You Would Not Believe Your Eyes

[Jeong Mun]

Being in New Zealand was wonderful for Jeong. He had never been in this country before, so the opportunity was very exciting. He beamed as he looked around at the different shops they passed. It was similar to America, but so different all the same. When Cedar had asked him to come with him on this trip, he had been uncertain. The two were good friends, but sometimes he felt like there was more between them. He knew Cedar felt it too, but that only scared him. Jeong didn't want to complicate things between them. The occasional flirting was fine, but besides that he kept his distance from the other boy in anything romantic.

But it was clear they were just here as friends. And now they were escorting Cedar's (adorable) little sister as she went school-supply shopping. Acacia was pretty cool for a twelve year old, and Jeong had taken to her instantly. "What else do you need?" He asked the young girl curiously, leaning over to peek at her list.

 

[Acacia Dunn]

School shopping had taken forever in Acacia's first year, and she was disappointed to find that the load didn't seem any lighter in her second. It was bizarre to think that she had been in this strange country for a whole year now. It still didn't feel like home, not really, but a school supply shopping trip had been essential, even if it meant giving up precious time back home in California. It was a small comfort at least to have Cedar with her this time, instead of Mom and Dad. Even Cedar bringing a friend with him was alright, though it did fill Acacia with a slight hint of jealousy, seeing him so happy with a friend from Ilvermorny. It still felt deeply unfair to Acacia, being sent around the world as punishment for Cedar's slacking off. What was done was done though, and at least Cedar was here for now. And jealousy aside, his friend did strike Acacia as quite nice. When he asked a question she shrugged, glancing down at her list again quickly. "A couple of books..." Acacia mumbled, double checking that she had picked up everything else needed.

 

[Cedar Dunn]

It was a little surreal to Cedar, thinking that this was where his little sister lived. Just by itself the concept of actually being on the other side of the entire world was mind-boggling, and the fact that this was where Acacia had spent the whole least year felt bizarre. She had sounded a little different when she returned to America, and listening to the people around him as he made his way through the streets with Acacia and Jeong, Cedar could see why. Everyone here sounded so bizarre, it was an accent he was pretty sure he had never heard before. The fact that this was all familiar to Acacia now was strange, and a little sad. It reminded him how far apart they spent their time now. "I think that's a book shop up there." Cedar pointed, looking at the shop ahead, then glancing down at Acacia's shopping list. He recognised a couple of the books, and it was a small comfort that even as far away as she was, he and Acacia were still learning the same things.

 

[Jeong Mun]

Jeong smiled at Acacia as she looked over her list, though he glanced at Cedar as well. He hoped neither of them felt like he was intruding on their family time. He gave him an uncertain smile. But hearing they were about to enter a book shop, his face fell slightly. He wasn't really in the mood to be in a stuffy place like that. Maybe that was the perfect excuse to give them some family time. "You two go ahead, I'll wait out here." He said brightly. "I want to look around more." He explained as he looked at his surroundings.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

Vivian felt strange these holidays. He had decided to make a lot of changes in his life, he was going to start being a more confident person. He had never been as bold as when flirting with Vincent before, and, as much as the memory of Kauri's face still haunted him, Vivian had to admit that Tristan was onto something. It was exhiliarating, to throw all of his insecurities to the wind, and it was much easier to get to know someone by kissing them than having a conversation, a skill Vivian still found himself somewhat clumsy at. Trying to think like Tristan changed how he looked at people too, it felt much easier to notice when people around him were handsome, and he felt different about that handsomeness. He didn't get the immediate instinct to retreat at the sight of someone handsome, and write some fussy poem about that which he could never attain. Rather, he felt almost like approaching them. Deciding to test out this new confidence, Vivian's eyes fell on an attractive older boy nearby, with an interesting accent. Vivian didn't know many Americans, but they were usually confident, right? Maybe this boy would be good to be around. Straightening his spine, Vivian approached the boy, trying to remember to be like Tristan. "Hi." He smiled broadly, hoping it looked natural. "Are you here on holiday? I can show you around if you like."

 

[Jeong Mun]

Jeong was busy staring up at the different buildings surrounding him in the street when a tall boy walked up to him. He was quite good-looking, which made Jeong give him his brightest smile. He pushed his glasses up his nose before addressing the strange boy. "Hi!" He said happily, looking up at him. "I like your accent." It was rather cute, he thought. "Are you some sort of tour guide? Do you ask anyone if you can show them around? Or am I special?" he added a little teasingly, wondering if he was interpreting the flirty signals he was getting correctly. "I'm here with a friend, but he's in that store. As long as we don't go too far, you can show me something fun."

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

Vivian didn't really know how to expect this boy to react, but so far the confidence he had borrowed from Tristan hadn't failed him yet. He smiled shyly back at the other boy's smile, a little surprised at the compliment. Vivian had never really thought of himself as having an accent, he just sounded normal, but he supposed it might be quite odd to an American unfamiliar with common accents of New Zealand. "Thank you." He smiled nervously. Vivian didn't really know what to do with the boy's questions, but he recognised the slight tease in his question as something Tristan did sometimes, and realised with a jolt just how well this had worked. The boy was flirting with him! What would Tristan say in response? "Well, I'm not a tour guide, but I make exceptions for the exceptional." Vivian commented. He didn't think Tristan would approve of the wordplay, but it was difficult to resist. Hopefully this boy would appreciate it. "Ah, let's go then!" He said, looking around a little uncertainly. Vivan hadn't quite planned this far ahead. Where did you take someone you were flirting with? He began walking down the street with the boy, struggling for ideas of places to go.

 

[Jeong Mun]

Jeong was very interested in the boy in front of him. He was tall, dark, and handsome. And had a cute accent to boot! When he had agreed to come to New Zealand with Cedar, he really hadn’t expected anything romantic to happen while he was there. Sure, this would probably be nothing more than a brief flirtation, but that was still more than he had expected. He laughed quietly at the boy’s next words, sure now that he was flirting. Something about his confidence felt a little stilted, a little fake. But who didn’t pretend to be more confident than they were? Jeong sure did, he was just better at hiding it. “If all New Zealand boys are this good at complimenting me, I’ll be swooning before long.” He teased as he followed the boy. “You know, you didn’t tell me your name. I’m Jeong.” He said, glancing backwards as they made their way down the street. He was a little worried Cedar would lose sight of him, as he really didn’t want his friend to be worried. A small part of him hoped to remain unspotted, though. Something about Cedar seeing him flirt with another boy felt strange.