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Zalvetta panted and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, looking down at the blood coating his skin. With his jaw broken and the bullet wound bleeding profusely he could feel his movement slow and his head begin to fog. Still, he had been hurt worse in the past and with a heavy breath he stood from his crouched position, spitting out a mouthful of blood before picking up another weapon - this time, a sharp, curved dagger.
Ashe was no longer a threat, slipping in and out of consciousness and barely able to move. Zalvetta could clearly see how worn down the white haired girl was and scoffed. How weak humans were. Looking at Thog, he noticed the glint of something dark in those cold black eyes. Even surrounded by the dead - or severely injured - he still had his arm locked, gun aimed directly at Zalvetta’s chest.
He had to commend the thug for that, still standing and unwavering while his friends were dying around him. Zalvetta smiled, a plan of attack forming in his mind, until he heard the crunching of leaves in the underbrush and the steady beat of footsteps on grass. That pace…
The menacing smile quickly grew when he saw Xin approach from the tree line. Finally, the spirit showed his face. Xin calmly strode into the clearing, flowers blooming behind him as always. He approached Thog and the crumpled, bloody mess that was Ashe and let out a sigh.
Crouching, Xin opened Ashe’s pack and carefully laid the ban mask across her face, brushing back her white hair almost tenderly. Zalvetta’s grin vanished at the action, suddenly disgusted. How could he care so much for that abomination of a creature?
In a flash, Zalvetta moved to Thog’s side, and before the man could react, the sharp edging of the dagger was cutting into flesh. With a cuss, the thug dropped his gun as he stepped away, holding the gash. Zalvetta leaned down, swiftly snatching the gun away and hooking it into a strap on his side. Thog glared.
Xin, satisfied with Ashe’s state, stood as he looked at Zalvetta. “Okay, you’ve got my attention. What did you want me for?”
“Well, normally I would just love your head on a silver platter - but right now? I think I want hers more.”
Zalvetta grinned at Xin as he gestured with the bloodied dagger to Ashe’s prone form. The grinding of Thog’s teeth was audible and Zalvetta looked at him with an insincere pout.
“Awwww, this one isn't happy with that idea. It’s okay, though, I'll take your head, too, soon enough.”
“I thought you only did that for the ban masks,” Thog grumbled.
“I can make an exception,” he muttered, voice flat as he looked back to Xin. “So, who’s first? Your dear ‘sister’? Or the one with the gun?”
Xin hummed, letting his eyes close as he released a soft sigh. “Why must you put me through this, Zalvetta? You don't want to hurt these two, you want me. Why don’t you stop playing around?”
“Oh, but Xin! Isn't it so much better like this? What, didn't you like my presents?” As if to make his point, Zalvetta kicked at one of the corpses, the ban’s head rolling to the side as the mask fell to the grass. Gracefully, Zalvetta picked it up, turning it over in his hand.
“Why do you always keep them silent? Is that why you loathe me, Xin? Because I’m free to disobey?”
Xin stayed silent, though the ninja swore he saw annoyance flicker through his golden eyes for a mere moment. Looking back, Zalvetta grinned and walked over to stand next to Xin, all the while his gaze never leaving Ashe. He slung the mask onto his belt, alongside the thug’s gun.
“Why her?” he kicked at Ashe and, without hesitating, caught the sword Thog threw at him by the hilt with his free hand and held it tightly.
“She has potential,” Xin hummed.
“You said that about me once.”
Xin tilted his head, appraising the boy through half-lidded eyes. “You made your choice. You picked your side.”
“Well, you made it clear that there was no home for me here.” The ninja’s grip on the dagger tightened. Xin looked at him and sighed.
“Play nicely,” he said, simply walking off. Zalvetta glared and tossed his dagger, the blade digging hard into a tree mere inches from Xin’s head. The spirit hummed and continued walking, unfazed by the ninja’s actions and once more disappearing into the forest, flowers following his path.
Zalvetta cussed a second time and looked over to Thog then to Ashe. "If I'm going to kill you, I'm going to make him watch."
And then he was lost to the shadows once more.