"You'll be the first person I tell." She promised. And the only. It wasn't as if she really had anyone else to ask for help. Bradley didn't dislike her life. It had intrigue; it had purpose. There was always something new to learn. She liked that, but it was still a rather solitary life. Everything went into looking after the objects in her care. Most of them didn't require that much tending to. Some of them required too much to be left alone for long. Time to make connections didn't come easily or often. Centuries ago, there had been three more of her kind. Sisters that she'd never known. They were long gone, faded into nothing before she'd ever gotten a chance to know them. Her parents had made one last of them to fill in the gap and left her to figure it out. She'd done a pretty good job thus far. It certainly could've been worse.
She laughed once, glad for his humor now more than ever. It cut through the weight of what had just happened. "Maybe a little bit of both," she grinned back at him. Whether he was the scariest thing in here or not, he was definitely one of the more likeable things. It wasn't just poltergeists that she kept in check. There were evils older than time locked away beneath the foundation of her shop, monsters that her parents knew needed to be kept away from the world. She climbed upstairs to her little apartment on the second floor and slept above them every night after checking that all of her safeguards were still in place. Then she checked them again in the morning before doing anything else.
This time, she did blush just a little as Dante went on. It was silly, really, how simply hearing that he enjoyed her company was enough to dust her cheeks in pink. She busied herself then, making her way to the front of the shop to turn the sign on the door to closed and then beginning to pick up some of the more manageable pieces of debris. The questions that followed made her pause. Her hand hovered over the remains of an old medical textbook. She stood from where she'd been crouching to reach it and set the pieces on a precarious bookshelf. When she looked back to Dante, her eyes caught the motion of him rolling up his sleeves. They lingered there long enough to take in his corded forearms before she forced them up. "Nothing like this, no," she replied quietly. "I have other beings in here, but they always come to me contained. It's just on me to make sure they stay that way..." Bradley trailed off. Her brows pulled together. "Why? What are you thinking?"
Dante let out a sigh as she mentioned being even with him and it hardly felt like that, honestly, just by looking at the ruined stuff around the shop. His blue eyes looked at her closely and carefully as she glanced at one specific reliquary, often he wondered what was going on through her head, even more so now. "Still --- if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know, Bradley, alright?"he insisted.
At her bringing up how he isn't the scariest thing in here his brows rose up and he chuckled. "Should I be offended or flattered?"he asked with a little smug grin on his features, showing her he was just joking. Even though the demon was beat, his senses were on alert - the attack couldn't have happened out of no where, that demon was after something. And the more he backtracked, the more it seemed like the demon wasn't after him at all, the element of surprise with Dante being present making him kill it faster.
Once Bradley spoke again he snapped out of his thoughts and offered her another grin. "I do. I mean, it made sense who you are, with the whole business you have in your little shop. Kinda put the two and two together."he admitted with a shrug. "You've got a lot of things of interest kept here. Things that some might use for something bad. So I was kinda swinging by, got some reliquaries from you that helped me in my own agenda. And I grew to enjoy your company, you're one very interesting young lady."he chuckled and procedeed with putting his sword to the side so he could take off his coat, it was already damaged from the demon fight and the bullet hole wasn't as pretty. "Bradley, did you experience demon coming after you before? Have you ever had any sort of encounter similar to this?"he asked and began rolling the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, while his trusted guns ebony and ivory rested on each side of his ribs.
"Oh, trust me, it wouldn't be good for you." Mona practically purred. A part of her wanted to see him try though. She was always eager to not just to test her own mettle but to prove it. Undoubtedly, the man before her was one of the more powerful beings she'd come across. Whether she wanted to work with him or not, that made him a worthy opponent. If she could hold her own against Vergil, the gates certainly wouldn't stop her, She never got to enjoy a good fight anyway. Most of them were so easy to subdue that there was no satisfaction in it.
Risking her life by provoking him just to feel that thrilled would have to come later. Unfortunately. She had a goal. Whatever his reasons were, she'd heard rumors that he had the same one. Playing nice wasn't her strong suit, but she had to do it. Mona only hoped that he didn't need the sugary sweet kind of playing nice, that he wasn't going to expect charm and smiles. The only playing nice that she knew was the mutual respect that came along with the acknowledgment of power.
"No, I came to the right guy." Unable to stop herself from just a small show of defiance, she closed the distance between herself and his drawn blade. "You see, I've got a bone to pick with the gates of Hell. Word on the street is that you're trying to open them, and I'm sure you would've done it by now if you could pull it off yourself. Couldn't hurt to have a witch working alongside you, right?" She flashed a smile and held out her hand, arm running parallel to his katana. "Nice to finally meet you, Vergil. I'm Mona."
"Yeah, no shit."he grumbled, there was clear annoyance in the back of his voice, the icy blue gaze steady and firm onto her. He had no idea who she is, and it felt like a waste of his time already. Not that he didn't have time, he just hated being disturbed in the middle of something, but since she followed him around it was a matter of time before she finally shows herself to him.
Tall, skinny brunette surely had guts, was confident and even cocky a bit too much, as she stepped towards him, trying to prove a point. It amused him but he didn't let it show. For all he cares, he's seconds away from just turning away and leaving her be. But why not give her a chance since she's been in his shadow lurking for days. "I like a good challenge."Vergil said straight away about the pet part, and pulled out his katana as she continued to speak, and pointed it right in front of him, almost drawing a line at where she should stop - he absolutely hated having his personal space invaded.
She had a mouth on her, that was for certain. What did she even know of his progress and what his mission is? Something wasn't sitting right with him nor her words and he gripped at the handle of his katana tighter. "You know what bothers me? This conversation. I don't know who you are or what the fuck you want from me, less alone what you expect of me. You came to the wrong guy."Vergil said in a way for a warning almost.
𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒. this quotes range in intensity so discretion is given consideration the nature of the sentences. please make sure you change pronouns, names and/or location as you see fit.
"I can feel you watching me… even when you shouldn't."
"Tell me, how long have you been wanting this?"
"Your lips are too close to mine for me to think straight."
"If you're going to tease me, you'd better follow through."
"Are you going to make me wait, or will you come closer?"
"You look like you're fighting the urge to kiss me."
"If we keep pretending this isn't happening, it might get worse."
"The way you’re looking at me… it’s driving me insane."
"You know I can't concentrate when you touch me like that."
"One step closer and I won’t be able to stop myself."
"Your breath on my skin… it's hard to ignore."
"Is this how you planned it, making me want you more?"
"I wonder if you taste as good as you look."
"You don't realize how hard it is to resist you."
"You’re enjoying this too much for me to stay calm."
"It's taking all my control not to pull you into me."
"I think we're far past pretending now."
"You're making it difficult to be the good one here."
"If you keep this up, I might just give in."
"You don't have to say a word… your eyes tell me everything."
"You shouldn’t look at me like that if you don’t want me to react."
"What if I told you I can't stop thinking about last night?"
"Are you teasing me, or do you actually want this?"
"One kiss and I might lose control of everything."
"You've made it impossible for me to think of anyone but you."
"Do you always make it this hard to stay professional?"
"Your hands feel too good for me to walk away."
"If you wanted me to leave, you wouldn’t be standing so close."
"I think we both know what you’re really asking for."
"I can feel your heartbeat… and it’s not just from excitement."
"Don't act like you don't want this as much as I do."
"Every time we're alone, the air feels… heavier, doesn't it?"
"You’re playing a dangerous game, being this close."
"I never thought I'd be this tempted by you."
"Your touch is burning through me… in the best way."
"It’s getting harder to pretend I don’t want you."
"If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll forget we have rules."
"Are you trying to test my limits, or do you just enjoy the tension?"
"You’re closer than you should be… but I’m not asking you to stop." "I can tell by the way you're looking at me… you're tempted too."
"You know what you're doing, and it’s driving me wild."
"I didn’t expect you to be this bold, but I’m not complaining." "I can't tell if you're trying to push me away or pull me closer."
"There's a fine line between teasing and giving in… which side are you on?"
"You don’t have to say it, I can feel what you want."
"Every second I stand here, I want you more."
"Tell me to stop, and I will… but only if you really mean it."
"This tension between us… it’s only a matter of time before we snap."
"You think you’re in control, but I can see how much you want this."
"One touch, one kiss, and there’s no going back from this."
"Don’t pretend like you don’t want me to touch you right now." "Every time you look at me like that, it takes everything not to rip your clothes off."
"You’re making it really hard for me to be patient."
"I don’t think you realize how badly I want to have you right here."
"If you don’t stop teasing me, I’ll make you beg for it." "I’m not going to ask twice… come here."
"Keep pushing me, and you’ll see just how much I can take."
"Your body is practically begging me to take control."
"I can hear how your breath catches when I get this close."
"If you keep tempting me like this, we won’t make it out of this room."
"Do you feel how much I want you? It’s impossible to hide now."
"You don’t know how much self-control it’s taking for me not to touch you."
"Tell me you want this as much as I do, or I’ll lose my mind."
"If you want me to stop, you’d better say it now… before it’s too late."
"I want you in ways I shouldn’t even be thinking about right now."
"If I kiss you, there’s no going back. Are you sure you’re ready?"
"Every second we’re apart, all I think about is what I’ll do to you when we’re alone."
"You’re making it impossible for me to focus on anything but you."
"I can feel how badly you want this… your body doesn’t lie."
"It’s only a matter of time before I lose control with you."
"If you get any closer, I might not be able to hold back."
"You have no idea how badly I want to tear this off you."
"One taste of you and I won’t be able to stop."
"The way you touch me makes it impossible to think straight."
"If I start, I’m not stopping until I’ve had every inch of you."
"You’re trembling… and it’s only making me want you more."
"I don’t think you understand what you do to me when you look at me like that."
"I want you so badly it’s driving me out of my mind."
"You’re not as innocent as you pretend to be, are you?"
"I can’t wait anymore… I need you, now."
🐝 * ― 𝑭𝑬𝑨𝑹 / 𝑯𝑶𝑹𝑹𝑶𝑹 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.
❛ nothing's going to happen to us, right? ❜ ❛ i'm ... scared. ❜ ❛ i don't like where this is going. ❜ ❛ did i ever tell you i'm actually terrified of [the dark / heights / spiders / etc.]? ❜ ❛ you hear me? we're not going to die today! ❜ ❛ did you hear that? it sounded like screams. ❜ ❛ i really, really don't like this. ❜ ❛ we're completely alone here, nothing's going to happen to us. ❜ ❛ this place has been abandoned for centuries. ❜ ❛ whatever happens, keep the lights on. ❜ ❛ you're not scared, are you? ❜ ❛ this is like straight out of my worst nightmare. ❜ ❛ do you believe in ghosts? ❜ ❛ what are you afraid? ❜ ❛ what was that?! ❜ ❛ see, i told you there's nothing to be afraid of. ❜ ❛ go on, no one will hear your screams. ❜ ❛ it was a foolish idea to come here alone. ❜ ❛ no one is going to save you now. ❜ ❛ don't be afraid, i'm not going to hurt you. ❜ ❛ you really think you can run from me? ❜ ❛ it's a shame i'll have to kill you when we're done with this. ❜ ❛ want to make a deal with the devil? ❜ ❛ i'm not afraid of you. not anymore. ❜ ❛ there are figures hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike. ❜ ❛ this wasn't so bad now, was it? ❜ ❛ what could possibly go wrong - it's just an old abandoned meaning, it doesn't mean it's haunted, right? ❜ ❛ face it, we won't make it out of here alive. ❜ ❛ i'll even give you a choice - it's either you or them. who's going to die tonight? ❜ ❛ i will haunt you for the rest of your days. ❜ ❛ don't scream, it will only make this worse. ❜ ❛ you look so pretty when you're scared of me. ❜ ❛ i won't kill you ... yet. ❜ ❛ ghosts and monsters aren't real. ❜ ❛ i'm not afraid of anything! ❜ ❛ you! you're sick! you sent me here to die, didn't you? ❜ ❛ close your eyes. it'll make it easier if you don't see it coming. ❜ ❛ no matter where you hide, i'll always find you. so you better give up now. ❜ ❛ i promise i'm gonna be your worst nightmare. ❜ ❛ it's only over when i say it is. ❜
He almost lamented how easy it was as Miju followed after him. Humans used to know. They used to be aware of the rules and know not to get led away by the fae. Hell, they knew to not even hand over their names to anyone a little too lovely, a little too charming. Alexei had to be creative. The hunt had been thrilling. Lambs all but led themselves to the slaughter these days. Living in the age of information when it was so easily shared, so much of it had still been lost. None of them knew what to be wary of anymore.
So he grinned to himself when she expressed even the slightest bit of resistance. "Is it?" He asked in a tone bordering on patronizing. Glancing in the direction of the aforementioned path, Alexei only shrugged. "Do you always do what you're supposed to do? Is that fun for you?" He looked over his shoulder at the pretty little human nearly nuzzling into him.
"Doing what?" He shot back in that same tone, almost like he was speaking to a child. "I'm just walking." And when he turned to face her directly in a motion all too fluid for the uneven ground, he still continued walking backwards. "Have you ever thought of forging your own path, princess?" The fae tacked the last word on as he straightened the crown Miju had failed to get just right when she'd been fiddling with it moments ago. "Aren't you bored?"
there’s nothing that says fun, like spending time in uncharted territory with a stranger you just met. note to self: it’s okay to be a little wary sometimes, miju makes a note of this when they wander off the path. for one, she was worried about being told off. and two, her dress! even though it’d been a few decades old, and she felt like a little kid at times — it was something she cherished. so when there’s more dirt than usual, she’s bound to be a little upset.
“oh, i just don’t think we’re supposed to be here. the path’s over there.” she’s hesitant but follows anyway, keeping close for her own sake, almost burrowing her face into the side of his shoulder. i’m beginning to think this man isn’t new here…
she almost slips. her footsteps aren’t as delicate as alexei’s, given obvious reasons. one being she’s a human. they leave an imprint, and she questions what kind of person is in her graces. she readjusts the triangular crown before it falls off her head by keeping still, having not departed from his side. he’s almost warm to the touch. “how are you doing that? i’m not nervous, you’re nervous.”
She thought she'd made some progress when he at least dropped the sword. Her fingers twitched at her side, threatening to curl into tight fists over the irritation of even having to make progress. Mona wasn't used to being so unknown, or to not possessing the upper hand. This wasn't some fellow witch that knew her as the scourge of their kind and feared her for what she was willing to do, for the power she'd been born with and grown by draining others. This wasn't a lesser being who she could crush so easily.
And maybe that had been thrilling a moment ago, but it was starting to bother her. She bent the world and everyone in it to her will on a daily basis. It existed with her boot on its neck, and she suffocated and squeezed it for all it was worth, but Vergil existed outside of her grip and just turned around to walk away from her. Like she was nothing. Rage burned in the pit of her stomach. "I don't give a fuck about my kind. I don't like being told what I can and can't do." She replied before her temper got the best of her and a flick of her finger blasted away the wall of one of the buildings lining the alley and sent chunks of debris heavy enough to crush a mortal man falling just a few feet ahead of him. "And I don't like when people walk away from me,"
Which was exactly why Mona stood her ground. She was done trailing after him. He was treating her the way she treated everyone else, and at this point, she would rather he just try to kill her than act like she was nothing. "Listen, asshole, I don't want to work with someone else either, but you either want to get this done, or you want to sit around jerking off instead." She certainly wasn't about to let his stubbornness get in her way. "I know there are a few things needed to open the gates, and I know how to get them. You have the balls to go kidnap a god?" Nymphs hardly counted as gods in her mind though, daughter of Zeus and a titan or not. She'd easily be able to subdue the keeper herself, but she was going to need Vergil for what came after.
She really was pushing his buttons. But Vergil knew better than to react right away. Something about her was putting him off, yet still sparked interest. The fact she's been following him around, and now has faced him with a pretty laid back facial expression made him realize there's something more behind all of this and he hoped, for her sake, she'll reveal it soon because his patience did run thin.
Vergil held his stance, gaze heavy and unbothered as he looked her down. But once the stranger woman began talking about gates of Hell, how he hasn't been able to open them yet made him groan in the back of his throat. At the mention of who she truly is Vergil's hand gripped tighter onto the handle of his katana. A fucking witch that wanted to work alongside with him? Once she finally introduced herself to him, another grumble followed - she knew too much for his liking.
Taking a step back in a swift motion he pulled back his katana, holding it straightened along his leg, still not talking and just piercing through her with his cold blue eyes. "Can't say I share the sentiment."he huffed, it wasn't a pleasure for him, that's for sure. Finally, with a deep breath and another quick motion he put the katana back into it's saya. "And I know better than to have a witch meddle in my business. I work alone and I can't state that enough."he commented and turned on the heel of his boot to start walking down the alley. But he knew, deep down, she won't back away just like that. And his curiosity did itch a little. "What does a witch even have to do with gates of Hell? I thought your kind doesn't work in that sort of direction?"he asked, loud enough for her to hear but not stopping or turning to grace her with his attention.
He'd been watching her. For days, he'd had eyes on Aspen, lurking in the shadows at the edge of her world. Akira felt like he was losing his mind without seeing her, without even speaking to her. She hadn't reached out. And it was driving him mad. He was supposed to be with the rest of the band in the studio, but all he'd been able to think about lately was getting the taste of her on his tongue again. The studio could wait. It wasn't like the band was going to do anything without him anyway. He was their magic. They'd never have been elevated to the level they were without him.
A level that he should have been enjoying himself. He should have been reveling in the adoration that was only growing after the world had finally seen them perform live. He wanted to be reveling in it. But he couldn't. Instead, he was watching Aspen. He was watching her go about her days. He was watching her not try to call or text him, and when he saw her step out of her front door clearly dressed for a night out, he decided that he'd had more than enough. She couldn't keep just acting like he wasn't there.
Trailing someone wasn't hard. He'd been hunting for centuries. Getting past the door was even easier. Moving through the crowd too quickly to be noticed, he'd tucked himself into a booth in the corner. For once, he didn't want to be the center of attention. He planned on waiting a little while to see what her goal here was, though his entire body had gone tense and ready to strike when he saw some pathetic little man zero in on his lamb. Shadows abandoned, he appeared behind the blonde, and he didn't even have to threaten the fool who thought he could have a piece of what Akira had already claimed. Just the glare was enough. Although it shifted to a smirk when she proclaimed that she was spoken for. It remained as such when she finally turned to look at him.
"Don't be silly. Sometimes I project images of the horrible death I'm planning for them into their minds." He replied, all too pleased with himself. Just as quickly though, his smirk dropped. He stepped forward to crowd her without a second thought. Respecting personal space had never been his strong suit, least of all with Aspen. "What are you doing here? This isn't your kind of club." They were all...human. What could she possibly be pursuing here when she'd had tastes of other worlds?
status: closed
for: @satcnized
it wasn't often that aspen dared venture out to a nightclub or other such place. she felt like she was crawling out of her skin and needed to do something. especially since it had been a good month or so since she had seen or heard from akira. she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. he still confused her endlessly in more than one way. she never imagined that they would become so tangled up in one another after that one night.
she had opted to have some liquid courage before going on the dance floor. after a few dances, she wanted to catch her breath. though she never imagined that some random guy would approach her. she had seen his friends all watching from their booth. it was clear they were plastered and she was frozen. it had been what felt like an eternity since someone had expressed any sort of interest.
before she was able to even utter a single word, she felt a presence behind her. her heart seemed to kick start as she noticed the guy's expression change. the blonde inhaled sharply," sorry, i'm..spoken for." her head turned to see that she was right in her assumption," do you just glare? to get your way?"