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self-proclaimed-chaotic-good · 5 years

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Persephone | John Wick x Reader (Ten)

Words: 2427

A/N: How do I do this again? Sorry for the long wait, guys, and thank you for being patient with me. I wanted to finish the rest of the series before posting them and it took longer than I liked it to be. But it’s here. I hope you guys are still with me and I hope that the rest of the chapters were worth the wait.

Previously: Allies are reunited and new enemies are formed as you meet up with the Romanovas, an old ally from your past that wish to aid you, and discover a threat that had been brewing for some time. Gavriil Sokolov, a crime boss that had no involvement in the Underworld until he took over the syndicate from his father, sought to change the system in his favor by influencing other factions and turning on those who hold authority in the Underworld.

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It had been months and John Wick was yet to be found. Winston was allowed to keep his post as the manager of New York’s Continental, but he was hiding something. The Adjudicator knew all too well that he and Wick go way back. But, that was an ongoing problem that they must deal with.

As they stare up at the charred remains of a tall building, owned by the Italian crime syndicate, Brunellos, that were led by a prime candidate for a seat at the Table, they had their resources scouring the area for evidence. Wars between houses and syndicates were a regular occurrence, something that must be dealt with swiftly along with the affiliated members of the High Table. This, however, had gone beyond the rules of the Underworld. This had killed innocent lives that were protected within the walls of this syndicate.

The people of the Underworld knew better than to use such methods that could involve civilians into their affairs. There was a line that separated the Underworld and the civilian world that must not be crossed in order to contain the violence and complex system under the Table and protect those that have no business in that system.

There were cases where civilians had been drawn into the Underworld, making deals with small factions, whether it was for money, power, or protection. There is no issue, unless it involved harming innocents or contracts were broken. The Adjudicator was reluctant to admit that that aspect was not as well monitored as they would like.

With criminals, there were the usual contracts and the Markers that meticulously logged in. With civilians making deals with criminals, it’s another thing. Criminals were all profiled, each official assassin accounted for in their database. Civilians were not. That means that there would rarely be any proof that the deals existed.

The faction that the Adjudicator hired to help them with the investigation and tracking down the perpetrator had found nothing but a single object from the wreckage that could give any leads.

A vorpal blade.

There were many assassins that preferred using blades like these, but this particular design could be none other than Persephone. Persephone who had gone silent for almost five years. Right now, the Adjudicator was leaving their options open, wanting to look into your whereabouts. While you were a knives kind of person, you were also known for gadgets and your involvement in this case were not as far fetch as far as evidence goes.

“Sokolov that bastard!” Rozaliya spat as she watched the news reporting the fire that went off, killing many of its residence.

Nastya sighed into her tea as her daughter began her pacing again. You were at a nearby table, sketching out new ideas for weapons while John had gone back to the Bowery King for further news of her contacts. Nastya had warned them about trusting the king, admitting that Caius is well known for keeping his word and is more trustworthy. The Bowery King, due to building his own kingdom from the ground up, still had the mentality of being outside of the regular Underworld system. A self-made man within a world filled with conglomerate heirs, as he would say.

Due to the Bowery King being your first source of regaining your footing, there were loose ends to be taken care of before you could distance yourself from him. His reasoning of helping you and John was so you could take down the High Table with him. It was an old system that needed reforming, and while he would nod to any plans that you could think of, he felt that your approach were slightly too passive for his liking.

“Yevgeni, could you send a message to the Instructor for me?” you asked the guard.

Yevgeni nodded. “What will it be?”

“Caius knows my former allies and had sent people to round them up. I want an update from them, but make sure that they steer clear from the Bowery as much as possible and also keep their eyes open for any houses making any contact with Sokolov.”

“I’ll be right on it,” he said, looking towards Rozaliya and Nastya to be dismissed.

Rozaliya was too fixated on the TV to notice, so Nastya gave a nod to Yevgeni. “Thank you, Yevgeni,” she said. Once her guard left, she placed her tea cup down and turned to you. “Will you be coming back even after this, or will you leave?”

You thought for a moment. “I’ve thought about it a couple of times and I still don’t exactly know. Travel? Live a simple life with a large greenhouse in the back? But I doubt that it’ll last. I mean, look at what happened to John. Have you two ever stop and wonder what life would be like outside of the Underworld?”

Rozaliya pulled her eyes away from the news and sat next to you. “I’ve come to believe that it’s something that’s crossed most people’s minds here in the Underworld,” she said, “For me, I was born in it, but I often wondered what it would have been like to live… normally. I always had men guarding me and learned how to hold a gun when I was young. The people I meet would be in danger if I were to get close to them, so I wasn’t allowed to make friends outside of this criminal world. It gets lonely being the daughter of a High Table member. Everybody tried to find ways to use me for their advantage.”

You could only imagine what it was like for her growing up. You had a relatively normal childhood until you were brought into the Underworld. From the first week under the Instructor, you learned not to trust everyone and keep your head low. You weren’t allowed to contact your parents or have any attachments to your previous life. Living under the Instructor was suffocating, the only sense of freedom were after you had finished a mission. Then you would have to go back to the theater and start it all over again.

“It was harder when my mother died,” Rozaliya continued, “My father didn’t know what to do and just focused on running the syndicate. When Nastya came around, I hated her, of course. This strange woman comes into our home and tries to take my mother’s place.”

Nastya snorted at the memory, crossing her legs and leaning back in her chair. “She did a background check on me and everything,” she said, almost fondly. “If you do decide to leave the criminal world, we’ll help you, no strings attached.”

“Thank you, but I don’t want to ask too much from you,” you said, looking down at your lap. “Do you think Ophelia killed my parents because I tried to leave?”

“Ophelia was an ambitious and stubborn woman, but she was also impulsive. As soon as she found out that you were breaking away from her control, she did what she thought would hurt you the most… (Y/n), are you trying to say that if you had remained compliant, your parents would still be alive?”

“I know it’s ridiculous. I should know better, yet my mind kept drifting back to it. I just… never mind.” You shake your head, wanting to change the subject. “When should we set up the meeting?”

“As soon as we know Sokolov’s next move and we know where your contacts stand.”

“What are the chances of the High Table working with us on this?”

Nastya sighed. “I’m sure they’re looking into the incident right now. If they call in a meeting with the other members of the Table, I’ll try to mention it, but they will want Rozaliya to answer for agreeing to help Sokolov in the first place.”

“Understandable. We just need our case to be strong.”

“Having John Wick with us would make it harder though,” Rozaliya said.

“Then we don’t tell them about John,” you countered with a shrug.

Rozaliya grimaced, looking towards Nastya for her input. Nastya folded her hands on her lap and let out a long breath. “It’s not going to be easy. We’re already risking it by speaking with him. Associating with an excommunicated assassin isn’t going to help our case,” she said.

“So what you’re saying is to leave him out of this,” you said, frowning.

“I appreciate that after coming back that you’d help with this Sokolov problem and want the High Table rules to be amended,” Nastya said slowly, “but what are you gaining in taking revenge on the High Table with John Wick?”

“I…,” you trailed off.

John was the one that brought you out of the Instructor’s hold, helping you remember and retraining your brain to be even better than its original condition. John and the Bowery King approached you with the idea of helping them and you had no personal qualms with the Table until the problem presented itself to you. After John tried to confront Caius on his own, the both of you agreed to communicate any future plans of that nature. To suddenly exclude John from your plans…

“I’ll let you think about it,” Nastya said, standing up, “I think you should take a step back and think of what you want, disregarding where we and John stand. You’ve had people telling you what to do and watching your every move for most of your life. Think about yourself and for yourself this time. Now, I should go and wait for news from the High Table.”

She walked towards the door, smoothing the back of Rozaliya’s head as she passed. Rozaliya briefly leaned into her touch and gave her a small smile. Once Nastya left, she turned the TV off and turned back to you.

“I know that you and John had grown attached, but I really want you to think about it, okay?” she said.

You nodded.

“I’m sorry, my friend. I wished we had reunited in better circumstances and I would have liked to see you safe and happy.”

“Maybe safe and happy doesn’t exist for people like us.”

Rozaliya gave a tight smile, wanting to disagree, but thought better of it. She had no proof that it did unless you played the game of power and deceit, which would only give you a shield, but not true happiness or protection. Instead, she pulled you in for a hug, resting her chin on your shoulder. In this world of criminals and assassins, friendship is one of the most valuable things a person could have and the both of you need it right now.

Things became more complicated with the reveal of Sokolov’s plans. The mission was no longer attacking the High Table, but stopping Sokolov from crumbling the Underworld to the ground. John was tempted to shoot Sokolov when he had the chance, but knowing that there were other syndicates allying themselves with him and would surely hunt him down. As much as John was good at hunting, he barely made it out alive the moment he was excommunicado.

The Soup Kitchen where the Bowery King and his people hid never felt like a safe haven, but coming back to it now made John’s nerves on edge. The Bowery King was particular about who he associated with and prideful for what he had single handedly accomplished. If things don’t go his way, he’ll shift his alliance and he would have no further use for you or John.

The vans outside of the Soup Kitchen already rings alarm bells. In the eyes of a casual bystander, they could be anything from maintenance or shipping supplies at an old building in the bowery district, but for those who knew better, it meant that the Bowery King was up to something. Whoever parked those vans in front either wants to stir up trouble or they have no idea what they’re dealing with. Possibly both.

He double checked the straps of his hidden blade before proceeding with caution. Approaching the entrance, two Bowery Boys were guarding the area, leaning against the cold brick walls and holding out empty mugs. They looked up and nodded at John, using their eyes to permit him entrance. The deeper he went, the more people he saw, going about their routines and making do with what the Adjudicator had not taken away from them. An errand boy of sorts, one that had frequently helped you in rounding up the correspondents of your allies, walked up to John.

“There’s something in the workshop that you should see first, Mr. Wick,” he said, turning without checking if he’d follow.

They made their way towards your makeshift workshop, the young man being the only one that you trusted to the keys and code of the door. He opened the door for John and held it for him to go in. John nodded, trudging in before turning back to him. He gestured to the desk before closing the door behind him. The young man positioned himself in front of the door, a gun tucked away beneath his tattered trench coat.

John heard a rustle from the corner, his hands reaching out for the desk lamp to reveal Cerberus waiting for him. The pitbull whined, bounding towards him with his tail wagging. John crouched down to pet him, wondering why Cerberus was locked in here.

He straightened out and searched your desk for anything out of the ordinary, using his blade to unlock the only sealed drawer, your blueprints and ideas tucked away. Underneath those, were a small stack of paper, all with different handwriting, and a scrawled note that said “Fridge Vault”.

John pulled everything out and skimmed through the papers, finding that they were responses from your contacts. Why were they kept here and you weren’t notified? He rifled through the scraps lying around and found a small bag for the papers.

There was a series of knocks, a tap code. Someone was coming. John quickly tucked the bag in his jacket and fitted Cerberus with the utility vest. He scanned the desk for anything else useful and found a wristwatch similar to your own. He put it on and led Cerberus to the door.

“About time I heard from you, John Wick,” the Bowery King said.

“There’s been a few complications,” John replied.

Four men in black suits walked up from behind and pointed their guns at him. Gavriil Sokolov strutted forward with a smirk, standing next to the Bowery King.

“And things are about to get even more complicated.”

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#John Wick #John Wick x Reader #John wick imagines #Persephone #Persephone P10 #keanu reeves imagines #Keanu Reeves #Im actually nervous posting again guys #I don't have the same energy as I had when I first started this series #But I hope that I was able to do it justice #I wanted to balance it in a way that when they gain an ally new conflict emerges

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