nifties | You let the Devil in 😈

You let the Devil in 😈

Ever since he agreed to go on this trip with Zari, his mind's been turning over and over about it. Technically, yes, the Legends are adults. Some of them even managed to survive for years without them aboard (which seems miraculous now.) But that doesn't make it any easier for him to leave his hatchlings, no matter how many speeches Sara has about how they only live once and they should go enjoy themselves. And he knows Ava has pulled Zari aside to essentially say the same thing just in a more Ava type way.

The thing is, even when John is running away, it's never for long and he's usually only pretending to dick off. As he thinks back over the years, has he ever taken a real vacation? Ever? Something creepy or crawly always manages to find him wherever he goes and that's weighing heavily on his mind as well. If the team will be safe without him, will Zari be safe with him?

He keeps starting and stopping packing, not like it matters when he knows Zari is going to make him get a whole different wardrobe the second they're alone. He's been avoiding that one for long enough so he's kind of resigned to the whole affair honestly. Packing means leaving though, indefinitely the way his life goes. What if they damage the timeline by being out there together? And again, what if the Legends really really need them??

Yeah, so he's spiraling. When Zari finds him, he'll be pacing the length of his room back and forth - back and forth. Every time he crosses his suitcase, he drops something new in and/or takes something out so that the job never actually gets finished. He's so absorbed in his weird, manic ritual that he doesn't even notice her coming in until she's right in front of him. Her sudden appearance (from his perspective) actually makes him jump before he manages to focus his foggy gaze on her.

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He shifts off of her just an inch so she can get her drink, enjoying being able to see her whole face when she starts that he holds his position, fingers drawing tiny patterns into her skin as she talks. Already, it seems to fit the narrative he's made for himself surrounding Behrad and Zari, pleasantly so. He takes the time she gives him to process gratefully before nodding a moment later to signal he's ready for more.

Zari nods, jumping back in to the story picking up. "One day a foreign man appeared at his doorstep. He was badly wounded and near death. Tarazi only had enough supplies to help his daughter with the impending birth and yet that didn't stop him from treating the man." There is reverence in Zari's voice. It'll be clear why in a second. "His daughter was terrified, but he reassured her. How can I ask God for help when I turn away the one he set in my path? His daughter accepted his words because even in her vulnerable state, she knew her father's words were righteous and true." Zari smiles as it gets better. "Within seconds, the man recovered. He stood up and thanked them for their bravery. As it turns out, he was no man, but an angel sent to travel from war to war to find one who would be worthy of the gift he carried with him."

Zari holds out her hand. "He held out a gold necklace to the pair. They both had great faith in times of trial; both were worthy to wield the power within that necklace. Its power had already brought peace in another land before its wielders became corrupt. It surely would again for them." Zari says it with much hope before the gut punch hits. "But, the angel warned the power would come with a price. In order to assure the wielders would never become corrupt again, a fallen wielder would be bound to the necklace after their death. They could only be released when the next wielder succumbed to death. Their role would be to guide the next bearer and ensure they only used their power to bring peace and right wrongs. Failure was not an option."

Zari takes a breath to deliver the next line with all the gravity it deserves. "And Tarazi, an elderly man, took the necklace and became the first wielder of the air totem." She pauses there, waiting to see what John makes of this. She didn't believe any of it until it came her turn to wield the totem. Zari knows now she's not just telling a story, but describing her fate and Behrad's. This is the destiny both of them will inherit.

By the time she's finished, John's grip has tightened on her leg, evolving into a protective clutch while dark eyes pierce hers. It's like a parable from the Bible except all the more terrifying when it's her own family - now his. He swallows, feeling like the air has been stolen from his lungs and the voice from his throat, but he knows he has to say something. It makes him feel naive for not understanding why Zari Tomaz cannot simply rest as her spirit should. She's not so much possessing his Zari as... guiding her, a duty Behrad and she will apparently share one day.

"I... that's-" John gives up his lazy sprawl and pushes off of her to sit up and look her properly in the eye. He glances down apologetically at where he's holding onto her leg almost too tightly and lets go in favor of taking her free hand in both of his. "Maybe a bit too exciting for a bedtime story."

She doesn't realize this story might not sound so sweet him until it's too late. Zari frowns as his grip threatens to get too tight even for her. Thankfully he releases it before she has to say something. She gently squeezes his hand, searching John for any sign why this would be such a concern of his. "Okay." She doesn't bothering covering the confusion up. Zari can't say she had no idea going in that using the totem would cost something. She made peace with it for Behrad's sake as she would anything. "So family history is out. I could tell you about the wolf and the fortuneteller?"

He snorts at her cluelessness, leaning in to kiss her sweetly and briefly. There's a soft smile on his face as he pulls back, adoration shining bright in his eyes.

"No, I only meant... how are you even more amazing than I knew you were?" In a way, it makes things easier for them, doesn't it? Both of their souls are spoken for after death which makes it almost impossible to do anything but live in the present. He helps her put her cup back down then slips one arm around her waist, dragging her in closer. "Thank you for telling me."

She returns the kiss without any demand, simply happy for the contact. Zari blushes at the compliment. It's unexpected because she doesn't think of what she did as amazing. If she hadn't used the totem, John would be dead. How can she regret the consequences that come with that?

Zari's eyes fill up with warmth and love for this ridiculous man, snuggling against him shamelessly. "You're welcome. You know you can ask me anything too, right?" She reaches up to shove an annoying piece of hair back down. "I promise I'm not actually trying to keep secrets."

He holds her tight against him, his other hand snaking around her shoulders.

"I know that," he admits, resting the side of his face against hers. "You know I've never been a patient man, but... with you, it feels like we have all the time in the world to learn one another." He's glad he's hiding his face as he says it, but he means every word.

Edited 2020-10-25 21:22 (UTC)

Her hand falls to rest on his thigh, squeezing gently. The words wash over her like a warm bath. Zari can't say she feels any differently. It feels like they're in some weird bubble that time can't touch. Sometimes she thinks they have all eternity in spite of John's doom and gloom talk and knowing she'll be bound to that totem for a lifetime. They'll change fate somehow and haven't they already?

"Maybe we do. Time is what we make it." Zari suggests with a soft smile. "Besides, I know us. We'll just find each other again and pick up where we left off." Zari truly believes that. Yes, they're Romeo and Juliet, but they're not kids. They will find a real way to be together somehow regardless of how long it takes.

"Your confidence is ridiculously sexy," he says like it's something she doesn't already know, a hint of tease to his tone though again, he means it heartily. He kisses the side of her face and hugs her tighter, needing another few minutes before he even thinks about letting up. He's still thinking about her being trapped in the totem like Zari 1 is- will she and Behrad be in there together? It would be a small mercy, considering. Though the implications of that alone are scary, too. "I want to believe that, too."

His voice goes a bit scratchy as he lays his head down on her shoulder, breathing deeply of her and taking comfort in her being real and solid against him no matter what the future holds.

A part of her hates the way he doles out affection when the doom and gloom sets in. It feels like he's trying to create something to look back on when she's gone. It's frankly a little depressing. "Then believe it, dummy." Zari chastises. She tellingly doesn't tell him to stop. Unknowingly, Zari outed the tragedy to come for both siblings even if she doesn't think of it as one. It's more like an exchange. She thinks she'll be a good mentor to whatever Tarazi wields the totem next.

"Fate said Behrad gets killed by some psycho in every timeline. We beat that, didn't we? We can do anything together." She reminds him with that sexy confidence John loves so much. "That said? Please keep holding me. It's nice." She sighs contently, eyes fluttering shut.

He pulls back just enough for him to see the widening whites of his eyes, but he obligingly rearranges them so he can stretch out on the couch and still hold her at his side. Both arms wind around her tight and he rests his chin on her head as he tries to just accept things as they are.

"You should know better than to tempt it after what we went through," he points out, but it's hardly a criticism. He will forever be grateful they managed to save Behrad, even if he'll never really be sure it will stick. "That said we are a good team, aren't we?"

It is so cozy. Zari sighs contently as she settles against him, enjoying the weigh of his head on hers. It makes her feel tucked in and safe. She's positive in this instant nothing could hurt her. "The best team. Don't sell us short." She rests a hand on his heart, loving the beat of it against her palm. "You know I love having a partner." She mentions it like it's off-hand and not something straight from her heart.

The proclamation gets under his skin, making him uncomfortable but only in the best way. His heartbeat stutters under her fingers before starting to even out as he settles into the dose of truth she just served him.

"Suppose I do know that," he admits softly, kissing the side of her face as he fights not to disappear into his own head and remain in the moment. He's worked with a lot of people, and he never was totally strong enough to separate it from the personal, but even so Zari is more. She's so much better than complicated and suppressed feelings, all amplified by the rather specific type of life-or-death that comes with his day job. "I'll still spend my life wondering how you came to choose me for that title." Or at least, as much of it as he's lucky enough to spend with her.

She feels that little jump and hopes for the best. John doesn't disappoint her. Zari smiles at the kiss, leaning into it shamelessly like the needy girlfriend she is. His answer is completely unsurprising though Zari tsks at him. "What's to wonder? The high quality cuddles pretty much guarantee we're in this for the long haul." That's a silly answer as much as it is true. "Just appreciate it, silly prince. All this is yours and all you have to do is indulge my every whim. What a small price to pay." Okay still silly, but also true. Zari's not getting any deeper when she wants him to get some sleep before dinner.

He chuckles in her ear, closing his eyes despite himself. John appreciates that they can both be silly around each other, but he can tell the sentiment behind it is real and that's almost too much for him in the moment. Already close to sleep by some miracle, he wraps his legs around hers to trap her in his embrace for the duration of his very short and likely choppy nap.

"I do appreciate it," he admits, drowsiness seeping into his voice as he starts to drift off. "Appreciate you."

John squeezes her in a final hug before passing out like a light, happy for the rest even when he knows it will be short-lived. On some level, he knows the moment he enters the dream, but it still feels very real, much like the one that startled him awake before. John feels himself wake up to a tap at their door and Zari kissing him in brief farewell as she goes to answer it. It's too late by the time he realizes he should have gone in her stead. Who else should be behind it but Nergal come to drag Zari away this time?

He's roused out of his fitful catnap by the actual knock at the door, nearly toppling off the couch as it startles him yet again out of his nightmare. "I've got it," he rushes to tell her though he's still half-asleep, doing his best to gently move her aside so he can get up and to the door before her.

Zari sighs loudly as he traps her. Maybe she might have put away the camera equipment. This is nice too. The way John says he appreciates her combined with his body heat makes Zari feel warm and sleepy anyways. She's out like a light again. Her dreams are as always far away when John is around. Even with the recount of Astra, this is the place she feels most safe.

It's the jerk against her that ultimately wakes Zari up. The knock she very likely would have slept through without John. One eye cracks open as he moves her, yawning gently. "Okay, baby." Zari still moves to get up at a snail's pace, completely oblivious to John trying to beat the door to get ahead of a demon from his nightmares.

John can't help but breathe an actual sigh of relief at how easily she acquiesces, glancing back at her nervously as he shuffles to the door, sure something is amiss even if he doesn't know what it could be. Surely, this is just their delivery boy...? No one else knows they're here. At least, they'd gone to great lengths to try and ensure that would be the case. He's running through spells in the back of his mind, though it's impossible to know what would be the right thing to have handy when he doesn't even know what they're dealing with.

He's worked himself up into a legitimate frenzy by the time he reaches the door, hesitating before grabbing the handle and giving the back of Zari's head a final backwards glance before he yanks it open almost violently. Instead of anything sinister, there's merely a tray with their food on it sitting on the dock. What is notable, however, is the lack of bell boy delivering the items.

"Uh." He wrestles with the idea for a moment, but then decides he can't abide this any longer even if Zari thinks he's completely insane, going to track down his shoes even while he gives the open door another several suspicious looks at intervals a few seconds apart. "I'll be right back."

Zari can sleep through anything, but tension. She starts to sense it the longer John takes to move across the room. It solidifies when the door opens violently. Brown eyes pop up not necessarily for the violence, but the absence of any pleasantries for Ms. Tomaz and her fiance. That is off. John is extra as can be, but she knows employees never skip a chance to get a bonus tip.

She sits up on the couch, turning towards John as he prepares to go. She does think he's insane. There are legitimate excuses. Maybe her insane boyfriend took to long to answer the door. Maybe another guest got pushy with them. "Are you serious?" Zari sighs. Of course he's serious. "Fine, but if you're not back in five minutes I'm going to eat without you." And you know go after him. Actually that part is what she'll do. Zari knows better than to say that or else he might actually try to stop her. She's sensing this is one of those ~have to save everyone~ moments and he'll forget the fact she doesn't need him to save her from demons or whatever.

He nods seriously, back in his floral outfit she's so fond of for whatever reason. John feels like he looks slightly more ridiculous than usual, but he pulls the linen shirt on over it like it's his trenchcoat and he's on a mission. Which he sort of is.

"It's probably nothing," John says more to himself than her as he brushes a kiss across her forehead and makes for the door with a purpose this time. He wheels the food just inside it and scoots his way onto the other side before giving her a final look in farewell. "Start your timer." Predictably, the last thing he does is a big cheesy wink before shutting the door and locking it behind him, casting a protection rune over the doorframe and heading off to retrace the bell boy's footsteps back to the resort.

He'll definitely be gone longer than five minutes, but by the time he reaches the hotel without finding the man, more sinister thoughts go running through his head. What if there was something in the food? Food that Zari pledged to eat without him by now. He doubles back, fear coursing through his veins so that his vision goes spotty as he runs. John is so well out of it, he doesn't even see Zari in his periphery. He startles, hearing her shoes against the dock as he spins on his own heel to face her; eyes glowing gold as that same magic gathers into his palms, albeit with a much different goal in mind. That is, until he really sees her, his heart stuttering with the realization as tears gather behind his eyes - dimming more with each passing second.

"Zari... Zari. Thank God." He pulls her in for a tight embrace, trying desperately to hold back his tears even though this entire thing must seem ridiculously dramatic from her perspective.

He truly looks as ridiculous as he is acting. Zari decides to play along. She grabs her phone and sets the timer for five minutes exactly. She waves him off with a condescending smile to remind John he's being dramatic. Thank God the lack of a bell boy nags at the back of her head enough to make a different choice once the timer goes off. She slips on her matching flats, grabs her purse to toss her phone in, and trails after him. Zari is no master tracker, but she has common sense.

She figures if she heads to the resort she'll stumble across someone who has seen John. He is hard man to miss. All the staff have to go back there at some point. Thankfully she spots the floral print and linen shirt before she ever gets that far. Zari starts to jog to him, smiling when he turns, only to stop at the light show. She raises her hands automatically in defense. Okay now he is actually scaring her. "John!" Her voice betrays her shock, but it's also firm and commanding. Stand down goes unspoken even if her gaze makes it clear to anyone else she'll put his ass down in a second if he doesn't calm down now.

He comes back to himself. Zari immediately forgives John, hands resting against his back to rub soothing circles in for a few seconds. Zari soon glances up at him, gently pushing at his chest to give herself space to think. She can forgive her boyfriend for being jumpy, but he needs to explain himself now. "What the Hell is going on? What aren't you telling me?!" She knows it's something to go from zero to a hundred like this. It pisses her off that he didn't just tell her from the start.

He takes comfort in her while he has it, but isn't surprised when she pulls away either. Thankfully, by the time she asks, he's figured out mostly what's happening.

"I think... I think something tailed us here." John is afraid to speak to what he thinks that something could be, but it only confirms his suspicions further. "Tailed me here, more likely. I need to get my kit." Which is a lot lighter after her intervention with his packing efforts, so he's hoping they have what he needs.

"And what? You thought ditching me in our room to do the whole solo dark knight thing was the right way to handle it?!" Zari snaps at him before taking a breath. He actually did seem to realize that is a bad idea if the glassy eyes are any indication. She can be angry, but only if it's useful. Right now directing her energy towards whatever is stalking John seems useful to her.

"Okay, let's get your kit. We'll talk about your savior complex after we kick their ass for ruining dinner." Zari turns on her heel to immediately to stomp back towards their room.

"I wasn't... ditching you," he protests, hurrying after her as he fails to catch his breath anyway. John rushes to explain, oxygen be damned. "It's- I think it's a fear demon. It got into my head, gave me those dreams. I thought it took the young man who delivered our meal. Still not convinced it didn't, but paranoia is a side effect of the neurotoxin it deals its victims..."

All of this is supposed to be better, somehow. Constantine logic.

Zari spares him an astonished glance. That is horrifying, but also explains a lot. Neither of them seem to have nightmares around the other. Right now he is very clearly freaking in a way John never seems to. He didn't even panic when creatures were literally trying to get past him to eat his girlfriend alive. The only time he seemed concerned was after he brought her heart back online. Like Zari his confidence never seems to waiver.

She finally slows down, taking his hand into her to meet his pace once he catches up. Physiologically speaking human contact does calm people in distress. If he could spread this in some way, she'd have noticed by now. "Okay so something is messing with your head. You definitely need to stay awake now. We might have to go rescue a worker. I can work with this." Zari nods confidently, glad Behrad forced her to take the totem now. Zari knows she'd find a way to fight without it. This will definitely make things easier.

"Obviously this is your area of expertise, but I can be your sounding board. We get the kit and go from there. Just run whatever you think we need to do by me first." She gives his hand a little reassuring squeeze. They've got this.

He glances at the totem when her hand closes over his, squeezing her palm like a lifeline as his wide eyes crash back into hers. John winks, trying to affect his usual confidence like some kind of magical 'fake it til you make it.'

"Right, that book you almost didn't let me bring should have answers. But we have to be careful, the room could be booby-trapped."

John tugs on her hand as they get closer, eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary.

"Best team ever, right?" He's still nervous, but finally starting to calm somewhat even if he insists on taking a lap around the cabana before going back inside with her. He immediately beelines for his bags, trying to ignore the ringing in his head trying to convince him all hope is already lost. Just barely remembering to let go of Zari, he drops the heavy tome onto the bed and starts thumbing through it until he finds the page he's looking for, illustrated horrifically of course. "These ingredients might be challenging to acquire here, though I think I brought some toad's skin and wolfsbane..."

You let the Devil in 😈

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