October 25, 1895 — Carrow Estate Residence, Bath

The invitation had come like a burning star that felt from the sky: abruptly, and beautifully but with much potential for repercussive damage. Jin had been rather pleased when he’d first heard from Taesu-ah that he’d met someone from the upper classes who had invited them all over for a meal. It meant he was branching out, getting to know someone— that was, until they realized they had to inform Abeoji of the impending owl. He’d taken it… well, from what Jin mostly overheard of the conversation. (He hadn’t meant to; his room was just so close to Abeoji’s office and it had been too sunny that day to go out very far.) He’d met the Carrows himself once at a ball— the eldest sister and mother, and only very briefly. They seemed nice though. Genuinely a family in very good reputational standing and wealth. Certainly one Abeoji could only encourage their ties with; a cousin was even said to work back home in the palace! If that wasn’t prestigious, Jin didn’t know what more they could be looking for. But as always, every interaction came with a warning. They’d left Joseon now. Their future was in England; his place was to be amoungst the ranks of the Wizengamot.

Still, Jin was pleased for Taesu. He was proud of his baby brother for reaching out and making a connection. Even if it was tenuous and superficial at best. It was a step in the right direction— for all of them— and he was the only one as yet who’d managed to secure any kind of invitation!

On this particular evening, there was another reason Jin was anxiously tugging at himself in the mirror however. He was, as always, determined to make a good impression— but also, it would be the first time seeing Ahn-Bo in almost a fortnight. His heart ached with the desire to have his best friend and his brother back, for a plethora of reasons (safety, longing, etc amoung them) but his jealousy vanity and pride also gave him an extra edge as he re-adjusted his waistcoat for the hundredth time. In the understatement of the century, Abeoji had not been thrilled with the implications of their little misadventure earlier in the month. Ahn-Bo had been sent away on a retrieval almost immediately and Jin… well. He’d been sporting a particularly bruised set of ribs even Eun-Ho could not help him set completely to rights for a few weeks now. He hadn’t shared this with his other brothers but they weren’t stupid. In fact, they were all the more present, alleviatingly so, or that was just Jin’s impression given how anxious he’d been running ever since.

The portkey was arranged and at 8pm sharp, the lot of them arrived at the Carrow residence. Each had brought along a small gift for the hostess, approved and/or selected by Abeoji of course, and Jin’s was wrapped in turquoise silks. (A lacquered box with mother of pearl inlay.) He shifted it from his left to his right hand subconsciously and forced a sober smile onto his face as they stepped over the threshold. Introductions were made— led primarily by an Ambrose Carrow, the eldest brother, Jin catalogued internally. The one who had prompted the invitation originally. He looked over his shoulder as the door went to shut hoping to see his own brother appear, but instead caught Abeoji’s eye. His look was intentional and Jin felt his side throb.

Turning back to their hosts as they all began to intermingle, he gave a polite bow and handed his little parcel to the mother— they’d met before. “Annyeong hasimnikka,” he greeted her formally. Still in Joseoneo, he continued on to add very politely, “Gamsahamnida for inviting us to your lovely home. We are honoured to be here.”

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Ahn-Bo Jeong, Taesu Jeong, Ki-Se Jeong, Elsbeth Carrow (Ambrose Carrow) & muse song
* hello and thank you

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* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Rory had been unable to sit still all afternoon. He was sure that by now his mother, the staff, all his siblings, and even his father were quite tired of him poking his nose into the preparations for the evening. He didn’t know why he was so dang excited, but he was anyway— maybe because it was his first social event since the summer and being locked away in that musty old castle was dulling his ability to flirt shine? It depended on which sister you asked, maybe. But at present, Rory was tidily dressed and lingering - bored - in Elsie’s room as she and a maid selected her own attire. He chattered her ear off all about his classes and how splendidly they were going, and the repairs to the greenhouse, and the cats— Merlin, the bloody cats that Ms. Woods and Gus had been so kind as to take care of for him— and by the time 8pm rolled around, he was rather a bit calmer than he might have been. Still, that did not stop Rory from being the first to the door and bouncing slightly on his toes until their mother clicked her tongue at him. He settled, and tucked one hand dutifully behind his back. (It was as much so he could flex it and release his restless energy unseen as it was to look respectable.)

The introductions were made with a flourish of English and Joseoneo as they settled on just what languages they each felt comfortable speaking. Rory introduced himself first to the father and then each of the brothers in turn. (He made for Taesu last of course because that meant a longer conversation.) The eldest seemed genial enough, if a little stiff. Jeong Seojin, Rory noted. He was very polite but a little lackluster when it came to personality. At least on the uptake. The second one, Jeong Jae-Hyun was fine. Now on the third, Jeong Ki-se, Rory beamed a friendly smile. He was smaller in size than the rest but had a strikingly handsome face. (They all did, he supposed, but none so perfect as Taesu.)

“Annyeong haseyo,” he parroted for the fourth time with a little bow in Ki-Se’s direction. Then, also continuing in Joseoneo: “It’s a pleasure to meet you! Gamsahamnida for coming to dine with us, we’re very pleased to have your family here tonight.”

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ATTN: Ki-Se Jeong / Elsbeth Carrow

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This was already a little overwhelming and Ki-Se found himself avoiding eye contact. Abeoji's presence made the feeling worse. He managed to gracefully hand his own gift to the hostess rather than shoving it into her arms like his instincts had told him to do. Ki-Se had gotten better at working against his instincts, thankfully.

Why was this man talking to him so directly? Now he had no choice but to make eye contact. He did not know him and behind the charming smile he cast the Carrows way, he wanted to hunker down on all fours and run down a hall. Or out into a garden. He felt like a laser was burrowing into his back and he didn't have to look back to know it was Abeoji.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well. You have a lovely home. My eye was especially drawn to the gardens." Because he'd like nothing more than to rolic through them. But he couldn't say that.

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italics means he's speaking Korean

graphics by fox!

Taesu hadn’t meant for it to become such a thing. He’d met Ambrose Carrow at the apothecary by accident – briefly, casually, just long enough to exchange some words about how terrible British food was, and how better Joseon food was in comparison. It was supposed to be an exchange neither of them remembered because it was so insignificant. Carrow had been easy to like: soft-spoken, clever, with that sort of curiosity that felt genuine rather than practiced. But then he had invited the Jeong family for a traditional dinner, and like a fool, Taesu had let his mouth work faster than his head, accepting the invitation without considering how Abeoji would take it.
That had been his mistake.

It had taken Taesu a few days to work up the courage to tell him about the impending owl, and once he had, Abeoji had asked nothing but questions for what felt like days. About the Carrows’ name, their influence, the kind of impression Taesu intended to make, all of which he had no answers for. Taesu had simply done what Abeoji had asked of them all, helping to integrate the family into society here in England, yet all he could think was how big of a mistake he had made, accepting the invitation. What had seemed like a harmless social call had become a matter of family strategy overnight.

The morning of the dinner, Taesu woke up with what he was certain was the onset of a grave illness. Something dramatic: feverish, contagious, maybe even fatal if left untreated. He’d clutched his stomach for good measure. His brothers, however, were unsympathetic. “You’re fine,” one of them had said, but when Taesu turned toward the others because surely they saw how contagious he might be, not one of them had agreed with him.

(“I’m pale,” Taesu had protested. “I look practically translucent.”

“You always look like that.”)

By late afternoon, Taesu was resigned to his fate. He spent far too long deciding which outfit laid out for him was the best one for the evening, and even longer rehearsing polite conversation that wouldn’t sound like he was trying too hard. Small talk was the worst. He’d used up all his (society safe) interesting tidbits about himself on the letters he’d be writing to Ambrose, so now he wasn’t sure what, if anything they’d talk about. (Maybe the whole dinner would be one long awkward silence, and that would be the end of them having to go to them.)

Now though, standing in the large foyer of the Carrow estate, Taesu could still hear Abeoji’s voice in the back of his mind – reminding him that every gesture reflected not only on him but on the household itself. He’d at least managed to give their hostess her gift without mucking things up, so that was a win in his book. His palms itched where he kept them clasped behind his back as he waited to be led to the dining room, half expecting for Carrow to come greet him, only… he stopped at Ki-Se.

Taesu blinked once. Then twice.

He could feel his pulse in his ears. The house smelled faintly of things he couldn’t place, but at least the smell wasn’t unpleasant. Everyone looked very comfortable. Right. If Ambrose was occupied, that meant someone needed to represent the family elsewhere. Abeoji would expect as much.
Which was how Taesu, entirely against his better judgment, found himself turning toward the young woman beside Ambrose. Miss Carrow.

Taesu cleared his throat and stepped forward, offering a small bow; he kept his distance, not that it ever helped someone not feel the pull toward him. Distance made him feel better, at least. “Chamseokhae jusheoseo gamsahamnida*. It is very kind of your family to open your home to us.” He glanced to see where Abeoji might be, although his eyes were not on him at the moment. Tae let out a small breath before he quietly added, “My father says it’s rare to be welcomed sincerely so far from home. I am very grateful for the reminder that we can be strangers without feeling like foreigners.”

Although if anyone were to ask him, he would much rather be back in Joseon. In fact, if given the choice to immediately pack his bags and leave Britain forever to go back home, Taesu would drop whatever he was doing to do just that. But he couldn’t. He was stuck here. So while dreaming about being away from here, Taesu tried his best to smile at her.

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Attn: Elsbeth Carrow

* Thank you for being present (at this event, with us/me)

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Credit to Fox for this beautiful set!<3

Elsbeth Carrow was no stranger to any sort of celebration; in fact she quite enjoyed many of them, including the ones her eomma hosted. Her beaded dress had been decided upon by her mother (with her input, but Rosaline Carrow, as always, usually won out with her opinion), and sparkled in the dim light of the room. Crystal beads dripped from her neck in a long rope, twined thrice around her neck before cascading elegantly down her back, and matching silk opera gloves covered the worst of her sins. She stood straight, hands clasped in front of her as they awaited their guests; a rather large crowd judging by the guest list she’d seen when peering over her mother’s shoulder whilst perusing the menu for the evening.

(All of it was delicious, of course. Cook had been instructed to prepare a traditional meal complete with all of Elsie’s favorite banchan.)

It was with her mind on the food ahead of the night that Elsie managed to stay still, knowing that the smoother the introductions were, the sooner they would be able to sit down to eat and the sooner she would be able to go down and pay Cook a compliment and receive an extra one of the tasty deserts in exchange.

Only, her attention very much came to an abrupt and grinding halt when she caught the (likely inadvertent) gaze of the fourth Jeong brother as she rose from her deep bow. Her greeting, thankfully, had already been spoken for, if she hadn’t, she’d have likely trailed off mid-sentence and embarrassed her mother. She looked from Mr. Jeong to her mother and back. But her mother was too preoccupied with welcoming the rest of the party to notice her daughter’s pointed gaze.

But..this man was - Elsie couldn’t possibly do credit to his beauty by describing it in English. His appearance was the subject of poems written in ancient texts. He set her heart beating a rapid and furious rhythm in her chest, and it was as if the world was moving in slow motion. And, of course, he was now addressing her, and she felt as if she were a moth and he a light she must gravitate towards.

It was only a laugh from her mother that startled her out of her trance and back down to earth. What was the matter with her? She normally wasn’t so affected by men in this capacity? She stared up at him, blinking owlishly before employing the most rigorous of trainings she had in her arsenal to snap out of it.

“The pleasure is all ours,” Elsie replied with a demure smile (thank the Lord she’d practiced this ‘debutante’s smile’ enough that she was certain she didn’t look like a guppy waiting for food). “I certainly hope English society hasn’t been too harsh on you and your family.”

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Ahn-Bo Jeong

This would be his first societal event since the earth-shattering evening with Jin-a, and he wasn’t entirely certain what to expect. No, that was a lie—he fully expected to exchange yearning looks whilst avoiding Yeom’s wrath. While he’d grown to be much taller and stronger than Yeom, it wasn’t his own safety he was worried about if mistakes were made this evening. Jin, along with the rest of his brothers, would pay for any slip-ups. Likely only after Ahn-Bo was gone again in the morning, sent on yet another errand to hunt down some magical artifact or another.

It had taken him longer than expected to return to Northumberland, which was why he was arriving later than the others. He’d had to stop at the family’s Yeom’s estate to tidy up and look presentable. With Noona Eun-Ho’s help (and fretting), he was able to do so rather quickly. The faster he arrived at their host’s home, the faster he would get to see Jin-a. To say the last week without him had been torture would have been an understatement.

What condition would he find his brothers in? Certainly Yeom wouldn’t have done anything too damaging if he had planned to trot the lot of them out for the evening. Hopefully, none would be showing signs of stiffness. The bastard had a particular fondness for damaging their ribs. Since Ahn-Bo had been away and effectively out of the loop, he wasn’t entirely certain why they were at the Carrows, merely that he was required to be present. Noona pointed him toward the second portkey that had been left for him (just in case), and off he went.

After being let in, he was relieved to discover that the group was still within range of the entrance. He wasn’t that late. He strode over to the group, a charming smile pasted in place. It didn’t take long to get his bearings—the unmistakable sound of Joseono being exchanged along with the appearance of the hosts (and was that neobiani his extra keen senses could smell?) He bowed his apologies to the hosts whilst Yeom made his introduction and fed them the excuse that his lateness was due to his “business travels.” ”Nujeoseo joesonghamnida,” Ahn-Bo said politely, tacking on the other expected pleasantries before straightening and passing the gift he’d been supplied with to Mrs. Carrow.

With that done, he exchanged small nods of greeting and looks with each of his brothers to say ‘hello,’ and then his eyes met Jin’s. Only briefly, as Yeom found some reason or another to step between them to block Ahn-Bo’s line of sight. Of course. His dark gaze flicked to the others. Taesu was conversing with Miss Carrow—who somehow looked vaguely familiar, though he couldn't quite place why—and noted the tell-tale look in her eye that usually happened when people were speaking to his brother. Hopefully the evening wouldn't be too difficult for him. He was incredibly sensitive about how people treated him. (Entirely fair, all things considered.) Poor Ki-Se looked as miserable as ever, so Ahn-Bo took it upon himself to step a bit closer to him in an attempt to offer his unspoken support.

neobiani: joseon era term for ‘bulgogi’, a dish enjoyed by the wealthy and nobility consisting of thinly sliced marinated meat (most commonly beef) • Nujeoseo joesonghamnida: “I’m sorry I’m late” (polite, formal)

attn: Ki-Se Jeong Taesu Jeong Seojin Jeong Elsbeth Carrow

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⚘


Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

Rory smiled brighter when Jeong Ki-se-ssi looked at him directly. With bright, curious eyes that felt like they could read into a person’s soul, he seemed a bit shy on the uptake. Polite, by every means necessary, but a little quiet even still. Idly, Rory wondered how the various different brothers, all with their distinct personalities, interacted together when they were out of the spotlight. He hadn’t met the last one yet— but he’d always wondered what it would be like to have a plethora of brothers rather than sisters. (It wasn’t quite the same when he and Ignatius were nearly 15 years apart.)

Before he could answer, Rory saw Elsie engage with Taesu out of the corner of his eye. Distracted for a moment, he tore his gaze away from Ki-Se and eyed them, a small pinch coming to his brow at the way his sister reacted. He’d never seen Elsbeth react to any man like that before, not ever. And he knew her better than he knew the inside of his own palm. At the realization, something strange tickled in the pit of Rory’s stomach.

He couldn’t be jealous of his sister; certainly not. He’d give Elsbeth anything, even the shirt off his back if she asked for it. And it wasn’t like there was anything to be jealous of, or over. He didn’t like Jeong in that way. And even if he did, it wasn’t like it would matter; he certainly couldn’t marry the handsome brother and there was nothing at all to indicate Jeong even wanted to be friends with him, much less anything more. So all in all, it was for the best if Elsbeth was charmed by him. He wasn’t ready to share his sister, exactly, but better that he at least tolerated the man she might come to fancy one day than not. Rory forced himself to swallow the thought like an ungrateful toddler.

He didn’t know what his face was doing but the sudden realization that he was being rude made Rory turn back to Ki-Se. A bright grin resumed it's rightful place on his face and he gave a nodding bow of appreciation. “Gamsahamnida,” he chirped. “You can actually see a much better view of it from the drawing room,” Rory turned to begin ushering the group into the aforementioned drawing room on their left. It was a splendidly furnished and adorned room with big windows and glass double doors that opened to a small, Juliette-style balcony overlooking one side of the gardens. “If you come this way I can show you,” he offered politely. There was a little bit of time yet before they sat down to the meal and it seemed he had one more guest to greet, a late arrival, before making his way to Taesu.

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ATTN: Ki-Se Jeong

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