Chapter Text
“What the fuck.”
A deep laugh follows. “My, what foul language from an esteemed artiste such as yourself.”
“I can do without the sarcasm, thank you. Is that really the best solution?”
“I assure you, all potential scenarios and risks were considered before reaching this conclusion. Are you worried, perhaps?”
“Well, yeah. This is a very high level of danger to put them through. I don’t want them to get hurt.”
“While your concern for our favorite hunter is, of course, commendable, pray tell, do you believe they’re incapable of fending for themselves?”
“Listen here, you pompous bas—”
Someone clears their throat, which is slightly muffled by the sound of rolling waves from the open window. A measured voice says, “As much as I’m also not entirely fond of this idea, it may be our best chance at the moment.”
Rafayel sighs and slumps into the sofa. Sylus, sitting next to him, cocks an eyebrow and crosses his legs, opting for a more comfortable lounging position.
“It’s not that I don’t think they’re capable, of course they are,” the painter explains, “but considering the stakes and who we’re trying to protect…” He pauses to look at the men in front of and beside him. “The anxiety’s warranted, you know?”
A hushed moment falls over them, the weight of their silent understanding palpable.
“We’ve reached a point where the N109 Zone would be safer than Linkon for a few days.” A fourth quietly joins them from the kitchen, holding a mug of flowery tea. “This is a risk worth taking, especially when we’re putting all our effort into ensuring their safety.”
Zayne nods solemnly. “Xavier’s correct. If there truly were other avenues to consider, they would’ve already been presented to us one way or another.”
“Well, gentlemen, it seems we’re in agreement,” Sylus declares. “Shall we discuss the details of this operation? It would be best to debrief you on the facts I’ve compiled far.”
“Which is clearly a lot,” the hunter responds knowingly. “Don’t think I didn’t register your robot spy perched up in a tree that time in the forest.”
Rafayel flails and sits back up, eyes wide and glaring to his left. “Pause. You’ve literally been stalking them?”
Sylus scoffs in indignant annoyance. He counters, “Kindly keep in mind Mephisto is a helpful confidant and more than just metal. You should thank him, really, for the intel he’s gathered that will now aid us in this convoluted situation.”
“Does hacking into our personal phones also count as ‘gathering intel’ so you could set up this meeting to begin with?”
“Would you have preferred I sent the so-called ‘robot spy’ to deliver an anonymous note for our rendezvous? My apologies for the oversight.”
As the other three continue to toss biting comments at one another, Zayne releases a tired sigh and pinches the space between his eyes.
This better fucking work.
“I should kill you, you know.”
“Mhm, you’re more than welcome to try.”
“I’m serious, you giant weapon of mass destruction with legs.”
“Your comebacks are becoming much more creative. Good job.”
“Must you be so patronizing? Or is this your default setting like your robot bird?”
“As I’ve reminded you many times before, his name is Mephisto and you should refer to him as such.”
“Yeah yeah, never mind that for a sec. What did you possibly expect would happen when you tried to brute-force them into resonating with you? Multiple times, even? What kind of psychotic method is that?”
“Trust that I have my reasons, as I’m sure you both have yours for your own individual decisions.”
“I don’t know, as their work partner, I think your approach could use some…polishing, to put it nicely.”
“Is that so? Feel free to impart your wisdom, then, Sir Top Rank of the Hunters Association. I’m certainly all ears.”
“Hey, no need to sugarcoat when Mr. Big Boss clearly has no fucking clue what he’s doing.”
“Alright, see here, you insolent brat—”
Zayne closes his eyes and sighs for the umpteenth time, tightening his grip on a glass of water. His headache has arguably, unsurprisingly, gotten worse today. No amount of ibuprofen or white noise from the beach right outside could numb the tension in his temples from the incessant bickering. It’s a miracle nothing and nobody has become broken.
“Gentlemen,” he says calmly but firmly. Everyone stops and looks at him, attentive. “It’s safe to say that this covert mission of ours was a success, yes? Our objectives were reached and, most importantly, they are unharmed.” They all nod. “Then how about we postpone the in-fighting for a bit? I can only assume it’s been a taxing endeavor for us all.”
Silence. Rafayel breaks it first. “Yeah, you’re right. We can save the insults for later. From this secret assignment to the nonsense I deal with at work, I need to sleep for 10 business days.”
“Hm, quite. I heard through the grapevine some enticing information that came out of your most recent event appearance.”
“The grapevine being…your adoptive twin children?” Xavier smirks.
Sylus almost barks out a laugh. “If you can remember Mephisto’s name while deliberately choosing not to use it as a running joke—because I know you most certainly do—you can also remember Luke and Kieran’s.”
“Oh,” blue and pink eyes sparkle as he speaks, “don’t even get me started . Thomas has been going up a wall after I tore some moronic clown to shreds that evening. I swear this guy was so—”
Zayne chuckles to himself as he watches the trio seamlessly move into a new topic, also listening with rapt attention.
These people were going to shed so many years off his lifespan, weren’t they?