Seventeen Muses

Chapter 5

The next morning saw Desdemona accompanying her 5 bonded back to that god awful green room. Honestly, it was like they were trying to burn her eyes out. She was dressed in a set of jeans Hoshi had been willing to let her borrow, seeing as she wasn't going to waste any of her energy on forming new clothes. That was in much shorter supply than the fabric that covered their apartment. Seungcheol had thrown her one of his shirts, assuring her that it was perfectly clean and she should be fine.

Huffing a bit, she stared down at herself, feeling like that was just an excuse for him to mark her as his. Her first bonded did seem to be possessive like that. She glances up to stare at him from across the room, having sat down in a corner and trying to get a feel of where her body was at. The crash landing had not helped her, and she knew she was starting at much lower levels than others who had been banished. Honestly, she wouldn't put it past that vindictive witch to do this on purpose. Lying to get her banished wasn't enough, she just had to twist the knife in even further.

With her eyes closed, Desdemona tries to center in on herself, looking at the 5 strands that now hold her to this plane. Tethers she can't afford to lose if she doesn't want to be lost to the cosmos. She reaches out, brushing along the golden strand in front of her. The growling sound from yesterday resonates down her fingertips and filling her with warmth. It's a sunshine like energy that already she's beginning to associate with Hoshi and that pulls a small smile to her face.

"You called, my muse?" a voice asks in a low tone in front of her.

Her eyes flutter open to see Hoshi kneeling in front of her, head cocked to the side as he stares at her. "Sorry." she whispers, cheeks flushing a little, "Didn't mean to disturb you, was just looking at our bonds, didn't realize you'd feel it when I touched yours."

He smiles, "How were they looking? Was mine the prettiest, is that why you grabbed it?"

She laughs, "Sorry to disappoint, they all looked alike. I only knew it was yours when it started growling at me."

He laughs, lifting up one of his hands and holding his fingers in a claw shape, "Glad to see even the universe supports my horanghae agenda."

"Your what? That word wasn't translating."

Hoshi laughs, "It's a cross between two Korean words. I love you and Tiger. Everyone always says I look like I'm a tiger. I've decided to embrace it and just declare myself to be a full tiger."

She shakes her head, continuing to laugh, "I'm starting to see why the group needed you."

Hoshi blushes, ducking his head at the compliment, and Desdemona has to fight not to coo at him. Instead, she lets him abruptly change the topic, "You wanna come meet someone?"

She tilts her head, "Meeting one of your friends or meeting someone you'd like me to meet?"

He huffs, "The second one."

She nods, grabbing his hand and letting him pull her up from the floor. He doesn't let go of her clasped hand, instead swinging it back and forth as they walk across the room. Her eye catches on one of the boys watching her from a corner, head turning slightly to meet his gaze. He smiles at her and she tilts her head, looking him up and down. Stopping for a minute she considers him, taking a step in his direction, but her line of sight is quickly blocked by Seungcheol who is talking with Jun and Wonwoo.

The momentary spell snaps and she shakes her head, letting Hoshi pull her towards another corner of the room. She's greeted by a taller boy with a wide smile, dimples fully on display. His energy is infectious, and she finds herself smiling in return. Turning to Hoshi she nods and watches his own smile grow. "Desdemona, let me introduce you to one of my friends. He's a little scared of Seungcheol, hence why he wasn't part of the group you approached yesterday. His name is Seokmin, but a lot of us call him DK."