THE RAVEN KING, yoonkook

chapter xiv: feelings

"The kitchens," The monotonous owl drawls as he gestures towards a door, "Are here." From outside, the clucks of busy chefs are audible as they rush around to prepare the next meal. The group—consisting of the owl, Yoongi and Shinhye—all stop to stare at it. The plain brown door is almost as exciting as their guide's tour. "You won't need to go in there, however; if you want food, just send your steward or some other servant."

The owl continues onwards, droning on about something that neither listen to. It's incredibly hard to stay focused on his voice when all it seems to do is make them want to fall asleep. He obviously doesn't want to be here either, making it all the more unbearable.

As she clearly doesn't listen, Shinhye's gaze travels across the hallway. With everything being so foreign, she's quite eager to take in all the luxurious sights. Despite being dressed in her usual drab tunic and tights, she feels like a princess inside this castle—the raven king's castle. She'd heard it's one of the most extravagant castles and, while she can't compare it to any others, it's certainly the most extravagant one she's seen. The younger still doesn't quite believe that this is all real, and has to pinch herself every so often.

Their dull tour is interrupted—thankfully—by rushing feet. The trio look to the source, seeing Namjoon approaching the group. The owl bows respectfully, prompting Shinhye to do the same, while Yoongi remains upright. Watching him in the corner of her eye, Shinhye is amazed her friend hasn't died or upset anyone yet (though this isn't an uncommon feeling).

"Yoongi, do you mind postponing this tour?" The superior owl asks once he's reached the assassin—now, personal guard. Yoongi nods, arms crossed over his chest.

"I think I've seen enough of the castle to know its layout. If I do get lost, I'll just ask someone for directions." Shinhye internally facepalms at her friend's inability to be subtle or avoid insulting someone. This is why she worries about him—forget his job, one day this magpie is going to upset the wrong person and pay. "Is it the king?"

"Yes... Uh, you don't mind if we walk and talk, do you?" After a quick shake from Yoongi's head, the pair depart with nothing more than a wave in Shinhye's direction (from Yoongi) and a general nod to the pair of them (from Namjoon). As she watches them walk off, Shinhye realises she's been left with the guide... She glares at the older magpie's back as he leaves.

"Shall we continue, or do you too feel you know enough of this castle to get around?" The owl asks, a touch offended by the magpie.

"You can continue, if you want." With a curt nod—nodding seems to be the main form of communication here, Shinhye notes—the guide continues on with his tour. The girl's attention is soon lost again and her gaze wanders aimlessly across the hallway. As she looks around, a small creature peering from around the corner catches her attention. It's brown and looks like a tiny person; eyes and a heart have been drawn into its body, though those are the only features it possesses. She finds its blank gaze uncomfortable, like two dark holes boring into her very soul. But, before she can ask the tour guide what it is, the creature has disappeared around the corner and is gone by the time they reach it.

"While you're doing your job of protecting Jungkook, do you think you could get him outside for a bit? Since the incident, he's been refusing to leave his room and he won't see his guests. We can put the guests off for another day with the excuse that he's still shaken, but we would like him to go outside for just a bit. It'll do him good, to go back to normal." Namjoon says as he and Yoongi head towards the king's bedroom. The magpie follows silently, indicating he's listening with the occasional small hum or nod of the head. "I know it's not a part of your job, technically, but he's not listening to any of us and he trusted you the other day... Maybe he'll trust you again today."