When Rae opened the door, Hoseok was speaking to Yoongi, standing in front of the space between the two rooms.

"You didn't knock on my door?"

"I did, I did," Hoseok shifted his attention to her. "Yoongi also opened up, so I started speaking to him. Ah, listen, Rae, is this allowed in the house?"

With that, he held a blunt at her eye level. Rae slightly rolled her eyes. "I make money off of it. Of course it's allowed. It is from The Smiths, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Yoongi chuckled from the side. "I'll go back to my notes then. Good night, people."

"Yoongi hyung!"

Hoseok stopped him. When he turned around, the younger smiled and offered him to join him. "No, no. I'm in support of the medical use of weed. And, I won't judge if you want a high. But I don't wanna indulge."

"You don't have to. Just sit with us."

"Us?" Rae raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you indulge either?"

"I do. But, I'm already drinking tonight, so.."

"Ahh! We can all sit together at least? I mean, if that's okay?"

Rae exchanged glances with both the men once before inviting them into her room.

She set up two more chairs in front of the window, and offered Yoongi a glass of the whiskey she was drinking. He took it gratefully, while Hobi lit up his joint. They sat in silence for a long time, puffing and drinking.

"So," Rae broke the silence, "how was work this week?"

"Dramatic," Yoongi mentioned. "I'm bound by ethics to not tell you. But, I can tell you that it was dramatic."

"And you, Hoseok?"

"Well, I don't have shows right now. So, I'm trying to write scripts for when I tour again. My company has an YouTube channel for me and that has a lot of views. So I'm not broke."

"Inspiring!" the other man commented. "What about you, Rae?"

"It was busy. Lot of work. I met your mom this week, actually."

"I heard. You see her often?"

"I've made it a point to visit her institution at least once a month, if not more. The cause is very close to me."

"Is it because of your daughter?"

Rae looked up to meet Yoongi's scrutinizing eyes. His black fringes did nothing to hide the curiosity gleaming in his eyes. Hoseok gazed at her too. He was visibly high at this point, but he continued puffing. Rae sighed and nodded.

"You know the whole clan knows, right? Don't tell me you work with a charity specialising in this, but you don't accept your own daughter."

"I do." Rae felt agitated at the sudden intervention. "I was initially aloof about her crisis, but I met with Alma solely because I wanted to understand what Dakota was going through. The more I see, the more I learn. And, the further she gets from me."

Rae lit another Marlboro, and refilled her and Yoongi's glasses. When she sat back down on the Ottoman, the very high Hoseok started the conversation again.

"What do you think, hyung? You must have met quite a few patients with identity crisis?"

"I have, actually.."

"You know, I always talk about self-acceptance and self-love. On my Tedtalks, I mean. Do you think that works with people like Dakota?"

"I think people who have come out and shared their dilemma, have already accepted themselves. And they're now sharing so that their kins also accept them. Now, Rae, I know you're scared for her to face the struggles that people at MM do. But maybe being controlling is not the solution."

"Are you trying to teach me how to parent my daughter?" Rae scoffed, stubbing her smoke into the ashtray.

"No, I'm not. But I do know a lot more about parenting than you do. I have a thesis and a few research papers to vouch for me. I can't really counsel you two, since I'm living here and it would be unethical. And my license is very dear to me. But I can advise you if you want. As a friend."

Rae nodded, her aggravation cooling down a little.

They sat together for a little longer. The cool breeze through the window made it seem so comfortable, none of them wanted to get up. Hobi had put out his blunt, and his phone was playing some Coldplay songs from the early years of the century.

The three sat, silent and blissful. When Hobi got up to go back to his room - because he was hungry, and had lots of snacks stored up - he almost doubled over. He was miles high, and would have been on the floor if not for Yoongi.

"You shouldn't have smoked so much," Rae admonished him a little. "I do sell it, but I don't advise exploiting a drug in that way."

"Okay, Madam Alpha, whatever you say." He raised his hands in surrender and almost fell again.

"Okay," Yoongi supported him. "I'll take him to his room. Good night, Rae."

"Good night, Yoongi. Hobi, take care."

She shut her door behind them, and waited by it. When she heard the knob of the next room clicking close, she picked up the whiskey decanter by its neck and headed downstairs.

Humming the last Coldplay song, she slowly stepped down the stairs, drunk yet careful not to fall.

"𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑏𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢
𝑆𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢
𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑚𝑒, 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢?"

She was in front of the booze cabinet when the door to the living area opened up with a slow creak. She turned to see Namjoon entering, as quietly as possible by a human. Her eyes shot up to the wall clock and lingered there briefly as she registered the time, before meeting him.

He was going to only acknowledge her and leave, but her gaze bound him to the spot. "I'm sorry," he stuttered a meek apology, "I.. I should have informed beforehand that I'd be late."

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes."

Rae moved across the room, towards the staircase and he followed. Glueing his eyes to the carpet beneath his shoes, Namjoon climbed the stairs behind her.

Only a few steps shy to the top, Rae stopped to turn to him. He halted too, just a step below her. Even then, his tall figure towered over the alpha who was a short woman, even by normal standards.

She looked up, trying really hard to not let the alcohol do the talking for her. "I was thinking," she failed. "Given your expertise, and my daughter's abstinence from the subject, maybe you could tutor her in literature. She only has about a couple months left until her graduation. If it's not too much, of course."

"Of course," he answered, after staring at the top of her head for a while, "I'd love to."

"That's good. Shall we discuss your fees tomorrow morning, I'm very sleepy right now?"

Rae was about to leave, but a word from Namjoon stopped her in her tracks. "No," he said, as if answering her question.

"I'm sorry?"

He immediately looked away when she locked her drunk eyes with him. "I'd teach your daughter," he said. "But I won't charge you for it."

Rae giggled. "That's not how things work, Namjoon."

"You're letting me stay at your house, consider this my rent."

"You're already paying it, by not telling your father that I'm not keeping the promise made by my father. Come on, Namjoon, I insist."

"I insist harder."

He finally looked directly at her, and held his stare. Rae seemed a little taken aback, more by his stubbornness than by his defiance.

"Fine," she finally spoke, clutching the hem of her dress to keep herself from falling. "The classes should be in the evening, before dinner. At least thrice a week, more if you deem fit. Please make use of the library."

With that, she left before he could nod in agreement.

****

Excerpts from Rae's diary for the following week

Monday
~ Usual Monday
~ No time for coffee
~ Bad morning meeting with one of the head scientists at R&D; must speak to her again about what she wanted
~ Overall bad day
~ Saw Dakota and Namjoon studying Keats at the library when I came back home - made my evening a little better

Tuesday
~ Board meeting before lunch
~ Later, had a heated conversation with Hyun-seok, where he told me that the new guidelines relating to control of use has reduced our sales; but, I stood my ground and reminded him of the new stores opening in clans like Ika and Piasek
~ Got another basket of baked goods from Seokjin during my meeting with his father; had to fake a smile
~ Met with Dr. Iris; she told me I'd be "just fine" if I "gave up a little control"
(Q: why are all therapists the same?)

Wednesday:
~ Phoned the alphas to finish up all formalities for Alpha-con; I hate Victor
~ Went pantsuit shopping with Moira, ended up shopping too much and eating out
~ Met with Dakota as soon as I came home; she likes her new English classes and she also said something weird

Thursday:
~ In his will, my father decided to leave all his assets to me and my 'alpha' heir only
~ His merciful lawyer decided to help me and write 'rightful heir' in the papers instead; promised to show me the signed sheets
~ Decided to confront Dad, but later changed my mind
~ Came home early; sat with Jimin to watch Dakota, Allison and Kookie practise archery in the backyard
~ Realized that the rumours of Jungkook's excellence in sports weren't just rumors; something didn't sit well though
~ Dakota had her 3rd literature lesson this week

Friday:
~ Alma left town for a campaign in Ika - don't know if that was a good idea
~ Hobi decided to perform a little skit for Dakota, and everyone sat down for it
~ Namjoon wanted to leave, but a simple "please, Professor" from Dakota was enough to hold him back - interesting!
~ Realized I've not had a livelier Friday in the last 8 years
~ Dakota seemed to have become good friends with Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung - interesting!
(Q: why is a tall, muscular, grown man who is actually a year older than I am, scared of me?)

****

In less than 2 weeks, the studio was packed with stuff the three younger omegas had brought in. The mirror Rae had promised Jimin, was put up in a day and served as the perfect setup for his videos. The news of him being in the alpha's house had garnered him even more subscribers.

The corner opposite to him was occupied by Jungkook. His easel was always upright, with a canvas set in its arms. He had finished one oil painting in the first week that he was there, and was now working on a more minimalist painting of a boy with red hair and a yellow blanket.

Taehyung had also set up a portable hanger rack for shirts he wanted to add details to. Most days, he was found sitting in front of the rack with a book and a pencil, designing.

The other person who frequented the studio nowadays was Dakota. She had indeed made friends with them, and over nothing other than PUBG. She had discovered about this troika becoming friends over the mobile game the day she first practised archery with Jungkook, and, immediately proposed the idea of all of them playing together.

"Oppa," she addressed Jungkook one night while scouting in Erangel. "The more I look at the painting, the more it looks like Jimin oppa."

"It doesn't even have a face, Dakota."

"But, you know, the red hair.."

"And?"

"The red hair."

Taehyung scoffed at her, but she let it pass.
Jimin was collecting from their recent loot, and commented, "even I think it looks like me." Nobody spoke anymore, but in his peripheral vision, he could see Jungkook's cheeks flushing.

"Footsteps outside," one command from Tae and they forgot all about the painting.

Another night, while driving through Miramar in a van, Dakota asked, "you guys know my mom isn't gonna marry any of you, right?"

"Hmm," the men answered in unison, but it was not what she expected.

"Then, why are you all still here?"

"I'm getting shot," driver Tae informed.

The three aimed outside and rallied fire at the enemy troops, until they were no longer in sight. "We didn't kill them," Jimin complained.

"You damaged them enough, the zone will kill them. I'm stopping, I need to heal."

Dakota spoke again as their van stopped mid-desert. "Yeah, so, why are you still here?"

"I'd rather be anywhere than my house," Jungkook answered.

"Same."

"Me too."

Dakota sighed and gave up. Soon, they encountered new enemies and she forgot all about her questions.

****

Jimin was smiling at the illuminated screen, scrolling up and down, rereading the conversation when there was a couple of prominent taps on his door. He stretched his legs out of the yellow blanket he had brought from home, and climbed out of the bed.

Jungkook stood outside, in his usual black tracksuit, a medium sized canvas in his hand. He ruffled his hair a bit, just in time before Jimin opened his door.

His red hair was a mess, and his smile was huge. Jungkook smiled back and held up the painting for him to see. Jimin's cheeks turned the color of his hair, and he could barely contain his glow. So he hid it behind his hand and turned around. "Come inside," he invited the older.

Kookie came in and closed the door behind him. The room was dimly lit and he could tell Jimin was snug in bed.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked, putting the canvas down on the table.

"No, I was up. Come, sit."

He shifted on the bed, and lifted the blanket for him to put his feet under. Jungkook took one look at the yellow blanket that inspired his painting, and accepted the invitation.

His toes were cold from working barefoot in the studio, and Jimin winced when they touched his feet. "No, don't you dare," he warned him, before the latter did it again anyway.

"What do you want?" Jimin whined as Jungkook added a second foot.

He took his feet away, and smiled at the man beside him. "For you to not call me hyung."

Jimin looked down at the knotted fingers in his lap, but didn't answer. His smile almost split his face, forcing his eyes to shrink into thin slits, when he finally replied, "okay," blushing.

****

When Rae woke up on Sunday, her door was about to burst open. Her phone had been ringing continuously for over an hour, and her door was being knocked and banged on for quite some time.

She had gotten high with Hobi the previous night, and discussed about clan politics. When he finally left, it was well into the night. In fact, if she listened carefully, she could probably hear blackbirds singing already. It was only natural she'd sleep the whole morning.

"I'm up. I'm up. I'm up," she got out of bed quickly and opened the door for the screaming Moira.

But she wasn't the only one outside. Yoongi was the one constantly dialing her number, while Moira hit on her door. And, Dakota stood curiously in front of her own room, with a book in her hand.

"You're reading, honey?" Rae asked her daughter, after greeting the others.

She nodded, smiling a little. "Professor suggested it from the library, it is interesting."

"Okay, honey. Have fun."

Yoongi took his leave, and Moira followed Rae into her room. "Rae, it's Sunday."

"Yeah, I know." She walked into the washroom and picked up her toothbrush.

"Jason is in the conference room, waiting for you," Moira informed.

She mumbled something back at her, toothpaste foaming at the corner of her lips.

"Okay, let's go," her words were finally audible as she came out of the washroom, tightening the knot of her wrap dress.

Jason kissed Rae on the cheek as soon as they met. "I've been dying to see you," he spoke immediately. "I have so much to say, it's gonna blow your mind."

"I heard you have some 'bangers' for me?"

"Oh, yes, I do."

Mr. Wales knocked & came in with a cup of coffee & a glass of wine.

"You're day-drinking again?" Rae whined to her friend.

"Tsk, my lovely Rae of sunshine, you'll realize the importance of this liquid when you're finally lonely. Dakota has moved to college, Mr. Smith is dead, and you have all this to yourself. Then you call me up, and we can drink at 2 PM together."

"You'll be somewhere else doing my bidding for me."

"Somewhere else, and still lonely."

"But you don't have to be. I've told you so many times, I can appoint another diplomat. You can appoint another diplomat for me."

"Then, what will I do?"

Rae shrugged. "Get your own place in the city, find a guy for yourself, adopt a child, settle down."

He sighed. "I wish I could. But the second task is not possible."

Rae looked away. She had been friends with Jason for a little over a year, and he's been heartbroken throughout. He had been working for her father when he had met the love of his life, who was way higher in the Temporal hierarchy than himself. And it didn't matter to either of the men. But, it did to the high-born's father and he did all in his power to break them apart.

"You know, I can help you with that too. You just have to tell me who he is."

"And, what?" Jason scoffed, "you'll go threaten his father?"

She shrugged.

"Anyway," he continued, "shall we discuss the more important things?"

He took out a thick file from his satchel, and placed it in front of her. Reaching out from the side of it were bookmarks, showcasing all the places he had been to, arranged according to the timeline of his travel.

"Now, this is not all. There are some things I wanna talk about first, before putting them down here."

Rae started flipping through the pages.

The first was Piasek, their neighboring clan, residing in the city by the sea. They were known to be one of the most conservative clans in the country. It was only after the introduction of Rae's new policy on safe consumption could they sell opium and marijuana medicines there. That too, in very few stores.

"The acceptance to our medicinal products have definitely increased. I spoke to a few people - patients - who have tried it and would go for it again. The same can't be said for recreational drugs though. People are skeptical, and not welcoming."

"That's still half good news, right?"
He shook his head.

"Older people, ones with more traditional values," he added air quotes, "are revolting against even the medicines. Some of the pharmacies that sold our products were vandalised. Repairs weren't expensive, but they have been threatened not to sell them again. So, even if people are willing to buy, there's not many stores that are selling them. At least, not anymore."

"Shit! I recently fought with Hyun-seok saying how our sales have increased in Piasek."

Rae flipped some pages and opened up to Nandura.

"Nandura's fine. They love us. They're curious about what more they could give us. And, their automobile industry is flourishing. So, I made a deal with them. Let Mr. Kim look it over once before you approve it." He sighed.

They glossed over Prakra, Attis, and a few other clans before they reached Nefelibata, the city in the clouds. It was a clan set high in the hills; the people were known to be the nicest, albeit mostly drunk and the land was most famous for its tea, fruit orchards and warm clothes.

"Now this is interesting, and maybe the bangest of all bangers."
Rae chuckled.

"Or, maybe not. So.. the Nefs are cultivating marijuana."

Her jaw dropped. Jason raised an eyebrow, and continued with a smirk, "and, selling it. The most raw, unprocessed marijuana I've ever seen. Just leaves, along with the seeds and stems & everything, rolled up in blunts and sold."

"And people are definitely not buying that."

"That's what you'd think, Sting-Rae! And, I didn't tell you this before, but it's the trail of this unprocessed marijuana that led me to the Nefs. I had no plan of going there this time. But, I found these poorly made joints in Attis, Prakra, New Oléas, Ancient Oléas, Ivyski, everywhere. Until I went to the hills and found these plants in fields where there should have been tea."

"Are they trying to challenge Osira or something?"

"No, I don't think so. They'd have put some effort in it if this was an offence. I think Rev. Akane would speak to you about this at Alpha-con. You've invited her, right? I know it's for alphas, and she's not one, but she's the head of the clan, so.."

Rae nodded, her lips pursed and jaw clenched.

"Let's move on to Ika then?" Jason turned the pages for her. He knew she had been waiting for this.

Ika was, till date, the strongest clan the nation had seen. And, unfairly so. They had absolutely nothing to offer, nothing to trade. Only the largest & strongest standing army, ready and intimidating. The land that the clan held, spread like an eagle's wings and dedicated mostly to training soldiers.

The 1/3rd left, housed old people, children and the physically challenged. Every able-bodied youth - except for the alpha and the omegas - was to join the militia at the age of 16, only to be let gone at 25 for 2 years to find a suitable mate & procreate before rejoining. The children would thereafter be taken care of by the omegas of the clan.

The Ikans were extremists, killing their zetas at birth. However, under the dictatorship of recent alphas, zetas & lower alphas abandoned by other clans were taken into Ika for purposes unknown.
Victor Wang was the current ruling alpha of Ika.

"I found synthetic drugs in Ika." These words out of Jason's mouth were enough for Rae to know something even more ominous was coming.

"And, when I delved deeper, I saw that the instruments used for the manufacture of these drugs, were from the Jungs."

Rae groaned, her head in her hands and aching. "Anything else? Is somebody trying to wage a war against us or kill me?"

Jason reached out and patted her head.
"See, there's a really high chance the Jungs had nothing to do with it. They export lab vessels to a lot of these clans, and most orders - if not all - come from schools and science colleges. If one of them was a false order, they have nothing to do with it. Talk to Han-jae, or Areum, demand to see their invoices from the past month. And, don't worry, Victor won't wage a war against you. He knows that, if it wasn't for the army his forefathers had built, Osira would be the most powerful. He wouldn't mess with you."

"Have lunch with me, okay?" Rae held the door open for her friend.

Their meeting ended with him consoling and trying to empower her, like he had for as long as she had been the Osiran alpha. He believed her ways of ruling, or governance - whatever she liked to call it - was different, and it had the potential to bring about change that no other clan could have foreseen. And not just for the economy, or business, but for the people.

"I'd love to. I'm famished."

"You should have told me.." she chatted seamlessly as they walked, looking up at him. She fell so in sync with his walking, that when he stopped in his tracks dumbfounded, she did too.