Family [Val, Riley]

[inthenightsky]

It's time.

Yura's put off this day long enough. But only because she wanted to perfect certain aspects of her new powers. If she was going to talk to her cousins, gloat, smile as their hearts broke, she needed to protect herself. The Jungs have always been annoyingly hot-headed and over protective. Especially her younger cousin, Soo-Yun.

After practicing with Lee  (he's such a peach, really), Yura finally feels like she can protect herself from her cousins. She dresses up in a pretty sundress, perfect for summer. Her hair is curled perfectly. She looks innocent and beautiful as she leaves her condo and steps out into the Saturday morning sun. Damn, she'd rather be sunbathing right now, but this is more important. She all but struts through town, noticing every double-take and person that quickly moves out of her way. They may not know her, but Yura gives off the aura of someone extremely important. Someone who shouldn't be touched or looked at directly.

She arrives at the gate to the cottage ten minutes later, rolling her eyes as she takes in the...quaintness of it. So very Jung, she thinks. Just because you are poor doesn't mean you have to look it. Yura made a living out of lying about her wealth and she's disgusted her cousins can't even pretend they have a nickel to their name. She carefully steps along the path to the front door, cursing when one of her Louis Vuitton heels splashes into a puddle. Still, she composes herself. Nothing's going to ruin this day for her.

Yura plasters on a pretty smile and knocks on the door.

Comments

[bewitchinghaze]

Val is still asleep, curled up in a nest of blankets, when she's woken up by the knock. Sitting up with a start, she throws her legs out of bed, yawning, and goes to answer it. Stopping in front of the door, she fixes her pjs and runs a hand through her hair before opening it.

"Yura," she growls, wide awake once she takes in who it is. "What the hell are you doing here?"

[inthenightsky]

"Is this how you greet your guests?" she tsks, pushing Val out of her way with her elbow (she'll sanitize that later). She steps into the cottage, grimacing as she looks around.

"Where's our dear Riley?"

[bewitchinghaze]

She lets out a grunt at being elbowed, slamming the door shut. "Asleep. Hopefully she stays that way so she doesn't have to deal with you," she growls. "One of us having that displeasure is bad enough."

[jiyunnies]

Riley wakes up as soon as she hears the door slam and realizes there's voices in the house. She steps out of her room in a pair of shorts and a tank top. Now that summer's hit, their cottage gets a tad warm at night.

"Soo-Yun, who is i-" she rounds the corner to the front of the cottage and stops short when she sees her cousin. "What the fuck, did our she-beast tripwires fail?"

[bewitchinghaze]

"Apparently so," she says, glaring from behind Yura. "We really need to improve those. What do you even want here, Yura?"

[inthenightsky]

"I just wanted to formally visit my cousins. Since the two of you can't seem to bring yourselves to leave the house when your beautiful cousin comes to town."

She moves into the living room where she planned on sitting down but. No. That couch. No.

[bewitchinghaze]

Val doesn't even try to hide her disgust, and she's internally pleased that Yura's presence isn't going to taint her couch. She likes that couch and would hate to have to burn it.

"Gosh, I wonder why we wouldn't want to visit the she-demon our family seems convinced is our cousin," she snarks, rolling her eyes.

[inthenightsky]

"This she-demon is the only connection you have to your family right now," she snaps, narrowing her eyes at Val and crossing her arms. "Watch your tongue."

[bewitchinghaze]

Val can feel of a lump of pure anger rise up in her throat and she practically throws herself across the room, getting right up in her cousin's face.

"What the fuck do you know about that?" she snarls. "How do you know we haven't been able to contact our parents? What did you do?!"

[inthenightsky]

Yura doesn't take a step from her cousin but keeps her ground. She glances behind Val to see Riley, her eyes sharp and studying like she's feeling the situation out before she steps in.

"I know everything, Soo-Yun," she coos mockingly. "While the two of you played here in Siren Cove, I stayed my ahjumma's side. I watched your parents daily. They didn't hear from you."

[bewitchinghaze]

"Why. The fuck. Not?" she growls out, hands clenching into fists. It wouldn't be the first time she punched her cousin, if she does, and it will very likely not be the last. "We sent them so many messages. We've had people out physically searching for them. Where are they?"

[inthenightsky]

Yura rolls her eyes. "Blame Siren Cove, for one. You've had that stupid curse disrupting your mother's magic for months.

And blame ahjumma's powers too. She kept a protective bubble around us. Couldn't have the two of you trying to talk her out of helping out her favourite granddaughter, now could I?" Yura instinctively builds a magical barrier between them. Val's temper is pathetic. And she won't let the fool mess up her money-maker.

[bewitchinghaze]

Val's fist slams into the barrier, bouncing off of it with a resounding clang. Letting out an angry hiss, she cups her now broken hand with her intact one. "How the fuck did you get... No. No!"

The final 'no' comes out harsh, and heavy sounding with tears. "Ahjumma is dead?" she chokes out, torn between rage and intense grief.

[jiyunnies]

Riley's by her sister's side as soon as she feels the barrier go up. She grabs Val by her uninjured arm, instinctively pulling her away from Yura. If Yura has powers...that means not only is their grandmother dead, but Yura can hurt them in ways they never imagined. She cups Val's broken hand gently, sending a wave of magic into her. She can't heal the bones, not now, but she can help manage the pain.

Yura merely tilts her head in answer, a small grin dancing across her face at the girls' shock. "What the hell did you do, Yura?"

[bewitchinghaze]

Val practically throws herself into her sister's arms, pressing her face into her shoulder and trying to stem the urge to sob. The girls had been close to their grandmother. Very close. And now they were learning of her death from the worst person possible, and still had no way to contact their parents.

She looks up from Riley's embrace and over her shoulder at Yura. "And where are our parents?" she snaps, adding onto Riley's question.

[inthenightsky]

Yura scoffs. "You two act like I killed her. Grandma died of natural causes. She was old. I was the only one by her side during her illness, so she passed her powers onto me."

She wants to laugh at their reaction. The two have always been so vulnerable and it's hilarious to Yura that they need each other so badly. "Your parents are safe. Boring, but safe. I didn't want your mother to plant any bad seeds in ahjumma's head before she passed."

[bewitchinghaze]

"You were the only one there because you cut us off, you horrible bitch!" she snaps, her voice verging on shrieking. "The only one who planted bad seeds in ahjumma's head was you! She never would have passed her magic on to you willingly!"

[inthenightsky]

She's not offended and just shrugs at that. Because even Yura thinks she's a bitch and she's proud of that fact.

"I deserve those powers," she says, glaring at the two as Riley smooths Val's hair. "Who says you two can break the family rules, but I can't?"

[bewitchinghaze]

Riley's spell took away most of the pain in her broken hand but she can still feel waves of pain in time with the rapid beat of her heart. "You deserve nothing! You came by those powers through manipulation and deceit!"

[inthenightsky]

"I don't care," she says. "I deserve the world. And if the world won't hand everything over, I'll take it by force."

[bewitchinghaze]

"You won't fucking be doing it in our town, Yura," Val snarls, trying to pull away from Riley, her magic causing the plants in the room to rustle menacingly. "You touch anyone in this town and we will take you down faster than you can fucking blink."

[jiyunnies]

Riley quickly steps between Val and Yura as soon as she feels her sister's powers kick into overdrive.

"Yura, you need to leave. Now. Because I won't stop Val from cursing you right now and if you retaliate, I'll happily serve life in prison for everything I do to you. We'll be keeping an eye on everyone in town and if you mess with any one of them, we will take you out."

Yura scoffs, rolling her eyes before turning on her heel. As much as she'd love to use her new powers against the girls, now isn't the time, and she winks at her cousins before stepping out of the cottage.

[bewitchinghaze]

Val seethes, sending a tiny, subtle curse to give her an ugly rash after her. She doesn't even care if it hits, or takes. She just needs to get it out.

Once she's gone, the anger drains and her grief comes back full force. She drops to the floor and the flood of tears starts.

[jiyunnies]

Riley drops down next to Val, immediately wrapping her arms around her. She smooths her hair and rubs her back, letting her cry it out.

[bewitchinghaze]

She hiccups and sobs into her sister's shoulder, grieving for her grandmother. "We didn't even get to say goodbye, Ji-Yun..."