Lesson 5: The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box

Jimin knew that everyone was probably curious about his pouch and what it contained. Of course, they were. Everyone always was.

Even once they had seen it, many would still wonder why he would carry around a pouch full of rocks that had no real value. Others would just pass him off as a crazy person and never bother him again. That would be the best case scenario and basically how it had always been.

But…

"No, Jeongguk, you can't use my rocks for some random game," Jimin sighed, pulling his pouch closer to his body.

"Why not?" Jeongguk pouted. "I'm not going to blow them up."

"That's what you said about Namjoon's book about topiaries last week," Seokjin reminded from his seat in the comfiest chair in the lounge. "Do I have to remind you how that one turned out?"

"This and that are different things," Jeongguk huffed, crossing his arms and refusing to look away. "Yoongi would probably approve. That's why he's the cool one and not you."

"Yoongi is also probably taking a nap," Jimin snapped. "These are mine and I don't want you taking them."

Jeongguk sighed and flopped down into one of the chairs, fiddling with a loose thread on his shirt. Jimin relaxed slightly but still didn't take his eyes off the younger boy.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Jeongguk, he did (sometimes), but it was just that he wouldn't trust these with anyone. He needed the rocks the same way that everyone needs oxygen and the others wouldn't understand it.

As far as he could see, he was the only one who needed reagents so of course, it wouldn't make sense to people like Jeongguk who were simply born with an explosive amount of power.

Jimin had tried leaving them behind, once. Just in his bedroom while he left to eat and bathe but ended up constantly panicking until they were back on his person. They were the heart and soul of his abilities and to go without them could basically mean suicide.

Namjoon had glossed over the do's and don'ts of powerful objects since he didn't know about Jimin, which was kind of the intention of laying low, but the most he ended up getting out of it was 'Don't leave important stuff far away because heroes are pains in the ass and will always find a way to get it'.

Jimin didn't want to imagine the horror that would surely unfold if some run off the mill hero got their grubby hands (because heroes rarely practiced good hygiene on their so-called 'noble' quests. Disgusting.) on his rocks. If that wasn't bad enough, if they somehow got the other object in the pouch, Jimin would be virtually helpless.

He had already risked his life once to get the damn thing. There was no way he'd let it out of his sight, no-siree.

Even imagining it was painful and Jimin was beginning to doubt the previous generations of villains for not realizing just how screwed they were. No protection is completely infallible, after all, and it was better to know the whereabouts of something that important than leaving it to chance.

He trusted the others to an extent, but it wouldn't do for them to get too curious. That would be a decidedly Bad Thing™ and Jimin really didn't want to deal with the fallout from that. It would be more troublesome than taking the other route and Jimin was never really one for troubling himself when he didn't have to.

He sighed and looked at the two in the room carefully. He could do it if he moved fast enough and he knew that he'd managed to do it when there were higher stakes. He'd be fine.

"Well, I'm just going to see if I can find Namjoon," Jimin said, stretching and standing up, subtly grabbing two rocks from the pouch on the way. "I have a question about that last lesson."

"Ah okay," Seokjin replied without even looking up from the book he was reading. "Have fun."

Jeongguk only pouted and curled up in the chair even more.

"I hope you lose your rocks. Rocks deserve to be destroyed."

"Why?" Jimin teased, internally cheering as he walked closer to Jeongguk. "Because they beat your scissors?"

"Everyone knows that scissors are the best!" He protested loudly. "That's why I always choose them."

"And that's also why you always lose. Anyway, I'll be off then."

Jimin smiled and carefully ruffled Jeongguk's hair, rock in hand before walking over and gently brushing the rock against Seokjin's arm.

He paused at the door and looked back at them, eyes sharp and calculating as he waited. Seokjin blinked and frowned slightly, tilting his head to the side and glancing at Jeongguk before noticing Jimin.

"Jimin, where are you going?"

"Oh, just to the washroom. Don't worry, I'll be right back." Jimin smiled sweetly and Seokjin nodded before returning to his book. Jimin continued walking out of the room with a sly grin. It had worked just as he had hoped.

"Don't drown in the toilet!"

His smile fell. Jeongguk was so going to get it as soon as he got back.