Missing Jigsaw Pieces
Dec. 17th, 2024 04:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamerMain Points:
Buffy/Devil May Cry
Chapter Summary: Xander, Buffy, and Willow work on the other half of the plan.
Word Count: 2071
Rating: Teen
It’s cool, actually, being here after hours. Like staying in a school after light’s out. The fog just makes it that much cozier, in a creepy sort of way, like huddling up in your room when it’s raining. He doesn’t really remember that, not specifically, and it probably was freakier at the time than he remembers it. His instincts were probably telling him, at the time, ‘danger, here, danger’, only he didn’t have the tools to deal with it, yet. What he remembers is like being up when no one else is, in the dark of the hotel, navigating perfectly and feeling oh-so-alive.
That’s only some of the time, though. He keeps catching a glimpse of a clown, and not just any clown, but the one from that birthday party, like it’s been stalking him all these years, and it’s just the fact that Buffy hasn’t reacted yet that hasn’t gotten him Shadowstepping right next to that jerk and smacking him in the face. If he was real, if he really was a threat, Slayer instincts would be right there being jumpy with him. As it is, it’s probably some sort of illusion, and he is very, very sick of mental-power demons. Not that he’s ever been fond of them, but, you know. Traumatic experiences, and all that. Shaede would be a nice change of pace, but he doesn’t sense any anywhere nearby.
And honestly, why not go from one incredibly disturbing thought to another? It’ll take his mind off the first for sure. “Doubt it, at least not the ones that’ve been fed. There’s some kind of...digestion process, I guess? Souls metabolized to power. But Giles seemed to think that this Ethan guy was keeping some sort of stockpile just in case he had issues finding victims for a while, so those are probably fine.”
“I’m going to punch him extra for that,” Buffy decides, and that’s entirely fair. And then she punches the clown-illusion, which is all the excuse Xander needs to really take out his aggression, because it’s not the only thing appearing out of the fog. Some of the others look like the various carnival workers, which is kind of depressing, in a way, because they’d shown him a good time during the day, and he didn’t wish them any harm. On the other hand, he’s pretty sure they’re bound spirits. It’s a nice workout, some good practice for keeping up a rhythm with Krotos, which is good because he’d barely put in any with the guy. They’re not fully physically here, but they’re present enough in this world to hit, which is good enough.
Willow’s a little more timid, but she’s also determined to prove herself, and the Witch’s Heart is also amplifying her telekinesis powers to the point she can actually pick up and throw some of their attackers, so she’s even keeping up.
That doesn’t stop her from getting existential and depressed on them after they’ve fought their way through. “What happens to the people that have pieces missing from their soul?” Willow asks again, and oof, hitting them with all the big ones tonight, huh?
He’s gotta shrug. He’s not going to voice the possibility that maybe that’s what got thrown at them in the first place, just now. The one to ask would be Giles, because he’s the one with more knowledge about this kind of thing, and he’s the one who’s walking around with less than a full cookie right now.
Surprisingly, it’s Buffy who actually has an answer, here. “Think Giles mentioned something about souls being able to heal, but it’s probably really slow, and it’s gotta suck in the meantime.”
They’re all silent for a moment, remembering the dull look in the guy’s eyes. The former Watcher’s strong for being able to push past that, but—and here’s another disturbing thought—maybe it’s not the first time, for him.
Willow speaks up again. “I’m just, um. I’m really nervous. I’ve never actually summoned a demon before. So I’m worried I’m going to make a mess of it.”
“Hey, it’s good practice. Especially since you’re actually kind of supposed to mess this one up, so you can learn what not to do,” he reasons. She still looks nervous. Whatever, the logic makes perfect sense to him.
“You sure you’re good with, uh, staff-boy there?” Buffy clarifies, obviously having noticed he was a little rusty, and okay, yeah, they’re all concerned about this plan, apparently, but it’s not like they really had a better one.
“Hey, Krotos is great. I have used him before.” Not, like, when they were around, other than just now, but still, strong and quietly supportive Satyr is great. He is kinda tricky, sure, but with the guy murmuring the right tempo, he can pull it off. “Don’t worry, I am taking this seriously. Just don’t want to neglect anyone, really.” Krotos feels quietly confident, and he’s worked out a system with Gjallar she’s fairly sure they can pull off, so. (And, yeah, some of it might be distraction because otherwise he’d be worrying about Kryvi and Kryvi in Giles’ hands and Kryvi in Ethan’s hands, so. This will hopefully keep him present enough to actually be paying attention to the fight like he should be.)
She’s good with Fragarach. He’s seen her. He’s not sure if the Fae let her keep the sword because Buffy had acted like it was normal enough that none of them really questioned it, or because she was good enough that they were actually kind of flattered by it all, or if they felt that a debt was owed, but in any case none of them had asked for it back or anything in trade, so he’s about to mention it just in case that prompts any of them to rethink their choices. And as much as she loves playing around, she also likes using what works.
Honestly, they’re probably most worried about Willow; sure, she’s been practicing, and in terms of absolute power she probably blows them both out of the water, but the last time she’d actually managed that she’d kind of been in berserk mode, and her confidence since then had just sort of...evaporated. Though the artifact she’d been given might be just enough to give her an edge? He’s gotta hope.
And hey, there’s something else. “Besides, you figure out how to pull off demon-summoning, you might be able to summon me. It’d be good for long-distance teleportation. It might not work, given, y’know, half-human, but it’s worth the try, right?” If anything, Willow looks even more disturbed. He is trying, he really is, but she’s always been something of a tough audience.
Still, they’ve actually reached the stage, the center of the big circus tent, because they figured while that might not be where most of the soul-sucking is going on, the tent-shape helped channel the power of the audience and would serve as a hell of a magical conduit. Just like they’d suspected, there’s an area of the dirt that looks different than the rest, which probably means this is where the possessed body was buried.
For all her nerves, Willow isn’t showing a trace of it at the moment, quickly getting them to work drawing the large circle in the dirt with knives they’ve been given around her as she starts to chant. He vaguely recognizes some of it as Hebrew, even if he can’t actually remember what anything she’s actually saying means, from hanging out with her Before. He’s pretty sure some of it isn’t actually in any language, but for all he knows it’s some really obscure language he’s never learned. Her voice is steady and confident, and from the way Buffy gets ready with her sword, she feels the rising power, too.
And then comes the voice as the hand starts clawing through the ground. “Were you so eager for your deaths that you woke me early?”
“You sure you’re all rested up? You’re still looking a little groggy to me,” Buffy taunts as it rises, plunging Fragarach straight through the flesh. And yeah, the demon definitely looks more integrated with the dead body, scales and claws and a tail and crown-like horns sweeping back even as the flesh hangs in flaps and strings. The only thing that matches Giles’ description is the pinprick gold of the eyes.
He can’t let Buffy outdo him here, either. “You want to take a dirt nap, we’d be happy to oblige.” He sounds Gjallar; speed might be important when using Krotos. And then he blurs into action, throwing her skyward as she turns into the hellraven and timing his steps precisely with her calls to smack the body in rhythm.
Behind them, Willow’s voice raises. He’s healing faster than even a Slayer, which could be a problem, catching Fragarach as Buffy attempts to behead him and sending her skidding across the ground. The smug look the demon’s sending in their direction probably has to do with the fact that he’s counting on an undead army as backup, but they will, shortly, have that route entirely cut off. It was maybe a bit of a danger not putting up the shield first, but unfortunately they couldn’t, not and resurrect him.
And sure, he’s unfinished, but so was the Amalgam. Waiting until Ethan finished wasn’t an option; he’s not quite at the point he can fight an Ancient at full strength, and he’s pretty sure neither Buffy nor Willow could, either. This is still a risk, all of it is, just less of one.
He launches himself at Eyghon’s unprotected back as the tail wraps around the sword and Buffy’s arm, in danger of dislocating the shoulder or pulling Fragarach out of her hands, but a claw swings around in his direction and he finds himself skidding backwards in the air. Oh, right, telekinesis, what a pain. And then he slams into something midair, slamming into the ground, and coughs out some blood. His form flickers.
“Xander!” Willow screams, and yeah okay, he gets it, he has the same panic any time something happens to the other two, but they can’t afford to be distracted like this.
“Help Buffy!” he insists, because he’ll be good. He just needs to catch his breath.
Fortunately, she does, after a brief moment of hesitation, the amulet beginning to glow as she punches the air in a flurry that does, actually hit the demon. Neat, telepathy on their side, too.
That’s the thing, really. He hadn’t mentioned it, because he knew they’d worry. A little messed up timing, no big deal. He gets too off timing, and it’s him that pays the price, even as Krotos exclaims with concern. And that might’ve been him getting arrogant about it all, because starting with an increase in speed means he needs to maintain that, and that’s a really rookie mistake. Fortunately, with this, he can reestablish a tempo, and he’s thinking maybe he should go slow and steady.
A flap from Gjallar’s wings doesn’t knock the demon over, but the burst of wind does mess with its balance, which helps Buffy. And then Gjallar dives into his arms, changing into the carved horn, and he sounds twice, once to further weaken Eyghon and once to summon a flock of her brothers and sisters before he dives right back into the fight, wind platforms Willow makes speeding him right along (and, given the spacing, helping him out with the whole tempo thing).
The demon starts laughing, but a quick glance at the circle shows the zombies buried under the grounds are still outside, slowly pounding their fists against it—
The platform below his feet disappears, but he’s able to smack the ground in time to prevent yet another inconsistent beat.
“I don’t only have to control the dead, you fools,” the demon crows, pretty much confirming Xander’s theory, delighted and barely even noticing the sword sticking out of its torso, again.
He glances over to see—Willow, falling backward, the tail having smacked her in the face hard enough to knock her out. So she can be possessed. Crap, she’s going to be either really guilty or really mad about this.
Buffy/Devil May Cry
Chapter Summary: Xander, Buffy, and Willow work on the other half of the plan.
Word Count: 2071
Rating: Teen
“Is this going to bring back the soul pieces, do you think?” Willow whispers. She probably doesn’t actually need to; it’s not like anyone’s really around, anyway, but Xander gets the impulse.
It’s cool, actually, being here after hours. Like staying in a school after light’s out. The fog just makes it that much cozier, in a creepy sort of way, like huddling up in your room when it’s raining. He doesn’t really remember that, not specifically, and it probably was freakier at the time than he remembers it. His instincts were probably telling him, at the time, ‘danger, here, danger’, only he didn’t have the tools to deal with it, yet. What he remembers is like being up when no one else is, in the dark of the hotel, navigating perfectly and feeling oh-so-alive.
That’s only some of the time, though. He keeps catching a glimpse of a clown, and not just any clown, but the one from that birthday party, like it’s been stalking him all these years, and it’s just the fact that Buffy hasn’t reacted yet that hasn’t gotten him Shadowstepping right next to that jerk and smacking him in the face. If he was real, if he really was a threat, Slayer instincts would be right there being jumpy with him. As it is, it’s probably some sort of illusion, and he is very, very sick of mental-power demons. Not that he’s ever been fond of them, but, you know. Traumatic experiences, and all that. Shaede would be a nice change of pace, but he doesn’t sense any anywhere nearby.
And honestly, why not go from one incredibly disturbing thought to another? It’ll take his mind off the first for sure. “Doubt it, at least not the ones that’ve been fed. There’s some kind of...digestion process, I guess? Souls metabolized to power. But Giles seemed to think that this Ethan guy was keeping some sort of stockpile just in case he had issues finding victims for a while, so those are probably fine.”
“I’m going to punch him extra for that,” Buffy decides, and that’s entirely fair. And then she punches the clown-illusion, which is all the excuse Xander needs to really take out his aggression, because it’s not the only thing appearing out of the fog. Some of the others look like the various carnival workers, which is kind of depressing, in a way, because they’d shown him a good time during the day, and he didn’t wish them any harm. On the other hand, he’s pretty sure they’re bound spirits. It’s a nice workout, some good practice for keeping up a rhythm with Krotos, which is good because he’d barely put in any with the guy. They’re not fully physically here, but they’re present enough in this world to hit, which is good enough.
Willow’s a little more timid, but she’s also determined to prove herself, and the Witch’s Heart is also amplifying her telekinesis powers to the point she can actually pick up and throw some of their attackers, so she’s even keeping up.
That doesn’t stop her from getting existential and depressed on them after they’ve fought their way through. “What happens to the people that have pieces missing from their soul?” Willow asks again, and oof, hitting them with all the big ones tonight, huh?
He’s gotta shrug. He’s not going to voice the possibility that maybe that’s what got thrown at them in the first place, just now. The one to ask would be Giles, because he’s the one with more knowledge about this kind of thing, and he’s the one who’s walking around with less than a full cookie right now.
Surprisingly, it’s Buffy who actually has an answer, here. “Think Giles mentioned something about souls being able to heal, but it’s probably really slow, and it’s gotta suck in the meantime.”
They’re all silent for a moment, remembering the dull look in the guy’s eyes. The former Watcher’s strong for being able to push past that, but—and here’s another disturbing thought—maybe it’s not the first time, for him.
Willow speaks up again. “I’m just, um. I’m really nervous. I’ve never actually summoned a demon before. So I’m worried I’m going to make a mess of it.”
“Hey, it’s good practice. Especially since you’re actually kind of supposed to mess this one up, so you can learn what not to do,” he reasons. She still looks nervous. Whatever, the logic makes perfect sense to him.
“You sure you’re good with, uh, staff-boy there?” Buffy clarifies, obviously having noticed he was a little rusty, and okay, yeah, they’re all concerned about this plan, apparently, but it’s not like they really had a better one.
“Hey, Krotos is great. I have used him before.” Not, like, when they were around, other than just now, but still, strong and quietly supportive Satyr is great. He is kinda tricky, sure, but with the guy murmuring the right tempo, he can pull it off. “Don’t worry, I am taking this seriously. Just don’t want to neglect anyone, really.” Krotos feels quietly confident, and he’s worked out a system with Gjallar she’s fairly sure they can pull off, so. (And, yeah, some of it might be distraction because otherwise he’d be worrying about Kryvi and Kryvi in Giles’ hands and Kryvi in Ethan’s hands, so. This will hopefully keep him present enough to actually be paying attention to the fight like he should be.)
She’s good with Fragarach. He’s seen her. He’s not sure if the Fae let her keep the sword because Buffy had acted like it was normal enough that none of them really questioned it, or because she was good enough that they were actually kind of flattered by it all, or if they felt that a debt was owed, but in any case none of them had asked for it back or anything in trade, so he’s about to mention it just in case that prompts any of them to rethink their choices. And as much as she loves playing around, she also likes using what works.
Honestly, they’re probably most worried about Willow; sure, she’s been practicing, and in terms of absolute power she probably blows them both out of the water, but the last time she’d actually managed that she’d kind of been in berserk mode, and her confidence since then had just sort of...evaporated. Though the artifact she’d been given might be just enough to give her an edge? He’s gotta hope.
And hey, there’s something else. “Besides, you figure out how to pull off demon-summoning, you might be able to summon me. It’d be good for long-distance teleportation. It might not work, given, y’know, half-human, but it’s worth the try, right?” If anything, Willow looks even more disturbed. He is trying, he really is, but she’s always been something of a tough audience.
Still, they’ve actually reached the stage, the center of the big circus tent, because they figured while that might not be where most of the soul-sucking is going on, the tent-shape helped channel the power of the audience and would serve as a hell of a magical conduit. Just like they’d suspected, there’s an area of the dirt that looks different than the rest, which probably means this is where the possessed body was buried.
For all her nerves, Willow isn’t showing a trace of it at the moment, quickly getting them to work drawing the large circle in the dirt with knives they’ve been given around her as she starts to chant. He vaguely recognizes some of it as Hebrew, even if he can’t actually remember what anything she’s actually saying means, from hanging out with her Before. He’s pretty sure some of it isn’t actually in any language, but for all he knows it’s some really obscure language he’s never learned. Her voice is steady and confident, and from the way Buffy gets ready with her sword, she feels the rising power, too.
And then comes the voice as the hand starts clawing through the ground. “Were you so eager for your deaths that you woke me early?”
“You sure you’re all rested up? You’re still looking a little groggy to me,” Buffy taunts as it rises, plunging Fragarach straight through the flesh. And yeah, the demon definitely looks more integrated with the dead body, scales and claws and a tail and crown-like horns sweeping back even as the flesh hangs in flaps and strings. The only thing that matches Giles’ description is the pinprick gold of the eyes.
He can’t let Buffy outdo him here, either. “You want to take a dirt nap, we’d be happy to oblige.” He sounds Gjallar; speed might be important when using Krotos. And then he blurs into action, throwing her skyward as she turns into the hellraven and timing his steps precisely with her calls to smack the body in rhythm.
Behind them, Willow’s voice raises. He’s healing faster than even a Slayer, which could be a problem, catching Fragarach as Buffy attempts to behead him and sending her skidding across the ground. The smug look the demon’s sending in their direction probably has to do with the fact that he’s counting on an undead army as backup, but they will, shortly, have that route entirely cut off. It was maybe a bit of a danger not putting up the shield first, but unfortunately they couldn’t, not and resurrect him.
And sure, he’s unfinished, but so was the Amalgam. Waiting until Ethan finished wasn’t an option; he’s not quite at the point he can fight an Ancient at full strength, and he’s pretty sure neither Buffy nor Willow could, either. This is still a risk, all of it is, just less of one.
He launches himself at Eyghon’s unprotected back as the tail wraps around the sword and Buffy’s arm, in danger of dislocating the shoulder or pulling Fragarach out of her hands, but a claw swings around in his direction and he finds himself skidding backwards in the air. Oh, right, telekinesis, what a pain. And then he slams into something midair, slamming into the ground, and coughs out some blood. His form flickers.
“Xander!” Willow screams, and yeah okay, he gets it, he has the same panic any time something happens to the other two, but they can’t afford to be distracted like this.
“Help Buffy!” he insists, because he’ll be good. He just needs to catch his breath.
Fortunately, she does, after a brief moment of hesitation, the amulet beginning to glow as she punches the air in a flurry that does, actually hit the demon. Neat, telepathy on their side, too.
That’s the thing, really. He hadn’t mentioned it, because he knew they’d worry. A little messed up timing, no big deal. He gets too off timing, and it’s him that pays the price, even as Krotos exclaims with concern. And that might’ve been him getting arrogant about it all, because starting with an increase in speed means he needs to maintain that, and that’s a really rookie mistake. Fortunately, with this, he can reestablish a tempo, and he’s thinking maybe he should go slow and steady.
A flap from Gjallar’s wings doesn’t knock the demon over, but the burst of wind does mess with its balance, which helps Buffy. And then Gjallar dives into his arms, changing into the carved horn, and he sounds twice, once to further weaken Eyghon and once to summon a flock of her brothers and sisters before he dives right back into the fight, wind platforms Willow makes speeding him right along (and, given the spacing, helping him out with the whole tempo thing).
The demon starts laughing, but a quick glance at the circle shows the zombies buried under the grounds are still outside, slowly pounding their fists against it—
The platform below his feet disappears, but he’s able to smack the ground in time to prevent yet another inconsistent beat.
“I don’t only have to control the dead, you fools,” the demon crows, pretty much confirming Xander’s theory, delighted and barely even noticing the sword sticking out of its torso, again.
He glances over to see—Willow, falling backward, the tail having smacked her in the face hard enough to knock her out. So she can be possessed. Crap, she’s going to be either really guilty or really mad about this.
