of courting him as well- but there's nothing she could give him.

She sucks at everything.

Compared to what she has seen others give him as an offering, her own gift feels pathetic, like an admission that she's just not fit to be a good partner for him. But she knows that giving him nothing at all might confuse him- it might give him the wrong idea, could make him think that she doesn't like him after all, which wouldn't be true at all.

It's just that the more she starts to like him, the smaller her confidence shrinks.

And she doesn't know what to do about it.

—------

Lisa watches how he gets ready for the hunt, lanterns all around lighting up the scene. She can see the way some older woman paints his ink-free arms in runes for protection, while other younger dragons are watching, swooning and trying to see if he's wearing any of their tokens.

He's not, from what she can see.

She could just be cool and give it to him. She knows he likes her enough that she could give him a handful of dirt and he'd keep it safely in his pocket during the entire hunt so as to not lose it. But she wants to impress him too, as impossible as that might be.

But there's nothing she has got that could do that.

Jungkook seems to look around, searching for something, when an elder calls for everyone to get to their starting spots. Her heart is racing, her eyes are stinging with unshed tears as she grips the clumsily braided bracelet, before she finally jumps over her shadow.

If she doesn't do anything, she might lose any chance of potentially being with him- and it's just not worth it.

"Jungkook!" She calls out, and he immediately turns towards her, as if relieved to see her.

"Lisa"

"I, uh.." she stammers, before she simply grab his hand, slap the bracelet in it before closing his fingers around it-

And running away to hide, because that was the most embarrassing thing she has ever done.

Unbeknownst to her, he himself is a bit caught off guard for a second, before he looks at what she has given him.

The braiding isn't very neat- it's bigger and tighter in some spots, and there's knots here and there where they shouldn't be- but it's clear that the wooden beads are handmade, and from the way she has tried to create a pattern (and the fleeting sight of her fingers covered in bandaids), he realises how much effort she has put into it.

It makes him smile as he slips it onto his wrist, tying it tightly with the help of his teeth so he won't lose it later.

He gets to the starting point assigned to him, sleeveless top hiding none of his actual tattoos, nor his toned physique. It's just a play this time, not a serious hunt- that'll be later, in a few days. Tonight, it's just so the participants can get the layout of the woods engraved into their minds, to become familiar with everything before actually seriously racing for their own mate.

He's not invited her yet. Has not given her a token of his own yet- his necklace being merely a way to impress her, but not an actual offering of more than just fleeting interest.

Maybe he won't invite her at all. Who knows?

But when she sees her clumsily made gift on his wrist, and his eyes on her having easily found her amongst the spectators, Lisa feels like he will.

She feels like he's made up his mind already. She feels like he knows exactly what he wants now that she has made that step towards him.

Jungkook wants her.