(no subject)

[theotokos.livejournal.com]

When; Early evening, just after dusk
Rating; Err, there IS language here. SNARK! Sarcasm! I guess PG-13
Characters; Lady (quamserena) and Dante (so_not_vergil)
Summary; In accordance to finding each other through the network/internet, Dante meets up with Lady and demon-slaying action occurs! Dante is still the cornball.
Log;
The thing was, you didn't really expect much after life-changing events, the ones that had one of the other parental units dying. Really, after that, Lady kept telling herself nothing could top one event after another. And of course by now, Lady kept using the mantra "it could be worse" to calm herself. One minute you're waking up at three in the morning to demons clawing and screeching out your window, the next moment you're in front of a carousel like the ones your beloved mother took you to at a young age.

What was it the "Mina Harker" said? The one who was supposed to be fictional? Oh, yes, something to the effect of how one questions their sanity without much of an explanation of appearing in this place. And no matter how much she puffed up her outer appearance of being a tough girl that never took anything lying down, only a small panicked thoughts, certainly followed by presumptuous paranoia. And oh, god, where would Dante be? Was she really going to be that upset that her work couldn't be done in her own world?

Oh, but not even Lady herself would admit to having a tremendous relief in knowing Dante was here as well. She hadn't gone far, near where she said she would be, outside the seventh building, Kalina Ann resting beside her and off her back, just as Lady was peering down a street, seemingly on all nerves watching and waiting.

There's still work to do, after all.

Well things were certainly looking up in this place. At least it wouldn't be as boring, now that she was here. He'd certainly made a decent living, if you could call it that, hanging out around the Automatica and dealing with the sort of unsavory types that tended to make themselves known in those sorts of locales. It had actually been fun for awhile. But he only had so much patience for dealing with the typical sorts of human trash that reared their heads in seedy bars and clubs. And while the fact that the club owner seemed to think it worthwhile to actually hire the silver-haired half-demon as a bouncer and "enforcer" of his club's rules, that didn't really make it any more fun. If anything, that made it LESS fun. Afterall, jobs weren't fun unless you were in charge. So that left the local "wildlife" to deal with. And even though that was significantly more enjoyable, it was nice to finally have someone to go killing with.

And...he'd admit that he'd wondered about her. Just wondered, nothing more. Afterall, she was the one who'd told him she "wasn't" that desperate". But it hadn't been entirely bad having her around. At least she had spunk. And she caused nearly as much collateral damage as he did.

Well Lady, I think we can have a bit of fun in this place. Afterall, what's a party without a little action, eh?

Stopping and turning a corner, he smirked as he caught sight of the familiar slender figure with the oversized gun leaning against the wall. Always on edge, that one. Oh well, at least she wouldn't be boring. Spinning Ebony lazily around one long finger, he ambled over to her, chuckling.

"Cute," Right on cue, the female demon hunter's strange colored eyes landed on the half demon. So there's your re-enforcement, the voice in her mind chimed in the back of her head, and there came the point where Lady felt entirely relieved to see him, "Still confident as ever." Well, he had a lot to be confident for...as wrong as that inward thought sounded.

Lady pushed off from the wall, leaving Kalina Ann against it to ease her shoulders, "How long have you've been here, Dante? What about your brother? What are we looking at here?" She treated him pretty business-like to contend to any idea that she was dependent on someone, much less Dante. And, naturally, Lady had to confirm anything behind her, with a glance to her shoulder. Caution didn't hurt at all.

"I know I am, but thanks for the compliment." Flashing a set of slightly pointed white teeth, he stopped in front of her, one hand resting casually on Rebellion's hilt where it rested against his back. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Taking a step back as she moved forward, he chuckled at her questions. Just like her to be so direct. Always straightforward, always to the point. Watching as she glanced behind her, paranoid as usual, he shook his head.

"What, ya think something's gonna jump out of the wall at you? Oh, and to answer your other questions, about a month and a half, dunno; because, he was here when I got here but he vanished a couple weeks ago, and we're looking at what seems to amount to a pocket dimension. Some sort of alternate reality that's supposedly the end of the world. That about cover it?"

As always, Lady was the polar of what Dante presented, a schooled, hard face matched with his frown. Oh, maybe an eye roll, too. He was a special boy, after all. "Nevermind," Lady muttered bitterly to herself, just after she asked him, if he, himself, was okay. No harm out of that, right? Right.

She wouldn't do so well with Vergil here, after the shit he pulled with her own father. But that was all said and done, just as Dante caught her glancing, "No, Dante," Lady sighed testily, just as revelling in the fact she was allowed to be annoyed with him, "You can never be too careful, especially with all the shit that runs around here. Why not?"

End of the world? Wait, what? Lady turned, pining him with the most serious expression yet, taking another step or two forward, "End of the world? Is what this hell hole is? Aside from some rejected 'Child's Play' movie? Oh, lovely, really. I'm just waiting for Chucky to pop out. But no, not our concern, we're supposed to kill vermin, remember, Devilboy?"

He surmised that he was the only one who got that sort of reaction out of her. Afterall, he seemed to be the only one she actually talked to in anything more then a few monosyllabic phrases. Turning with a grin and a brush of hand through silver hair, he glanced down at her. "Yeah, end of the world. And no, I haven't forgotten that. After all, when it's so much fun, who could forget it?"

Stepping forward and away from the wall, he glanced back over his shoulder. "Oh, and avoid the curses. Oh yeah, and if you die here, you're stuck here for all eternity. You know the drill. Pretty standard stuff, I'd say. Though I gotta say, this place has some interesting people in it."

Promises were promises; at least she liked to think that he would help her. If it weren't for that last statement, that last bit about her soul being stranded here for all eternity, Lady would have had a smirk touched her lips. Oh, well...

What was that about vowing to drown out her bloodline? But what about Dante? And that frown of hers grew deeper, almost feeling a tad discomforted about this information. She trusted Dante well enough for it to be true, "You," Lady jabbed him with a single finger, "better not die, then. You're needed more at home than me. If anything, I honestly don't care what happens to me as long as my bloodline--"

Too much information, Lady pulled herself a step back, running a hand through her fine black hair. Upon a gaze, just a few yards away, experience could almost tell you funny shadows earned an honest to God gunshot, just as Lady saw it close enough, even if it was one of those funny shadow creatures Courage mentioned prior, it was going to be shot at. Withdrawing, the closest Desert Eagle, Lady took a shot behind Dante's shoulder, only two rounds, "Good. I thought I might die of boredom."

"Heh, not planning to." She had a point, he supposed. Being a son of Sparda, the task of reigning in the demonic presence in their world had fallen to him by birthright. It wouldn't do to get stuck here. He didn't even flinch as she fired, bullets wizzing past his ear so close he could feel the breeze. With a casual, almost bored expression, he pulled Ivory and squeezed off a shot to the side of her head, watching as the bullet hit another shadow square in the forehead. "You missed one."

Awkward conversations were no good -- Lady was far from a good conversationalist in so many ways. But the hunt could stir a good feeling, wash away any paranoia and sudden outright worry for the sake of Dante; he could handle himself, but she was a worrier. The shadows, the same constructive walk of the Sloths that Lady had encountered before. Shit. Did they follow through with her? And she didn't notice this. That good, overconfident feeling vanished as Lady got a better look at them, the apparent disapproval and inwardly kicking herself for missing her prey manifested on her face.

"God damn it," Lady in her classic impulsive fashion would ignore Dante's comment, yet again. Just on sight of three or four Sloths earned her sprinting forward, leaving Dante to do whatever, she didn't care, not even if he interfered or stole her prey. She missed the fuckers! Sloths were slow, yes, but the weight and the strength of their weapons could do plenty of damage, just as Lady had engaged, taking her other gun, submachine, filling the sand element demons with much bullets to get them to evaporate, just in time as they fell, more were ready to take their place.

Well, she was obviously in a less-than-stellar mood. But he was used to that. Shrugging, he spun around as more demons seemed to melt out of the walls around them. Grinning and pulling Ebony from it's holster, he spun both guns on his fingers, spraying the area with a barrage of gunfire that nonetheless managed to avoid Lady and strike the Sloths instead. Deciding that distance-fighting wasn't fun enough, he stuck the guns back into their respective homes and pulled the sword off of his back. Tossing silver hair out of his face, he shot her a grin and a wink.

"So, how about a game? Kill the most and you win. Loser buys dinner."

And Lady would attempt to meet with as much force as possible, taking a defensive position, movements to dodge and avoid their blades as much as possible. Hell, three hours of sleep? No problem at all! Kalina Ann made far too much of an excellent shield, just as Lady was quick enough, to shaft her two guns back in their holsters, dropping the cannon down blocking off a few of the Sloths, and a kick to the locked scythes to ensure more distance.

Catching her breath just a bit, Kalina Ann's shells, oh, so very and loud shells fired at two Sloths at once, more coming out of the wood work, "I thought I got rid of these!" Snap. Kalina Ann back on her back, and submachine guns, weaving in and out of them, not a single care for public property, "I like that wager!" Lady called out to the half demon over the guns.

"Then I hope you brought some money, Lady." He laughed as he drove right into a pack of them, Rebellion's silver edge cutting a gleaming path through them as he spun, thrusting the shining blade into the head of one that got a bit closer then he would have liked. Enjoying himself, it was a simple matter to flip up onto one hand and kick two others in the face before backflipping onto his feet again to take out another two with the sword. This was the sort of thing he'd been waiting for. This was fun. With another smirk, he nodded to Lady.

"Though, they take any sort of crap as money here. You can even pay for pizza with pocket lint."

The machine guns were great, but can only take so much ammo afterwards, a few more shots and the sound of the empty bullets cascading on the street in the early evening had to get attention after a while. Almost in near dance-like movements, gracefully Lady avoided, even catching a Sloth demon without as so much glancing around. She could reload nearly as quick as she put out, just barely missing a blade of a demon while she shafted the magazine back into her gun. Hell, she was starting to overlook her fatal error, feeling more comfortable now.

Lady even tossed a smirk back at Dante, catching a glimpse of his backflip, "You and your damn pizza!" Kick, stab, turn, and a shot to the face, "Try something new for a change." Even then, Lady was still human, receiving a cut on her upper right arm just as she turned from her prime focus, the demon on the left.

"Aww, but pizza is just such a perfect food. You've got all your foodgroups, you know. Meat, veggies, cheese. Fruit, if you get it with pineapple. Bread. And all in one convenient, easy-to-eat package." Punch, kick, slice, shoot. He was starting to fall easily into the familiar routine as the demons converged. And not a bit tired. Hell, it almost seemed like Lady had brought them with her, not that he cared. Wherever they'd come from, it didn't really matter. Right now, they were here, and it was making for one hell of a party. "I think I'm winning, you know."

Winning. Right. That wasn't anything new and maybe she would care about it later. Just as long as she got action. What was that about pizza in the food groups? It was too distracting, due to the lack of sleep she'd gotten, just as another Sloth made a cleaner cut on her than the other one that was destroyed minutes ago.

Well, fuck. Using the cannon out of frustration, Lady began push them further away, hopefully closing the distance between her and Dante, "Fine," Lady commented noncommittally, "You're winning! Happy, sweetums? Come on, get them cleared out; your big mouth is ruining it for me." And dutifully, Lady was going to ignore the bloody cut, continuing with Kalina Ann's heavy support.

"Well don't get sore over it. Want me to back off and let you win? I mean, it is tradition for the guy to pay for dinner when two people go out for food." Chuckling at her irritation, he easily dispatched another cluster of them. Thankfully, they were at least starting to thin out the ranks. Not that he was bored, mind you. Hungry, but not bored. Or tired, for that matter. Another wide slash and three more fell to his blade, erupting into sand as they hit the pavement.

Oh, damn, just as she was starting to clear out plenty enough, ensuring enough time to glance over. Okay, so maybe...just maybe, that comment didn't seem to help Lady's mentality any. And once again, Lady was able to freely glance around, glancing to Dante. Hunger and fatigue did wonders and it wasn't like Lady found her drive and fire just yet. Ergh, too many thoughts...

"Dante! How many more are there?" And back to the lesser amount of demons, Lady didn't bother to kick off a cartwheel or flip in air, sliding on her boots in order to dodge as much as she could, successfully without problems, landing an explosive. Oops. Well. Cracks and a small crater weren't a problem. Right?


Oh, damn, just as she was starting to clear out plenty enough, ensuring enough time to glance over. Okay, so maybe...just maybe, that comment didn't seem to help Lady's mentality any. And once again, Lady was able to freely glance around, glancing to Dante. Hunger and fatigue did wonders and it wasn't like Lady found her drive and fire just yet. Ergh, too many thoughts...

"Dante! How many more are there?" And back to the lesser amount of demons, Lady didn't bother to kick off a cartwheel or flip in air, sliding on her boots in order to dodge as much as she could, successfully without problems, landing an explosive. Oops. Well. Cracks and a small crater weren't a problem. Right?

"Uh....ten." A crash, and a resounding explosion. "Make that seven." She seemed on edge, and he could only surmise it was the City that was to blame. Well, not that she didn't have a tendency to be on edge anyway, but still. "You take those three, I'll get the four over here, sound good?"

Three. Right. The ever on edge Lady heard and responded with another fire of her cannon, the force quick enough to vanquish the Sloths into sand. But no matter, it would still keep her on her toes; better not to let your guard down, in the end. And with that, Lady hopefully slid her cannon back onto it's rightful position on her back. For now, "They've must have followed me," Lady noted, leaning on her side to glance down an ally for more, "Though I'm pretty sure there were Sin Scissors." Ugh. Anything but then, "Looks like you win. For now." Lady turned on a heal to face the half demon, crossing her arms.

He shrugged, grinning as he raised hands in an innocent gesture before swinging the sword back up onto it's customary place on his back. "Come on, I know a good place. Nice food, nice people. You know, the kind that leave you the hell alone. And no, it's not pizza."

"Really?" Lady raised a faint eyebrow, a real smile crossed her face. Hey people leaving you alone? Always a fucking plus, especially with her fowl mood as of lately. She approached, attempted to give him an honest squeeze of the arm, but hesitantly and very awkwardly she left one pat, "I'm stunned there's no pizza involved. What caused this?"

Her smile managed to earn a similar expression from him. He noticed the slight pat to his arm and chose not to comment on the awkwardness of it. After all, he knew perfectly well that she was...weird around people at times. No need to press the issue. Cocking his head to one side, he laughed. "Pizza place got a bit...abused in one of the fights that break out around here. What, you think I'd have starved before I ate something else?"

"Pretty much, Lady admitted in a soft, casual voice, pressing her lips together in thought, "There is always something else. Pizza is great, but I wonder if it's your stable food, Dante-dear. We'll find something else," Pulling up a glance, Lady's face still had that soft smirk, "Right? Lead the way."

"Of course, my Lady." He extended his arm in a gentlemanly fashion, though whether he really meant it or was merely being his usual capricious self was anyone's guess. "After you, of course. Wouldn't do for me to not escort a Lady properly, after all."

Lady gave a soft wave, instead of shoving his arm aside; touching him was something she was going to do just yet, no matter how much she spent fretting over Dante this whole day. Instead, Lady strode ahead, taking the lead, tugging on her cannon as she did, "Alright."

He laughed at her way of brushing off his arm. Yup, same old Lady. But in a way, that was...nice. Comforting, in some sort of odd way. Well, he supposed it would have been had he needed comfort. But no sense in worrying over it. Following after her, he soon caught up, falling into step beside her. "You got a place to stay yet?"

Damn straight it was the same old Lady, turning a glance over her shoulder to him, "No," Lady admitted, "What about you? Do you have one yourself? Getting enough sleep and rest?" Heh, and there a bit of Lady's motherly tendencies seemingly came through, just to see how he faired, everyone else was on their own for all she cared. And it was getting better, just as Lady was leading a slow path, allowing Dante to catch up.

Nodding slightly, he laughed at her "mothering". "Course I do. Got the entire back half of Automatica all to myself, since I made a little "deal" with the manager. I keep the nasties out, I get free reign of it." Glancing down at her, he raised an eyebrow. "There's a spare room, if you're interested. Unless you don't trust me to keep my hands to myself, that is."

"Don't worry," Lady stopped to address him fully now, leaving a full indincation she trusted him completely -- he did win her trust the moment she handed over Kalina Ann not so long ago, "I'm sure you'd end up being swiss cheese if you dare laid a hand on me, so I trust you well enough not to. I accept your offer."

With a smile and a laugh, he nodded. "Alright, then. Grub, then bed. I've got a spare cot you can have, it won't take that long to set it up."

"Fine, fine," Lady waved a hand, now getting a tad impatient, "Let's hurry up and get something to eat. I can't take it anymore." And with that, Lady moved forward.