zephyr-iffic

[zephyr-iffic]

Zephyr avoided a swing with a skillful aerial off of the car, the mage slamming his batons into the demon to make it fall into others. He weaved through attacks with quick dodges and strikes from his batons.

"Stay calm, Zephyr...you've got this..."

The words were muttered to himself as he spun to catch a demon's claw with his baton. Kicking the demon away, Zephyr scanned the crowd to see if there was any glimpse of Vergil before being knocked into a nearby bench.

He groaned, getting up just before a demon's blade sliced the bench in half. Zephyr rolled to his feet before combining his batons in an x-shape. "Sdniw, lwoh dna wolb meht yawa!"

Flinging it towards the group of enemies, a tornado illuminated by Zephyr's magic raged around the projectile and swept the enemies away. As soon as he had a second to breathe, Zephyr sensed something behind him.

"Vergil...?"

"Sounds great!" Dante turned slowly as he sensed more demons trying to flank him. "I'll just clean up this side then."

He was met with the usual distorted, ugly faces of several demons, some with drool dripping from their lips and teeth. Voices in his head started muttering his name, a sensation he had grown accustomed to the point of being numb.

"Alright, so who wants the first piece? Come and get it!"

The group focused on Dante all lunged forward, but the hunter was too quick. He flitted to the side and raised his guns to aim.

"Open wide!"

He then opened fire on all of them, the demons suddenly becoming littered with bullet holes before disappearing into the air. He felt another try to attack from behind, lifting a hand and catching him with a bullet in the face without looking.

[zephyr-iffic]

Zephyr exhaled to steady himself before a demon launched itself at him. The mage expertly spun his staff to block and strike at the monster, knocking it to the side. "I'll take this side, then."

Was he as experienced as Dante or the others at Devil May Cry? No.

Did he need something to hit, right now? Absolutely.

He dodged and used his staff as a vaulting pole to gain space from the flood of demons, landing on the roof of a nearby car. "Okay, Nico..." He muttered, separating the staff into two batons as his magic flowed into the weapon. "...Let's see what you've got."

Dante was on the verge of dozing off while Zephyr drove, but he quickly had a gut instinct that something was...off. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but the moment the mage began to speak, his feelings were instantly validated.

He instantly put an arm out to ground himself as Zephyr swerved, his nerve-endings on fire as he felt the presence of dozens, if not hundreds, of demons.

"Well, would ya look at that?" Dante laughed as he kicked open the car door. "They decided to throw a surprise party for us!"

He pulled out Ebony and Ivory and gave them a twirl while gauging his surroundings. "C'mon, Zephyr. Let's show these punks a good time."

[zephyr-iffic]

"...glad to know you're serious, then." Zephyr remarked, eyes focused on the road ahead. Five minutes wasn't much time, but he'd have to make it work.

That is, if Vergil's behind this at all.

He couldn't focus on that. Zephyr's breathing steadied as he focused his magic, holding as much of as he could within what felt like a tempest within his chest. As they neared the center of town, he noticed the empty streets. No running people, no citizens in danger.

"What is going--Shit--!" Zephyr managed to avoid a tentacle sprouting out of the ground, pulling the car over and extending the metal cylinder into a staff. As he gained his bearings, his eyes watched demons come out of alleyways and out of glamours.

This was planned.

While Zephyr drove, Dante sat back in the passenger's seat and placed his feet on the dashboard. His expression was strangely neutral, almost as if in a daze as he stared at the road ahead.

"Five minutes," he finally said after a moment. "I'll give you a five minute window. If all else fails..." He pulled out one of his guns as though to emphasize his point, double checking the bullets as he reloaded it.

[zephyr-iffic]

Zephyr quickly tied his hair back into a bun as they both reached the car, pausing in the driver's seat as Dante's question filled the air. Did he want to do this? This task of potentially stopping the person he loved?

As a response, or perhaps the start of one, Zephyr started the car and buckled up. "To be honest, I don't want to think about it."

As they pulled away from Devil May Cry and started driving towards the center of town, he continued. "I just want to make sure people are safe, Dante. If it comes to it, please let me try to convince him first."

A hint of a smile crossed Dante's lips as he tossed both the keys and a hair tie to Zephyr. As much as he was able to drive, he preferred to let someone else take the wheel while he got a bit of rest before a job.

"Apparently, there's a nasty horde of demons congregating in the middle of town," the elder hunter went on. "The client won't give too many details, but Morrison insists that we check it out for ourselves."

He paused and glanced back at the mage, slightly raising an eyebrow. "You sure you still wanna do this?"

[zephyr-iffic]

Zephyr sighed, hesitating as Dante walked past. With a shake of his head, he grabbed his jacket from the chair and the metal rod underneath it before following after. Hopefully Nico's upgrades would do the trick.

"Are you driving or am I?" Zephyr questioned as he caught up to Dante, heeled boots clacking against the pavement. "Also, what is it that this client wanted?"

He slipped the jacket on, a black cat stretching towards the moon adorning the back. "You wouldn't happen to have a hair tie, would you?"

Dante slightly furrowed his brows, hardly intimidated by Zephyr's show of powers. Could the magician kick his ass? Most likely. But he wasn't really in the mood for that.

"I know you care about him," he said, lifting his gaze to meet Zephyr's. "Shit, I want to save him from himself as much as you do..."

He started to walk past the magician. "You can try it your way. If that doesn't work, then we'll try my way. Either way, we have a job to do. We better not keep our client waiting."

[zephyr-iffic]

"Then let me find him." Zephyr argued. Had he be trying every single locating spell he knew ever since Vergil disappeared? Absolutely, and even if none of them had worked, Dante didn't need to know about it.

"I know Vergil's power signature, and so do you. I know that one of us could convince him, through words or..."

The mage gestured towards Rebellion with a sigh before he spoke again.

"Either way, killing him isn't the answer. I know that, and if that means that I'm against you, then consider this a courtesy." His tone became more cold near the end of his sentence, eyes becoming illuminated with cobalt blue mystical energy.

"Don't you dare."

50 random starters @zephyr-iffic

"Well, I don't see anyone else lining up to volunteer," Dante quipped, checking the cartridges in his guns before holstering them behind his back. "Besides, he's got a one way ticket to an ass kickin'. Might as well be me."

[zephyr-iffic]

Howdy.

I'm trying to get back to Zephyr and I'd love to play with some peeps. Feel free to send him stuff!

[zephyr-iffic]

Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. … sentence starters 

“It was a road to hell.”

“I’ll be bored to death.”

“And you’re late, again.”

“Who says times are hard?“

“Everybody meet the fates!“

“All the whining, so entitled.”

“It’s a sad tale, it’s a tragedy.”

“Give me morphine in the tin.”

“Everything I’ve saved is gone.”

“Let’s not talk about hard times.”

“It was a world of gods and men.”

“I’ve been to hell and back, again.”

“It’s a tale of a love that never dies.”

“Hey, little songbird, give me a song.”

“It’s an old tale from way back when.”

“I’ll sing a song of a love gone wrong.”

“Are you wondering where I’ve been?“

“I’m a busy man and I can’t stay long.”

“I don’t wanna go back to the lonely life.”

“Well, it’s like he said, I’m an outdoor girl.”

“Hey, little songbird, cat got your tongue?“

“Don’t ask where, brother, don’t ask when.”

“It’s a love song, about someone who tries.”

“All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own.”

“Who would help you to your final destination?”

“It’s an old song, but we’re gonna sing it, again.”

“Lover, everything I do, I do it for the love of you.”

“See, people get mean when the chips are down.”

“And on the road to Hell, there was a lot of waiting.”

“I recall there was a time we were happy, you and I.”

“And there were three old women, all dressed the same.”

“You take what you can get and you make the most of it.”

“I was alone so long, I didn’t even know that I was lonely.”

“If you ain’t six feet underground, you’re living it up on top.”

“I want a nice soft place to land. I want to lie down forever.”

“And, for a moment, I forget just how dark and cold it gets…”

“And if no one takes too much, there will always be enough.”

“Say that we’ll stay with each other, and it’ll always be like this.”

“If you don’t even want my love, I’ll give it to someone who does.”

“Oh, you gotta keep your head low if you wanna keep your head.”

“When the gods are having a fight, everybody else better hold on tight!”

“You take me in your arms, and suddenly there’s sunlight all around me.”

“All I’ve ever known is how to hold my own, but now I wanna hold you, too.”

“Always a pity for one so pretty and young when poverty comes to clip your wings.”

“The choice is yours if you’re willing to choose, seeing as you’ve got nothing to lose.”

“Lover, when you feel that fire, think of it as my desire… Think of it as my desire for you!“

[zephyr-iffic]

As Zephyr's hands snaked across his body to make sure they were even closer, a chuckle came from Zephyr's lips. "You should've joined me in the shower."

He moved his other hand onto Vergil's face, holding him there and noticing very slight shake and purse of the lips. V used to look like this, when worry would color his face. He'd always shift it into a calm and practiced smile, but Zephyr would notice.

It was amazing how things manage to stay the same.

There were a hundred quips Zephyr could've said in the moment, though he simply pressed his face into Vergil's neck in this embrace. Even his scent with the lingering hints of wine was familiar.

A soft, shaky sigh escaped Vergil's lips in response, his hands snaking across Zephyr's back to press their bodies closer together. He pursed his lips slightly, that familiar twinge of fear returning.

"While I cannot promise anything, there is one thing that is certain..."

He nearly lost himself in the euphoria of Zephyr's lips, that fresh, sweet scent overriding any and all previous thoughts and doubts he had.

"Nothing, not even Hell itself, will keep me from you."

[zephyr-iffic]

"I do. I don't know why or how...but I do."

Zephyr gave a sweet and sad smile as he looked up at Vergil, placing a hand on his pale cheek. There was no incantation for this, no arcane guidance for this maelstrom in his heart, but that was still true.

He loved Vergil. However foolish that fact made him.

"If I were to ask one thing of you," Zephyr started to say before pressing a gentle kiss on the swordsman's lips.

"...please don't leave me again."

Vergil's breath caught in his throat, a familiar fluttering in his chest in response to Zephyr's touch. His hands found the mage's waist as he subconsciously pulled the other closer.

All the poetry in the world could never describe the plethora of emotions in that one, small moment.

"I would go to the moon and back if you ask me to," Vergil replied softly, his stoic demeanor melting away as he met Zephyr's gaze. "Even after everything I have done, all the damage and heartbreak...you would still love me so?"

[zephyr-iffic]

"I prefer the title 'witch' either way." Zephyr replied with a chuckle. "I got roped into this during the Qliphoth incident. I used my magics to protect and spirit people out of the most dangerous areas but I lost my apothecary store in the process. Now I find purpose here."

Zephyr smiled at the last question. Such an inquisitive hunter. It was a nice change of pace from stoicism and daredevil antics. "With a lot of knowledge gained from a lot of books and experience, mostly." He joked.

Patty blinked as she studied Zephyr, her curious nature taking over. "A consultant? Isn't that just a fancy title for a witch or something?"

Not that she was put off or surprised by it. After having her world turned upside down when she was only eight years old, hardly anything surprised her nowadays.

"So anyway, how did you get roped into...all of this?" she asked, gesturing to the entire interior of Devil May Cry. "And how does one consult in the arcane, exactly?"

[zephyr-iffic]

Zephyr stood in front of Dante defiantly, holding a hand up to his chest as smoke-like tendrils of magic curled around his fingers. "This isn't him. I know it, and even if Vergil is related to this, I'm not going to let you play out your sibling rivalry for the hell of it."

"Don't you dare."

50 random starters @zephyr-iffic

"Well, I don't see anyone else lining up to volunteer," Dante quipped, checking the cartridges in his guns before holstering them behind his back. "Besides, he's got a one way ticket to an ass kickin'. Might as well be me."

[zephyr-iffic]

"I don't know what I want, Vergil." Zephyr replied with a somewhat exhausted sigh. "I don't know whether I want to give this time or just say 'fuck it' and try to regain what I had before V was integrated into you."

Zephyr stepped closer, placing his hands on the swordsman's chest as if Vergil was porcelain. His gaze got lost in the detailing of the coat as he spoke.

"Can we go back to that? Just quiet nights together, with your arms around me?" He finally looked up at Vergil with conflict in his gaze. "Can we just love again?"

Vergil did not realize how much time had passed, having been deep in thought for a while that he was still standing by the door by the time Zephyr had finished and exited the bathroom. The hybrid felt his heart leaping into his throat - even in nothing but a bath towel, Zephyr seemed ethreal.

"I... Forgive me. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Which wasn't too far from the truth, or so he told himself.

He shifted his gaze away slightly. "I understand if you need some space to process all of this. A lot has happened within a short amount of time..."

[zephyr-iffic]

As Zephyr finished his shower, his curiosity was sated. Perhaps taking it slow was a better move after, well, everything that had just happened between them. How curious, the type of decisions one makes when everything is in turmoil.

His curls still slightly clung to his skin as he wrapped the bathrobe around his lithe frame, padding out of the steam filled room only to meet Vergil outside.

"You were waiting for me?" Zephyr asked, looking up at the stoic swordsman. "I'm sorry...I guess a part of me wanted to be bold to feel anything but shaken."

The hybrid became lost in thought as he watched the storm, concentrating on everything and nothing while slowly taking a sip of his wine. He heard the sound of a door creaking open, drawing his attention and making him turn slightly. His previous thoughts were quickly brushed aside as he cautiously, silently made his way toward the bathroom, setting down his glass of wine once again.

He stood in front of the door as he noticed that it was slightly ajar, the sounds from the shower indicating that Zephyr was still inside.

The scene felt too familiar. Somewhere within the recesses of his memories - V's memories - brought forth the feeling of deja vu. The temptation was there, the urge to enter and join Zephyr.

And just like before, he decided against it. He remained at the door, making no move to enter or leave.

He's been though enough this day...

[zephyr-iffic]

"Unfortunately." Zephyr replied softly, folding his arms across his chest. He had been there when Dante decided to immediately hang up on the poor girl. She couldn't be that bad, could she? Youth brought impertinence and energy, it wasn't that hard to handle.

"Lovely to meet you, Patty. Oh, and no, I'm not. I'm more of a...consultant on the arcane and occult." Zephyr clarified with a smile. "When Vergil or the other need my assistance, they call me."

"They're...not here?" Patty let out a small sigh, unable to hide her disappointment. "It seems like I can never get a hold of Dante. Even when his phone does work, he just ignores my calls..."

She quickly perked up as she stepped forward to greet Zephyr. "Nice to meet you! I'm Patty. Dante and I go way back." She lightly giggled. "So, Mister Zephyr... Are you a hunter, too?"

[zephyr-iffic]

"Oh, hello."

The mage moved from his seat at a nearby table to greet the entering young woman, a soft smile on his face.

"If you're looking for Dante or Vergil, it seems everyone's out on assignment. My name is Zephyr. I'm holding down the fort, as it seems."

"Knock, knock! Anyone home?"

[zephyr-iffic]

The sound of the shower slowly floated through the quiet space, with the mage sighing at the warmth of the water as he stepped underneath. He could feel his curls clinging to his skin, the hot water cascading down his frame as he started to breathe easy.

"Another time, perhaps."

Now, why was that such an intriguing idea? Intriguing enough for Zephyr to accidentally mutter an incantation to crack the bathroom door open.

From sorrow to release to temptation, all in one night. His therapist would either be proud or worried for him, whichever one made more sense he supposed.

For a brief moment, Vergil tensed slightly, worried that Zephyr has somehow read his mind. He then relaxed again, letting out a short laugh that echoed the mage's.

"Forever... Right."

As much as he wanted to keep Zephyr within arm's reach for a moment longer, he simply offered a smile in return as he looked up with gentle blue eyes. Another laugh slipped out.

"Another time, perhaps," he replied, slightly raising an eyebrow. "Take as long as you need. And do not worry... I won't be going anywhere."

He watched as Zephyr moved away, then picked up his glass of wine as stood to move closer to the window. On days like these, he would opt to stay in and read a book. On this day in particular, he was content to simply take in the moment.