Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Celine's life fell apart when she got the call.

Miyeong, her beautiful Miyeong, was in the hospital.

There was an accident.

After all these years, after the fallout, Celine was still her emergency contact.

Celine cut the three-hour drive to Namwon to two hours, thanking whatever gods or spirits were listening for not letting her get pulled over. She practically left tire marks in the parking garage as she peeled out to make her journey.

She left similar marks when parking her car.

Miyeong was already gone when she arrived.

There was no other next of kin, only Celine, grieving alone until one of the nurses approached.

"Celine-nim, do you have a moment to talk?" The nurse spoke softly, regret at interrupting Celine tingeing her voice.

Celine imagines she looks pathetic in this moment, her head in her hands and tears smeared across her face, sitting on the tile floor of the hallway. She hadn't even brushed her hair when she left her home, rushing and putting her tangled hair into a low ponytail.

She used the back of her arm to wipe her face, red eyes peering up in harsh lighting. "I, uh, yeah," her voice cracked, "I have a moment."

The nurse slid down the wall to join her on the floor. "Uh, sorry for your loss. I grew up listening to your music, and I was devastated when the group disbanded. I'm glad you were willing to come for Miyeong, despite whatever broke you apart."

Celine's heart seized at the reminder, so many years lost that she would never get back.

"She kept asking for you, saying you needed to check her desk for care instructions. I think she has a pet. There wasn't any record we could find of any other family. I figured I'd let you know sooner rather than later."

What a shitty thing she has to deal with, to lose her everything twice in her life, and then have to go worry about some pet. Celine didn't even like animals! Why would Miyeong relegate such a task to her of all people?

So that night, she drove in silence into the Namwon countryside, ready to follow her love's wishes.

It was not a pet.

It was not a pet.

Celine expected to enter Miyeong's isolated mountain home, feed whatever animal came out to greet her, then crash on the couch and let all other problems be pushed to the next day.

What she didn't expect was to be pounced on by a small rabid child with only one yellow eye.

"STRANGER DANGER!"

The little shit knocked her to the floor.

"Wha-" Celine barely managed to get out before the kid skittered away on all fours, "Oh, what in the fuck."

A little voice shouted out from the other room. "EOMMA SAYS YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO SAY BAD WORDS IN THIS HOUSE!"

Eomma?!

EOMMA?!

"Hold on, kid. Is your mom Ryu Miyeong?" She asked, arms out in a placating gesture so the gremlin doesn't reappear and jump her again.

A head of purple hair peered around the corner, and if Celine could focus on her moonlit face enough, she could make out Miyeoung's soft features staring back at her.

Oh God, she left a kid behind.

"Yeah, and who are you?" The child said, voice clear with suspicion. She could tell that at least the child's yellow eye was squinting at her, assessing her.

"Did your mom ever mention her old bandmates? I'm Celine, I used to work with your mom." She said gently. Work was such an understatement. How do you tell a child that she loved her mother so much she would have burned the world down for her, and it was still not enough?

The kid darted out again fast, and Celine crossed her arms in front of her face to defend herself from the oncoming assault. Death by rabid child, that's what her obituary would say.

Instead, the child skidded to a stop in front of her.

"Celine! Mom talks about you all the time! Did she invite you over? Where is she?" The child was practically bouncing on her feet, filled with a lot of energy for this late at night.

The former idol was not prepared for this. Not for this grief, not for this discussion, and not for the sudden pain in her back from where she hit the floor. She did the only thing she could think of: channel her inner idol like she was at a fansign.

"Hi hun, what's your name?" Celine asked with what she hoped was a steady and positive voice, and the child didn't seem to notice any trace of the sorrow that permeated the older woman.

"My name's Rumi! I'm five years old and I like tigers!" Okay, that was more information than Celine needed, but she'll take it anyway.

"Hi Rumi, it's nice to meet you. Can we turn on some lights? It's hard to see this late at night." The girl looked around like she had just realized Celine couldn't see anything, furrowing her brows.

"The lamp is over there, but I'm too short to light it." A small hand reached out and grasped Celine's, leading her to a side table. There is something wrong with the child's hands. They were rough like an animal's paws, "I'm not allowed to light it on my own, anyway."

If Celine hadn't come along, Rumi would have spent days bathed in the night's darkness, especially since they were far from the nearest town.

Not that it seemed to bother the kid anyway.

She fiddled with the old school oil lantern until she realized she needed a lighter, then fumbled around the table's drawer for a suitable one. Once, she finally got it lit, she was so close to a breakdown that if anything else happened tonight, she felt like she'd walk into the forest.

The flight flicked on, and she used her brightest smile to look at the child.

That is not a normal kid.

What she can only describe as light purple stripes covered the girl's skin. One of her eyes was genuinely yellow; the kid's hands were clearly claws, and small horns grew from her head.

Celine somehow kept her smile.

"Sweetheart, we need to talk about your mom."

If Celine didn't look directly at Rumi, she could pretend that it was a perfectly normal child clinging to her shirt, staining it with her tears.

Celine rubbed circles into the crying girl's back, holding back tears of her own and wondering what her life had come to.

Chapter Text

Celine looked for the desk after Rumi had cried herself to sleep. It sat solitary in a home office, imposing in the silence. There was a binder in the top drawer, clearly labelled "CELINE." She doesn't know whether she should be angry or resigned, because of course, Miyeong would include her in emergency planning even after all these years.

You could have called, and I would have come to your side with no questions asked.

She flipped the binder open, dense with documents organized by colored tabs. She flicked through them, not looking for anything, only seeking anything that stuck out to her.

There, nestled in a plastic protective sheet, was a handwritten letter addressed to Celine.

It was always going to be her who crawled back, wasn't it? On my hands and knees, crawling to Miyeong's door, but it was too late.

Miyeong's handwriting stayed the same, her looping scrawl mixed with smudges from bleeding ink. Celine traces the words, knowing this was the last correspondence she will ever receive.

Dear Celine,

If you're reading this, you have either found it by accident or the worst has happened.

I have many regrets. I regret fighting with you. It all seems so silly now. I should have never made the decision for you, but I cared more about your health than your opinion of me.

I hope this letter never finds you. I hope I dared to reach out. I hope you're no longer angry.

If I wasn't able to reconnect, know I never stopped caring for you. That's why I did what I did. I hope you've recovered, or at least have been taking care of yourself. With all my regrets, I don't regret Rumi. You've no doubt met her and seen that she differs from the average child. I knew something was different during my pregnancy, and it was confirmed when she was born. I don't know much, but I believe she has demon heritage. She does not legally exist. I couldn't have anyone finding her and taking her away from me.

If I have passed or am incapable of handling my own affairs, you have power of attorney, and all assets will be transferred to you. My lawyer's information should be in my emergency folder.

Please care for Rumi. She has no one else. She's clever and she learns fast. I suggest getting her a library card, as she finishes books quickly. She doesn't have much interest in interacting with most folks, or society in general, besides what she catches on TV.

Some of the vendors from the local market know and recognize her; however, she stays away from most people.

Nae Sarang, I am sorry to have done this to you.

All my love,

Miyeong

Celine wipes the fresh tears from her eyes and is grateful for the plastic sleeve protecting the letter. She closes the binder and returns it to the drawer, deciding it was a problem for when she was in a better mental state.

She could hear the soft snoring of Rumi in the other room. Celine had left the child curled up on the couch, with a throw blanket drawn over the child. The girl's patterns had dimmed as she slept, but she still emitted a soft glow.

Celine used the girl's soft glow to locate her purse, searching the pockets until she found her medication. She shakes the bottle and drops one pill into her hand. She dry swallows, more intent on numbing the pain in her back than caring about the momentary discomfort.

Being knocked to the floor did not help her already aching body, making her movements stiff. Glancing at her Nokia, she noted it was almost 4 am. She didn't remember eating since she got the call the day before, and she didn't know the last time Rumi had eaten.

She stretched her arms above her head, her back and shoulders popping with the effort. She needed to cook for her and Rumi. Cooking was not her strong suit, mostly relying on takeout, but she didn't think anyone would deliver all the way up here at this time of night.

By the time Celine had found the kitchen, she had stubbed three of her toes and silently cursed so she wouldn't wake up the child.

Shit, was she her child now?

Celine banished the thought quickly, deciding she'd deal with that after she'd had a meal. She didn't know how Rumi would handle that either, seeing as Miyeong is probably the only adult she trusts, or was.

She was relieved to find kimchi and some eggs in the sparse fridge; she could make kimchi and eggs for the two of them. She managed to make the dish semi-easily, only burning the eggs a tad bit.

She had dreamed of this kind of domesticity with Miyeong, cooking breakfast for Miyeong and their child, but Miyeong wasn't here, and she wasn't coming back. Miyeong's daughter was here though, and Celine was all she had.

Rumi took days to get used to Celine's presence in the house, unused to a stranger being in her home, but she wouldn't be a stranger for long.

In between the necessary preparations for Miyeong's funeral, both public and private, and the legal work regarding Miyeong's estate, Celine had ended the lease on her penthouse. This mountain was her home now, for better or for worse.

Rumi had run away a few times when she missed her mother, and it overwhelmed her. Celine would search for hours before she figured out the child would retreat to the largest tree on the property. Rumi's eyes would peek out at her from one of the highest branches.

Celine learned to let the girl come back when she was ready; she would often greet the returning girl from her small vegetable garden, with Rumi joining her among the plants. Fresh vegetables and outside time with Rumi were positive outcomes of establishing the small patch.

The new guardian does her best to homeschool Rumi, but in between lessons, the young girl would get increasingly restless. Turns out teaching a small half-demon child old Sunlight Sisters choreography was a great way to release energy.

Her daughter ward reminds her of Miyeong in many ways: her endless spirit, the bursts of joy, and her curiosity about the world around her.

Miyeong, I hope you're proud of her.

On late nights after nightmares or when their shared grief was especially heavy, Celine would make tea for both of them and watch dramas into the early morning.

Blanket forts on stormy nights become a staple in their household for years, well into Rumi's teen years. The thunder doing a number on Rumi's sensitive years.

They had a fight the first time Rumi dissapeared for over a day. The panic coursing through Celine's veins at the thought of losing another person she loved.

When Rumi was 18, Celine had to accept that Rumi was becoming more independent, that she didn't need Celine to hold her hand when she felt lost, to clean her scrapes when she would fall.

Rumi didn't need her anymore, but still Celine stayed.

Her daughter didn't need her anymore, but that didn’t mean she wouldn't stay, for when Rumi wanted her around.

Celine was there for every stumble, injury, triumph, and victory. She would stay.

When she moves out to the local village, so Rumi can have her own space, she wonders when she stopped thinking of Rumi as Miyeong's daughter and when she started acknowledging Rumi as hers.

We did a good job with her, Miyeong.

Chapter Text

Zoey and Mira stood before a small house along the edge of Namwon's countryside. The air was clear, free from most smog, except for the fumes emanating from Bobby's van. It was approaching dusk, with the sun close to setting behind the horizon, leaving the group bathed in a golden light.

"You sure you girls will be okay? I won't be back until the morning if I leave now." Bobby said, unloading the last item from the van, a large box of camera equipment.

"We'll be fine, Bobby! We're professionals." Zoey waves Bobby's concerns away, literally waving at the air like a fly was bothering her.

"Yeah, Bobby, we're professionals." Mira states, in her trademark deadpan, one that Bobby knows is primarily for her ghost hunter persona.

"Your show is only a year old." He shoots back, already hopping in the driver's seat of his van.

"I was a ghost hunter before this, though! They're real and I've seen them and I know how to deal with them!" Zoey almost drops her personal camera when she whirls back around to point accusingly at her older friend.

"Yeah, sure, Zoey, and Bigfoot is real, too." Mira says, for the love of ragebaiting Zoey. Of course, Zoey falls for it.

"My friend saw it, I swear!"

"Okaaaay. Well, I'm off, girls. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Bobby peels out of the clearing, leaving dust in his wake. Also, leaving them with a ton of equipment to set up.

Mira, not so subtly, broke into the house. It took a well-placed kick to the door to gain access to the house.

It wasn't as decrepit as Mira thought it would be, and she did a quick scan of the front room for any hazards before Zoey bounded in with her equipment.

Zoey had her routine down pat: locate the best vantage points, set up tripods, and affix the cameras and sensors to catch an activity. Zoey was often the one who parsed the footage for "evidence" of the paranormal that Mira would easily refute.

However, Zoey didn't always pay close attention until it got dark, when the shadows would allegedly move. Mira, however, made sure they wouldn't get arrested for trespassing more often than not by paying attention to the human side of their locations.

The house was a bit of a mess, but so was Zoey's studio office; it didn't necessarily mean it was abandoned. There was also significantly less dust than she was used to seeing in abandoned locations. There was some dust, and the air was stale inside, but it didn't embody the image that locals had described.

Except for that older woman who told them to avoid the house and the surrounding woods "if they knew what was good for them," which wasn't ominous at all. It didn't help that the woman was brandishing a sickle at her side, from tending to her garden when approached. Mira noticed how the woman's fingers tightened around the handle of her sickle, like she was debating whether she could cut down the amateur paranormal investigators herself.

They had actually gotten tagged on one of their accounts to visit this house, some of the young adults and teens swearing that some people in town were protecting the demon that haunted the small village. Something was definitely happening, but it could be all coincidences.

The two women set up their cameras, detection equipment, and a demon-summoning circle Zoey swears would work even though she found it on a shady website that gave her computer a virus.

The time was 8:47 pm.

The sun was gone, and the stars bathed the night sky in scattered light.

Time to begin.

Rumi knows she's been away from home for a while. The cool nights have been perfect for sleeping outdoors, and the breezy days have given her the best conditions for exploring the land she calls home.

Her foray from her usual stomping grounds has also let her test her more… non-human skills. She figured out she could teleport, at least short distances. That was one she was getting a hang of, and she couldn't wait to show Celine.

However, she still gets surprised by the magic in the world.

The air around her ripples with energy, blue strands of magic curling around her and pulling her in one direction, towards her house.

Something was wrong.

Someone was in her house.

Rumi growls and runs, letting her body embrace her full demon form, the one she hides so she doesn't scare the local old folk. Her feet hit the dirt in long strides before she leaps and disappears in a puff of red smoke.

She reappears in all her monstrous glory in her own living room, looming over the figures crouched around an incorrect demonic summoning circle.

They look just as surprised to see her as she was to see them. She was prepared to fight an intruder, yes, she just didn't expect two beautiful women to have broken into her house.

"Ohhhh, what the fuck it actually worked." The pink-haired one whispered under her breath; it would have been missed by anyone else, but Rumi was blessed with heightened senses.

"I FUCKING TOLD YOU IT WOULD WORK! IN YOUR FACE, MIRA!" The shorter one yelled, much to Rumi's chagrin. The woman was already getting on her feet and approaching Rumi with a camera. "Hello, demon woman, we have summoned you. If it worked correctly, you are bound to us."

"Zoey, you didn't fucking tell me we were entering a demon marriage contract." Mira ground out as she shoved herself into a standing position."

"Well, why would that matter? You didn't believe in anything paranormal, so if you were right, it wouldn't have worked." Zoey rebutted, completely losing focus on Rumi.

Rumi is pretty sure they both forgot she was there pretty quickly.

Good thing it wasn't an actual summoning circle so much as a really complicated beacon they set off in her house.

Rumi stepped forward, crowding the two women, to remind them of her presence. The added height of her horns made her presence even larger as she glared them down.

"What are you two doing in my house?" Rumi demanded, letting the question linger in the air before she grabbed the camera out of Zoey's hands, "And why in the world are you filming?" Rumi crushed the camera with all her might, as the shorter woman whimpered.

"In our defense, we thought this place was abandoned." Mira stated. Rumi pretended that the assumption didn't sting.

"Well, it's not. Get out." Rumi deposited the remains of the crushed camera into Zoey's palm, pointedly ignoring her devastated expression, and turned to point at the exit.

"What did you do to my door?"

Chapter Text

To be fair, the door itself wasn't broken. When Mira kicked in the door, the door jam took the brunt of it and was no longer attached to the wall. The door still had a well-placed boot print as well, but they could paint over that.

"Uh, we can fix the door! Mira, go fix the door." Zoey commanded, pointing past Rumi, while the taller woman snapped to look at her.

"How do you think I'm going to fix a door? I never learned any fixing shit, my parents would call people for that!" Mira said, indignant about Zoey's command.

Then they proceeded to bicker as if Rumi was not there:

"You're the one who broke the door!"

"You told me to!"

"Please, get out of my house." Rumi pleaded, not sure which one of the women she was directing the plea to.

"Uh, so, we actually can't leave." The raven-haired woman said, lacing her fingers together in an apologetic gesture.

Rumi stared at the shorter woman with such a deadpan look, Zoey began to squirm under her gaze.

"So, our ride, Bobby, isn't coming back until morning, and we can't haul all this equipment downhill…" Zoey trailed off. Mira had silently inched closer to Zoey, providing moral support as she broke the news to the hot demon lady that she was stuck with them.

Rumi pinched the bridge of her nose with her clawed hands, practice and touch skin being the only things stopping her from piercing her own flesh.

What the hell does she do with two strangers in her house? What would Celine do? Probably still send them away. What would her mom do? Feed them.

"Then, clean up, please. Just… pack up your shit so you can leave in the morning. I'm going to go make… dinner."

"Oh my god, Mira. I think she's going to eat us."

"I'm just gonna defrost whatever the hell is in my freezer. Just don't wreck my house further, please."

"You say 'please' a lot for a demon."

"I'm trying so hard to be nice, please don't make it harder." Rumi's voice echoed, many voices overlapping at once.

Both women squeaked before scrambling to start packing away their things. Rumi took one last sad look at her door before trudging into the kitchen to see if Celine had dropped off any frozen meals. When she finds multiple containers of spicy beef ramen, she resolves to visit Umma soon and thank her for always making sure Rumi had something to eat.

She pulls a well-worn copper pot from a cabinet and dumps the frozen ramen in so that it can defrost and cook. She can hear her bold intruders move in the other room. Rumi preoccupied herself with finding some clean bowls and utensils, setting them up in a way that shows she can be a normal functioning person.

Either Rumi zoned out for a long time, or the women were able to clean up relatively quickly, because as she was pouring the soup into the bowls, Zoey and Mira tentatively joined her in the kitchen.

"Eat." Rumi gestured to the bowls before sitting down at the table herself.

"Do you think she made us food because I bound her to us with the summoning circle?" Zoey attempted to whisper, but it was still so loud that Rumi was sure she could have heard her if she didn't have enhanced hearing.

Rumi sighs into her spicy ramen, "Your summoning circle wasn't even a summoning circle. You just more or less set off a magical beacon saying 'I'm here!' to any vaguely supernatural creature in the area. There's a reason I didn't send you out into the night alone: I didn't want to chance you two getting attacked by anything dumb enough to enter my territory."

"Okay, now I feel even worse that I broke your door," Mira stated, before slurping up some noodles, "You could've let us die out there."

"I could have, but I like to think I'm nicer than that. I also don't think you two know what you're doing, and it would be a shame to let two beautiful women die due to something like a botched spell." Rumi hears both women somehow simultaneously choke on their soup. Did she say something wrong?

Looking up, both women's faces were flushed red, probably because of the spicy ramen, Rumi surmises.

"Anyway, sorry for breaking your camera, but I live alone for a reason, and it was jarring to find intruders in my house with multiple cameras." Rumi stated, and judging by the looks on their faces, it just dawned on them the severity of the situation.

"Oh shit, yeah, no, I get it now," Zoey said, "We so fucked up."

"We should have listened to the weird older lady down the mountain." Mira stated. Rumi wonders which of the little old ladies from town warned them off. They had always been strangely protective of Rumi, even when she began to look less human.

"Look, I'm pretty sure I can fix the door myself if you help me, and then we can put all of this behind us." Rumi stated. She was genuinely trying to be a peacemaker, even though she wasn't the one to break the peace.

"I have a question, though."

"Zoey-"

"Are you actually a demon? You said we botched the circle, but we came up here to see a demon, and you look like a demon." Zoey rambled out, barely leaving any space for breath.

"…I'm half-demon on my dad's side."

"I didn't expect that answer, honestly." Mira deadpanned while Zoey punched the air.

Honestly, Rumi wonders if she should have kicked them out and let them fend for themselves. These women were attractive and chaotic, but at least they were funny.

"WAIT, DOES THAT MEAN YOUR MOM FUCKED A DEMON?!" Zoey suddenly shouted, standing up abruptly and nearly knocking the table over. Rumi snapped to stare at her, gaze like fire.

"Sit down." Rumi growled out, baring her teeth.

Zoey sat down so fast she almost fell out of her chair.

Rumi really needs to work on her people skills. Also, maybe look more human.

She sighs and lets her body relax, pulling back her demonic traits. Her horns receded, her nails retreated, and her patterns faded until they could only be seen under the best light. Her fangs stayed, though, they always stayed.

"That was sick as fuck." Mira stated, a look of glee evident on her face.

"Please stop talking, this is very overwhelming." Rumi pleaded; she was not used to this much excitement.

"Oh, right, sorry." The taller woman replied, but she did not look apologetic at all, a smirk decorating her lips.

What kind of chaos has barged into her life?

Chapter Text

The chaos of two women breaking into her house and setting off a magical beacon had somehow died down.

Mira did not, in fact, know how to fix a door, but she did have two arms to carry things.

Rumi, since she was essentially a hermit, had many tools and supplies for emergency repairs. She had led Mira to a shack outside, where Mira was maybe a little sure she was about to be killed, but was instead handed a hammer, some nails, and a good piece of lumber.

Rumi was the one to actually carry the lumber back to the house, along with a saw, letting Mira carry the hammer and nails. She definitely worked out, or whatever counted as working out for an isolated demon lady in a mountain forest.

Mira kind of felt like a little kid who was told they were being helpful when they weren't really doing anything.

Zoey was not helping at all, instead piling the ruins of her crushed camera on the table to sift through its remains. Somehow, the SD card had survived the supernatural carnage of Rumi crushing her camera. She squeals in excitement before setting her sights on the demoness at the door.

"Okay, so I know you don't want us to film you because you're a hermit who most likely doesn't want to deal with how society would react to a half-demon, but I really think you should let us, considering people are freaky all on their own, and I think you would honestly coast under people's radar." Zoey said in one breath, which really spoke for the smaller woman's lung capacity.

Rumi stopped, mid-hammer, to look back at Zoey. Rumi held a nail between supple lips and quirked an eyebrow at Zoey.

Mira didn't look back at Zoey, choosing to ogle Rumi's tensed muscles as she raised the hammer to nail her the new board to the door jam.

Rumi turned back to her task without a word and didn't speak again until she was able to close the door with a click.

Zoey stared at Mira, hoping that somehow she knew something Zoey did not, but all Mira did was shrug, then occasionally hand Rumi a nail when she was motioned to.

After the final strike of the hammer, she set down her tools and sat back at the table.

"What do you mean?" Rumi queries, arms crossed, highlighting her toned forearms and-

Whoa, Zoey has REALLY got to calm down, especially because Mira would want to hear these observations too.

She wonders how Mira would feel about polyamory with a demon?

Wait, fuck, she needs to ask Mira out first, she forgot they weren't dating… yet.

She's been lost in her head for too long, as Mira has already walked up to stand beside and poke her forehead.

"Helloooooo, anyone home? Our host is asking you a question." Mira taunts her co-conspirator.

"Right, sorry. So, Ms. Demon Lady-" Zoey began.

"My name is Rumi." The demoness cut her off. She can't believe she forgot to introduce herself. She's such a horrible host.

"Ok, so, Rumi — have you heard of goth people?" Zoey asked, with such wild gesticulation that she almost hit Mira in the side.

Mira barks a laugh so hard it startles Rumi, clearly not used to this much socialization.

"I have not." Rumi deadpans, hoping that her answer doesn't bring more loud surprises.

"Ok, hold on lemme get my phone." Zoey scrambles to find where she placed her phone when they packed up their equipment.

What followed was Zoey going through all her social media platforms (she didn't know anything beyond video sharing on WeView was a thing) and showing her pictures of various human costumes, outfits, and something called "cosplay."

Humans were freaks.

Rumi fit right in.

"So, like, no one would hunt you down or anything as long as you don't commit any crimes. Most people would think it's your aesthetic or, like, that you were a magician or something."

She wasn't going to run into the city or anything, but it was good that she could be less isolated if she wanted to.

She wonders if Celine knows what goth people are.

Zoey continues, oblivious to Rumi's musings, "…so, can we, like, keep part of this episode for our show? We won't post your address or anything. Also, there was a lady who threatened us with a sickle before coming up here, so I don't think anyone besides us would even try to come up here."

Oh, Celine was the older lady who warned them. They still did, but at least her umma tried.

"Can I think on it? I'm not used to being seen, and if I can gauge anything by the fix-it videos on WeView… it can get some attention that I may not be ready for." Rumi finally answers. She hopes they understand.

"Of course, it's the least we could do since we broke into your home." Mira states, giving a pointed look at Zoey, "Do you have some way we can contact you? If not, we can always give you our mailing address."

"Oh, yeah, let me go get my phone." Rumi gets up and heads to another room.

Zoey turns, giving Mira a gobsmacked expression.

"Mira, the hot demon lady has a phone."

When morning arrived, Rumi waved her goodbye as they drove away, much to the confusion of their dear friend Bobby.

Bobby drives, of course, with Mira in the passenger seat, acting as navigator. They all three pretend they're not breaking the law, with Zoey just crouching in the back, hoping not to fly out of the windshield with a hard enough brake.

Zoey braces herself against the seat, holding onto the armrest to keep her balance.

"Mira, I keep forgetting to ask you something very important." Zoey states, hoping to ease Mira into the conversation.

"Well damn Zoey, don't leave me in suspense." Mira replies, and Zoey wonders why she cares about easing Mira in. They were always on the same wavelength, that's why it was so easy to love her.

"Do you want to make out with me, sloppy style, at the next haunted location?" Zoey asks, the most exaggerated smirk on her face. Mira looks over, twisting her whole torso to face the younger woman. She has a matching smirk.

"You sure know how to woo a girl. I take it you may want to make out other times, as girlfriends?" Mira says, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger like a shy schoolgirl, which is comical coming from such a spitfire of a woman.

"Very much so." Zoey states, with a boop to Mira's nose.

"I accept." Mira gives Zoey a quick peck on the cheek, sealing their dating agreement.

"…I thought you guys were already dating." Bobby adds.

Well damn, Zoey should have asked her out sooner if people thought they were already dating.

Chapter Text

It takes a few days to get back to normal. Even if she was a polite host to the home invaders, it still bothered her that they broke in.

Even if they were human, they invaded her territory.

It made her skin crawl, especially with the beacon they set off, inviting any and all creatures who could sense it to her door.

She stayed home, waiting for days, ready to defend her home.

Nothing came, no one fought, she was safe.

Well! Time to visit her umma then.

Rumi made the quick trip down the mountain, well, quick to her since she could teleport short distances and had some increased speed due to her demon half.

Once she hit the outskirts, she slowed down, choosing to walk the rest of the way.

It's mid-morning, and most of the youth have traveled to the nearest school in the next town over. The only folks milling about are the vendors setting up for the lunch rush and some older ladies making their rounds for the day.

Rumi thinks about what Zoey said, about how some humans stood out, were freaks as well. The older folk, who have seen so much in their life, barely gave a second glance at her some days. They have since adjusted to her occasional presence around the town, know that she meant no harm.

The youth, though, looked at her like it was a disease to be different, that because she didn't even try to conform to the trending styles that something was wrong with her.

She was different, though, and she loved it.

When she reached Celine's house, her umma was already tending to her garden outside, her usual sickle in hand and a new sunhat on her head.

Celine turns as Rumi approaches; she always knows when Rumi is near somehow. Celine says it's because she knows when something precious is present.

"Rumi! I don't usually see you this early. How are you doing? Are you eating enough?" Celine asks. She brushes the dirt off her pants as she stands.

Rumi passes through the gateway, a smile on her face as she enters the garden.

"I've had an… interesting few days, and I missed you." Rumi states, a little hesitant to discuss the women who broke into her home.

"Well, we'll discuss it over some tea." Celine guides her daughter into the house, leaving the sickle hidden among the vegetable plants.

Rumi sits down at the kitchen table after grabbing the tea from a high shelf. Celine sets a kettle on the stove to boil before sitting across from her daughter, reaching out to lace her fingers with Rumi's. It was a physical reminder that Celine was there for her, always.

"So, why were the last few days interesting? Find anything interesting while exploring?" Celine asks, thumb rubbing over Rumi's knuckles.

Celine hadn't been a tactile person when they first met, but she quickly adapted to the needs of her adopted child. It was rough for Rumi, being so young, to have her mother just not come home one day when she was the only constant in Rumi's life. It wasn't surprising she would become clingy to the woman who stayed to raise her.

Rumi smiles, remembering how far they had come, despite their shared grief. Then she smiles for a completely different reason, "Two women broke into the house the other day and set off a supernatural beacon. I have been fixing up the house and patrolling the area just in case anything dared to enter my territory."

Celine's smile fell fast, anger evident in the war her mouth curled into a snarl. For a human, she never had an issue in channeling the monstrous. Sometimes Rumi wonders if Celine had learned as much from Rumi as she did from the older woman.

"I'm sorry, what?" Celine hisses from gritted teeth.

"Ok, I know it sounds crazy, but they were genuinely sorry and tried to help me fix my door. They didn't know how, but it was still nice. I think they just… don't have a sense of danger…" Rumi rambles, nervously shaking her hands like she was trying to shake something off of them.

"Oh, I bet it was those two women I warned to stay away from the house. I'm sorry it didn't work, gongjinum." Celine looked… mournful, genuinely sorry she didn't disuade the paranormal investigators from invading her home.

"Umma, it's okay. It was refreshing. They weren't afraid of me. They knew exactly what I was, and yeah, they were cautious, but they still treated me like… a person. Well, kinda. The beacon was meant to be a binding circle." Rumi gives one of her patent-pending lopsided smiles while Celine looks at her in horror.

"They tried to bind you to them?!" Celine's voice was hardly loud, but the raised volume was still out of character for the former idol. The kettle whistles behind her, and she wordlessly gets up to prepare their tea.

"I mean, yeah, but it didn't work," Rumi tries to placate, "and one of them didn't know the potential binding was part of it. Again, I don't think they have a sense of danger. The shorter one, Zoey, also made a good point. I don't have to hide if I don't want to."

Celine is silent for a moment, setting down two cups of tea on the table. Rui watches the steam rise and appreciates the heat of the cup underneath her fingers.

"When your mother passed, I had found a letter she had wrote. I think she always knew I would find my way into your life." Celine took a steadying breath, fingers tapping the side of her cup. "She was afraid for you, that you would be taken away. I think I still share that fear, even as you have grown into the capable woman before me. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you needed to hide. I only ever wanted you to be safe."

Rumi rises from her seat and moves around the table to stand behind Celine. Gently she lowered her head onto Celine's shoulder, letting her arms drape around her umma.

"I know, I know that you never once hid me from the world because of what I am. I understood that you hid me from a world that could cause me harm if I wasn't careful. I think it's time for me to step into the world now, as long as you will still be here when I come home?" Rumi speaks, love in her heart for the woman who had been in her life longer than the woman they both grieved.

She feels hot drops of liquid fall onto her hands, and for a brief moment, she wonders how the tea had spilled upward, until she hears Celine sniffle.

"Always, I'll always be here. You are the most precious thing in my life, and I cherish every moment you choose to spend with me. Thank you for making an old woman happy, being the family I never thought I'd have." Celine sobs, hot tears spilling down her face.

Rumi kisses the side of her umma's head, a comforting gesture she had learned from the woman herself.

It was time to venture farther from home and see the world for what it was.

Chapter Text

Rumi somehow convinced Celine to watch some of the home intruders' WeView videos with her.

This turned out to be difficult as Rumi never got the name of their channel. After a particularly difficult hour of attempting to find any of their videos, Celine just searches up "pink-haired ghost hunter" and somehow finds their channel.

Huntr/x Paranormal Investigators

The channel profile picture was a stylized depiction of the word "Huntr/x" while the channel banner showed Zoey and Mira posed in front of an abandoned warehouse.

Mira stands with her arms crossed and leaning against the wall of the building. There's a ghost of a smirk on her face as she looks at Zoey.

Zoey appears to be decked out with a headlamp, a chest camera, and holds a well-worn book.

The skeptic and the researcher fit the dynamic she had witnessed.

The first video they watched had only been uploaded a month prior, an overnight lock-in at Gonjiam psychiatric hospital.

"So, this place has been closed since the nineties, and since its closure, it has been the site of multiple haunted sightings." Zoey explains, "We're going to go in, find a ghost, or die trying."

"Or, you know, walk away empty-handed and alive. I feel like that's more likely." Mira states while setting up a camera in a hallway.

"Yeah, but that's less fun. Also, we need to find room 402, that's where a lot of the activity is reported." Zoey points upwards, like Mira could see through the layers of abandoned floors to the referenced room.

"I'm— Zoey, living is actually more fun because then we can continue doing fun things like going to cat cafes." Mira had stopped fiddling with the camera and put her hands on her hips in a judgmental way.

"Hm, you got a point." Zoey states.

The rest of the video consisted of the two women exploring the decrepit abandoned building.

Mira calls out a few times, daring any entity to show themselves, to hurt them, to talk to them. She scoffs when she doesn't see anything, and Zoey swats her arm for patronizing the ghosts.

Rumi can see the ghosts, though, so can Celine.

The two had been around the paranormal for years. Celine had thrown herself into researching the paranormal and basic magic, in preparation for raising Rumi.

Rumi had always seen what others couldn't. That is why she protects her territory.

She had first encountered a malevolent spirit at thirteen. It clawed at her, she clawed back, it disappeared.

Since then, the mother-daughter duo had worked to see the paranormal and protect themselves from it.

Zoey and Mira seem to have forgotten to protect themselves from the paranormal, too focused on finding it.

"They're going to get themselves killed." Celine states, watching as a shadow stalks Mira through the halls.

Rumi buried her face in her hands. She knows the women survive this; they broke into her house a few days ago, after all, but seeing how close they got to harm by provoking paranormal entities was causing her second-hand embarrassment and distress.

"How were they capable enough to set off a beacon in my home, but can't see the only reason they haven't been killed is because the ghosts think they're amusing?!" Rumi yelled, arms thrown out in bewilderment.

"Where did they even get the instructions for a beacon?!"

Zoey stood among the organized chaos that was her room, well, was it their room now? Mira already had her own room, and they kind of switched between rooms when crashing for the night.

Anyway, Zoey was staring at the organized chaos of her room, trying to decide which location they would go to next, what entities they had to look out for, and what they could do to reveal said creatures.

Hmmm, Jangsan Mountain sounded interesting with its mysterious ghost lady, but there was also a good chance they would get lost out there.

The hot demon lady had not called them yet. Zoey was ninety-seven percent confident that Rumi would allow them to air the video, but they had to be prepared in case she didn't, so they needed to find another location to film to keep their posting schedule intact.

Mira was editing the video in the other room, just in case, although she was less optimistic about Rumi giving them the go-ahead.

"Zoey, we broke into her house and ate her food. We were like if Goldilocks tried to trap one of the bears in a summoning circle. She's not going to let us post the video."

Mira doubted Zoey's persuasion, but she really shouldn't, considering Zoey had persuaded Mira to move in with her and become a paranormal investigator. That's literally proof that she rolls natty twenties on her persuasion rolls in real life.

Her phone rang.

Kiss a kitty by Chuu fills the room. Zoey grins and begins to dance a bit with alternating shoulder movements.

Wait.

Her phone was ringing.

Zoey dove over the bed, landing next to her nightstand with a crash. her phone continued to ring, hooked up to the charger and teetering on the edge.

Mira rushes in as Zoey answers, Zoey already holding her hand out to halt her wonderful, lovely, sexy, intelligent—

Focus Zoey.

"Hello, Zoey speaking." She states in the most professional tone she can muster while also breathing heavy from the air getting knocked out of her lungs with the fall.

"Uh, hi Zoey, it's Rumi. I'm the woman whose house you broke into a few days ago?" Her voice was soft, gentle, even coming through the phone.

"Hi Rumi! How are you? I hope the door is still intact." Zoey says, while Mira huffs from her doorway.

"Ha, yes, it is in fact still intact. Uh, listen, I wanted to call because I'm giving you permission to upload the video—"

"YES!" Zoey shouted, interrupting the poor demon on the other end of the line.

"—with one requirement." Rumi finishes.

"Oh! Yeah, sure. What requirement?" Zoey glances towards Mira, who just shrugs.

"I would like to accompany you and Mira to any haunted sites for a year." Silence fills the room as the stipulation is revealed.

"May I ask why?" Mira finally speaks up, as Zoey seems to be doing her best impression of a fish.

"I want to travel more… and I'm also worried that you two are going to get yourselves killed. I figured it's a win-win situation for all of us." Rumi sounds… bashful, which doesn't quite fit the persona Zoey had built up in her head after their first meeting.

"You think we'd get killed?" Zoey asks honestly, a little sad that Rumi would think so low of them.

"No offense, but you did fuck up a binding spell so bad it alerted me to you being in my home, and didn't actually bind me to anything. I could have torn both of your throats out in seconds if I weren't raised better." Rumi deadpans, and oh, there's the confident persona Zoey had assigned to Rumi.

"Well, shit, she's not wrong, babe." Mira directs to Zoey, although she wouldn't mind if Mira called Rumi that, as long as she got to come up with a pet name for the demon—

Focus Zoey.

"Y'know what? Fuck it. Let's do that. Do we have to sign in blood or something?" Zoey states with total confidence in the decision.

"…I think I also have to educate you on demons outside of horror movies." Rumi sighs.

Honestly, Rumi may be the one to break this agreement.

Chapter Text

Zoey and Mira were planning to visit an alleged haunted hotel in the next province over. There were stories and sightings of a ghostly couple seen on the fourth floor and near the stairs. They weren't malevolent, apparently, and it would be a nice break from the chaos after their last video.

The video they released had quite the click bait title.

We Encountered a Demon! (She Was Really Hot!)

The video's thumbnail was even wilder. It had a blurred out version of Rumi in the center (people had to watch the video to experience Rumi's visage) with a very dramatic depiction of both Mira and Zoey swooning.

They did get a few clear shots of Rumi before she crushed Zoey's camera, so they did something a little different. Half of it was commentary, straight from Zoey and Mira's "studio."

It was really just their couch with a clearly handmade sign with their logo on it.

It appeared more like a mukbang as their coffee table was filled with different foods they kept snacking on.

"So, our wonderful hunters, you can probably tell this is a slightly different style of video, especially because we are claiming to have encountered a demon. Well, the claim is true, but she also broke my camera and then made a deal with us to not film anymore so—" Zoey rambles, while perusing the snacks.

"Yeah, you'll see why we were quick to stop filming." Mira interjects, giving Zoey the opportunity to actually eat one of the snacks she was collecting.

The scene opened to after they had already broken into the house, Mira was filming B-roll film of the house, capturing the lived-in and not abandoned home. Some of the things have been blurred out, respecting Rumi's privacy for the most part. Photos and letters were blurry, but the mess was evident.

The video switches once again to Zoey's perspective as she films herself with a handheld camera. She draws a circle on the ground with chalk. The whole process isn't filmed, to keep fans from recreating the failed summoning circle turned beacon.

They didn't need 300k viewers setting off a bunch of beacons across the world.

Then of course, when they set off the circle… then nothing happening.

"Aw, Mira. Do you think we fucked it up?" Recorded Zoey queries to her baffled co-host.

Then the camera catches a puff of red smoke, enough to cover the whole room, before a demonic creature is looming over the paranormal investigators.

"Ohhhh, what the fuck it actually worked." Mira says off camera.

"I FUCKING TOLD YOU IT WOULD WORK! IN YOUR FACE, MIRA!" Zoey says behind the camera as it moves forward to confront the demonic woman. "Hello, demon woman, we have summoned you. If it worked correctly, you are bound to us."

"Zoey, you didn't fucking tell me we were entering a demon marriage contract." Mira says off camera.once again, but the camera quickly swings to show Mira looking incredulous.

"Well, why would that matter? You didn't believe in anything paranormal, so if you were right, it wouldn't have worked." Zoey responded, camera still focused on Mira, and clearly forgetting to film the demon they had just "summoned."

"What are you two doing in my house?" The voice of the demon cut in, and the camera swivels again to face the demon, right before a clawed hands envelops the screen and the video cuts out.

The video switches back to Zoey and Mira on the couch. Mira sits with her legs crossed and and her hands folded in her lap. Zoey is half falling off the couch as she tries to reach a chip bowl on the other side of the table.

"We know many of you will doubt the validity of our proof, and the fact we're being goofy about it probably won't help, but our own perspectives have changed and we are going to treat her like the kind intelligent being she has shown us she can be." Mira states.

"Guys, we broke into her home and she made us soup instead of killing us. That's kindness right there." Zoey interjects before snagging a candy off the table.

"Also, if you made it to the end of this video, we have an announcement." The taller woman adds, and she gives such a tender look at Zoey, you'd think they were dating.

"Mira and I are dating!" The brunette exclaims. Oh, they were dating.

"Apparently everyone thought that anyway, but we're confirming it." Mira says, putting a gentle hand on Zoey's shoulder, which she leans into. "Anyway, see you next time hunters! Stay safe and don't try any of this at home."

The video ends.

Pinned Comment: Thank you for all the support! More surprises coming soon!

pineappletb: This has got to be fake right?

DemonBird: Yuri win! Our favorite female ghost hunters are dating!

gothalbinoange1: Fake or real, the demon is kinda hot.

    slothyalgae: Ok, monsterfucker.

hellrivergenesis: Ok if that was real I have to rethink my whole worldview.

godlykoii: Demon mommy? Sorry. Demon Mommy?

    MacaroniButSoup: JUST ONE CHANCE PLEASE.

effyggl56: It's not real guys, they just needed more views.

Comment deleted by admin

skrimpchips: No fucking way, they weren't dating before?

copperfurredfox: I'm more surprised they just started dating than the claim they encountered an actual demon.

woofberry: Im sorry. Did Zoey say she tried binding the demon to them? What in the wattpad?

callmeshe: Hope this doesn't awaken anything in me.

1lizard-onemonkey: Do you think the next surprise has to do with the demon lady?

    ajsnblog: God, I hope so.

UltimateFenris: When will it be my turn? I'll take a girlfriend or a demon encounter! Please, when will it be my turnnn?

Celine sat at her kitchen table, laptop open to the newest video on the Huntr/x Paranormal Investigators channel.

There were far too many random people on the internet who were enamored with her daughter, including the women who broke into her house.

Now, she was no stranger to parasocial relationships as a former idol, but it wasn't something she's wish upon anyone else when it came to the more… obsessive fans.

Well, Rumi was right though, the girls were charming.