cherryknct

[cherryknct]

stallicn‌:

he exhales, and for a second he looks like he’s seriously contemplating what that could possibly entail. "maybe this. hard to say.” their words pull with an aggravating pace, a slow circling waltz around the rim. the haze in his head builds. 

“you say that like it’s a bad thing.” in a suddenly playful gesture, the warm hold on her wrist turns to a hand running smooth up her forearm, then down, until bitna takes it and lets their fingers entwine. it’s funnier now than anything, how a good seven years ago she’d been the girl running through his mind, all that to come to a halt upon circumstances of disinterest, or just plain shitty timing on his end. and the fact that he remembers it, remembers it now so vividly says everything and nothing. 

 but on second thought: why not now? when he’d been wallowing in limbo for the past few months of questions, questioning. “it doesn’t feel real.” as a sensation, as the film of memories that run through, minseo there, then not, his parents there, then not. he gives her hand a squeeze. “dunno why." 

but oh, he does know. it’s all him at the root of it all. has to be.

     she’s silent in her observation, even with devil’s liquors pumping through her veins, there is still a fair amount of clarity that breaks through. notes the implications in his words; every twitch on his face is a tell. pulls back the curtains bit by bit on what he’s hidden from the rest of them. “this?” her brow arches, head tilted, expression coy. “i understand having me around bit, but is sweaty crowds and cheap beer really your idea of a good night?” she hums. “maybe if we were somewhere alone...” 

     the coquettish lilt in her voice is evident; deliberately placed, even. well aware of the tone the conversation has taken to—or rather, the particular mood that seemed to have plagued her companion—and keen on uplifting things, if possible. “isn’t it?” her gaze lowers to his touch, teeth sinking into the flesh of her inner cheek. there’s a significant amount of wrong that comes with the feeling—the way her heart both skips and twinges, tightens with the prospect of what feels right and yet is not hers to have. 

     “what are you going to do if i act on it?” she words her question cautiously, eyes locking with his. there’s a notable something in the air bitna can’t pinpoint, one that geared toward pushing her to sin. but she’s never cared. end of the day—no matter how much she’d like to be a better person, how much she’d like to put the people in her life before her—bitna simply doesn’t. 

     barry’s word are cryptic, very much so the drunken babble of a troubled boy. bitna contemplates pressing further, but she isn’t too sure as to her rights. as to the specifics of lines that a “friend” can cross. not his girlfriend. not his closest confidant. simply a girl he’s known for years. what right does bitna have to demand anything? “huh.” her brow arches, tongue flicking over her lower lip absently. “why?” she shifts, pressing her foot on the toe of his shoe playfully. 

     "i don’t feel real to you?”

[cherryknct]

stallicn‌:

“oh that’s your definition of a good night out, huh.” teasing and deliberate in equal measure. “to each to their own.” his eyes rove over before his gaze locks back into focus. “you look good.” there’s an odd feeling in his chest and he doesn’t have the name for it, but it unfurls at bitna’s touch. 

bar. “that’s one i haven’t heard in awhile.” funny how it sounds perfectly natural coming from her mouth. his mind does a reversal of memory thenㅡa reminder: it’s been a while with a lot of things. that familiar hold of elation, sun-golden and soft. or is the better wordㅡ 

 ”happy.” a breathless laugh falls free along with a confession that shouldn’t have. “that’s another.” his hand moves over hers, thumb grazing over her wrist. “definitely another.”

     "well, i mean, given the time and place..." she laughs. "what's yours then?" her head tilts, expectant, but yet the slightest bit thrown off by the compliment. not that she wasn't accustomed to barry, his kind words, chipper disposition.  but given context, given summer's fleeting weeks and the briefest of moments in which they were something more (than friends. than confidants. than anything bitna has dared herself to dream of since high school) — all signs point to pink that dusts her cheeks, fingers curling tight around the cup in her grasp as a laugh slips past. get a grip, bitna. "careful, it's going to go to my head if you say any more nice things." 

     a tease. of sorts. bitna can’t begin to claim to know things beyond what she’s been told (her best friend’s infidelity), what she’s sees (tight lipped smiles, dull eyes). but it isn't so hard to piece together. "mm," she hums, attention stolen by a touch she does not expect, fingertips twitching with ache she won't give into. not yet. 

     “ah.” glossed lips part, attentive in the way she regards him; cautiously, greedily—as if prying into something that’s been locked away from the world for the first time. “why’s that?” bitna moves slow, pulls back slightly to slide her fingers over his palm, twisting to slide her fingers between his in a fluid motion. she cracks a disarming grin, squeezing his fingers idly. “not drunk enough?”

[cherryknct]

     it’s particularly hard to slip anything past kang bitna. call her nosy if you will, but the winter child has figured out early on in life that knowledge was power. being in the know was power. advantage that most would overlook. but it’s all about the long game, at the end of the day. all about patience, precision, knowing when and where to strike. chae jiyong, however, not an enemy but very much so someone that grated her nerves—had been on the list for a particularly long time now. 

     bitna wasn’t blind. wasn’t stupid. wasn’t oblivious to the occurrences that went on within her house. where chae jiyong snuck out to at night on the frequent normally held no interest in her. though she supposes, things change. especially when the devil held her dreams in his hands, cursing her to a sleepless night.

     and so that brings her here, approaching the male with completely no qualms in hiding her amusement, pretty lips curled to somewhat of a sneer in greeting. oh, she had time tonight,.”didn’t recognize me or didn’t want to?” the witch hums, head cocking to the side slightly. “are you sure you should be roaming around so late, jiyong? with your track record, people might think you’re up to no good...” she grins, parts cocky and taunting. "wouldn't want that, would we?"

❅ ー (  ` tonight was another one of those nights. the nights were time passed by slow, and there was little to nothing to do. as leaving campus grounds were not forbidden it was something that was frowned upon. he knew for a fact that he along with the other student body had to stay on the island above, but that urge of wanting to live out like the others one the island below was more fitting in ways that no one could imagine. a rebel at heart, his parents weren’t thrill with his grade of being in class B when they both were class A students. that wasn’t the chae way. though, his father also being in class A was a troublemaker himself. though he doesn’t say it, he has told stories about how he got away with most things during his school years at arcane. how he was caught, but managed to keep his rank being class A. 

it seems that freedom was within his reach, until a familiar witch came into his view. perfect, just perfect to run into bitna. he tried to get past her without her seeing him, but that failed before the plan was even put into action. jiyong silently cursed under his breath as he looked at the female heading his way. “ what a surprise to see you here, bitna. i almost didn’t recognize you. ” he spoke, a fake smile gracing his features. though they were from the same house, the two was always neck to neck when paths were crossed. if only she didn’t come out tonight… 

( @cherryknct )

[cherryknct]

stendhal syndrome.

    it isn’t often that kang bitna crosses into foreign territory. sure, occasionally the fourth year would slip into the autumn house, if only to visit hyejin when rare occurrences of boredom would strike. and the summer house, however abhorred, is always a prime spot whenever there was a party. (mind you, bitna always had an invite to those) the spring house remains, at least up until now, unmarked territory. 

     now, kang bitna sits prettily (as ever) on the bed of one go youngbin, fingers fiddling absently with the tattered petals of the daisy in her hands while her attention fixates on the boy across the room. “so,” the witch witch starts, tone expectant. it isn’t often that she places this much expectation (and trust) in the hands of another. but bitna figures if anyone could repair her “wand” it would be youngbin. even if the thing was more so of a keepsake than of any actual usage nowadays.

     “can you fix it?” 

                                                                                — for @kindsheart

[cherryknct]

stallicn‌:

“that’s two wins already, i’d say that’s a lucky streak.” better than his current record of misfortune (cue the voice of reason here: kang, you’re here to live a little and not feel the crushing weight of existence orㅡyou know what? whatever). still, barry laughs, eyes crinkling in mirth. he leans his head against the wall, angled so that he’s facing her way, close enough to catch the faint scent of shampoo in her hair. 

ocean waves, a hint of water lily. last summer had been colder than usual, but maybe that’s projection on his end. off-season, on-break: two factors that led him and her to retrace old stepsㅡhigh school all over again before they’d paired off in their hormone-infatuation driven ways. there’d been a shift between that swell of that time to its end. barry hadn’t so much as thought about it until now. “dunno.” he mimics her motion. for once, he didn’t care to know either. “you haven’t, that’s the important thing right?”

    "for who? you know it's not a good night out if this ensemblè doesn't get torn off..." her tongue curls around the syllable with a hint of coy, gesturing absently to her outfit. which—to no one's surprise—is a crafted look of black on black on black. to better match her mood. absently, bitna shifts to mirror his movements, shoulder pressing into the wall and face inches away from his; heart offering a solid thump. (bad idea.)  she smiles around his words, taking it with appreciation, far from face value. (even worse idea.) the implications behind them, how much he seemingly doesn't care.

     in high school, she was gullible. immature. now, in front of barry—she doesn’t feel much different. “oh, i'm flattered." her lips curve, teeth sinking into the plastic rim of the cup gently; debating on the do's and don'ts of the girl code. how much minseo means to her. how close barry actually was. "but i'm sure she's around here somewhere... still, since she's not..." her fingers pick at the hem of his shirt casually, tone coy. 

    "i'll be happy to keep you company, barr’."

[cherryknct]

     parties are unbearable. a positively suffocating cesspool of sweat and sin. it’s a valid pastime normally, had she been in a better mood—had she spend the better of her time doing anything anything but watching her childhood friend and boyfriend share everything from laughter to kisses; depicting a picture perfect image of a couple in love—as if they both hadn’t betrayed the other. but bitna digresses, it's not her place. it matters absolutely zilch whether barry kang is making a fool out of himself. whether minseo breaks the heart he placed into her hands five years ago. whether or not she'll ever get her own back from him. 

    so when he approaches, boyish charm (and all the obliviousness in the world), bitna manages a thin smile back. "well i still have my pants on and no one's crying yet, so..." her shoulder lifts, filling the silence with the remnants of whatever concoction she had in the shiny plastic cup. “where’s minseo?” she poses the question casually, almost instantly regretting the syllables slipping past her mouth. for once, she didn’t care to know about her closest friend. 

     “she ditch you?”

@cherryknct / CHAOS, step one. 

“hey short stuff.” the irony and the inaccuracy of the nickname doesn’t slide past him, but with the tequila a white citrusy burn down his throat, everything else seems to drift off without a single care in the world. he’s lost minseo somewhereㅡthe question of “when” long lost and forgotten by the second glass. barry isn’t thinking of what isn’t there, not when bitna is in front of him. he nudges her with the bump of his shoulder, mouth quirked in a grin. “taking it easy?”

[cherryknct]

hey guys!! it’s day coming in hot with my two winter babes! i’m really excited to be here, arcane is dope asfff and i can’t wait to thread with you all!! you’ll find more about them below the cut, but please like if you’d like to plot!! i also have discord and twitter if you guys are more comfortable potting there!

✧･ﾟ: * ( LEE DABIN (YEONWOO), 22, FEMALE, SHE/HER ) have you seen KANG BITNA around campus? i hear they’re a FOURTH YEAR, WINTER witch with a specialty in CYROKINESIS. i almost never see them without their TAURANTULA. if they ever want to be a HIGH WITCH someday they should ease up on being CONTROLLING & NEEDY. at least you can say they’re CLEVER & BRAZEN, too.

CLICK HERE FOR PROFILE

relatively wealthy, her parents are government officials (with her father aiming to take the political path) 

bitna hasn’t had any particular interactions with humans, but if they don’t bother her then why would she bother them? (some boys are cute though)

has never worked a day in her life and it shows. however, since young has been set on the path of high witch, dealt with tutors and etc over the years (till she finally refused)

despises being told what to do, as her mom would put it, she’s “ungrateful” just like everyone else her age

all in all, a snippy “proper” young lady (knows the mannerisms, is haughty, but ultimately hates that this is what she’s become)

parties though, well on the way to idk... reforming her image, gunning for some freedom to make her own decisions

hates her familiar (or rather, the form he’s chosen to take), mercy, has tried to killed him many times in hopes he’d come back in cuter form (she does not! care for spiders) -- so far nothing, though

frequently steamrolls people in conversations (means she’s bossy), she’s sensitive—so to counter that, bitna often favors going on the offensive first

goth thot

✧･ﾟ: * ( ONG SEONGWOO, 23, MALE, HE/HIM ) have you seen NOH GUNWOO around campus? i hear they’re a FOURTH YEAR, WINTER wizard with a specialty in ENCHANTMENTS. i almost never see them without their TOKAY GECKO. if they ever want to be a ENCHANTER someday they should ease up on being MOODY & HEDONISTIC. at least you can say they’re INTUITIVE & DEPENDABLE, too. 

CLICK HERE FOR PROFILE

father died young, something about eating the wrong tart (or screwing the wrong tart) and succumbing to his untimely death — he’s not too sure about the details but he and his mom moved back to seoul shortly after

his stance on humans are painfully neutral, larry doesn’t particularly like or hate them -- he supposes they’re bearable

had to "grow up" and take on responsibilities early on as the only son to a single mother

worked a ton of strange jobs in his community (mostly tending to his neighbors lawns, magical plants, getting rid of their pixie problem, etc)

his mood often fluctuates, ranging from highs (in which he will indulge his friends on outings and parties etc) to lows (in which he’d prefer to be alone with his plants and potions and grimoire)

keeps a personal grimoire with newly invented spells and enchantments (most of which he’s tested on himself or other objects) as well as plants etc (maaaaybe even some personal chapters if you flip back enough)

has a medium sized terrarium in his room (enchanted to keep at ideal temperatures), currently trying to grow a couple of interesting seedlings he swiped out of herbology

loves his familiar, for one, often found rubbing her stomach to better help digestion (for some reason, bell keeps eating like shit and larry is not sure why)

personality wise, he’s amicable, but often keeps people at arm’s length, most relationships (platonic or otherwise) often don’t work out given the fact that he’s on the aloof side, highly values his personal space and time (and so dips off the face of the earth for weeks at times)

lowkey lone wolf (people just force their way into his life though ///: )

[cherryknct]

Yeonwoo in 「BAAM -Japanese ver-」