popcornxgif | Complicated homecoming...

Entry tags:

alastor,
lady

Complicated homecoming...

It had been years since Alastor had last seen this town, bustling with humans and reeking of demons. It was almost comforting...if not for the fact that he knew his master was here. The master he'd abandoned without a word, who would be fully justified in striking him down for his insubordination. But it wasn't in Alastor's nature to run. He'd had his taste of freedom, now it was time to face the consequences. If he was lucky, maybe he could come out on top this time and be truly free.

But that would be once he entered Devil May Cry, something he would wait until daytime for. He didn't want to catch his master just returning from a demon hunt and ready to shoot anything that had fangs and claws. So in the darkness of the desert night, he stood atop a building across from the Devil Hunter's shop. His senses were attuned for any hint of magic approaching him, but he might not register an ordinary human right away.

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She doesn't like eating alone, it's just something she's grown used to when Patty isn't around to take out. But the way her grip tightens on her water makes it clear he's hit some sort of nerve. And she didn't not eat with demons because they were demons. The one's she knew or happened to catch eating all had terrible table manners.

The worst table manners. Which was more excuse than reason, but she's never really looked at her actions and choices over that sort of thing particularly closely before and as annoyed as he seems she probably isn't going to start tonight. Guilty conscience or no.

But surprisingly his table manners weren't bad. He actually knows how to use a napkin. Go figure.

"And having decent table manners apparently," she mutters under her breath.

He snorts, moving on to his hot chocolate. It's still steaming, but he drinks it down anyway.

"Some people happen to have a bit more dignity than Dante. Besides, it's a waste to inhale your food, anyway. You don't taste it as much and you lose what you make a mess with. Not to mention looking like you're afraid someone's going to take it from you."

He sets the cup back down with an audible clink that suggests restraint in not slamming it and gives her a flat look.

"Don't base your assumptions off of a few examples. We can have as many different personality types as you humans."

"Something we can agree on."

Her gaze flickers down to the cup and then back up. Okay fine she gets it, you're upset. She stuck her foot in her mouth good yes she knows. And while she had the intent of trying to show she was sorry and work out the guilt this has not exactly gone swimmingly either.

"For wanting me to look passed your species you spend an awful lot of time pointing out your own otherness."

"That's because I don't want it to be looked past because it's not noticed or forgotten. I'm a demon, I grew up in the underworld and I know I have some mindsets that are strange, maybe even disturbing up here. What I want..."

He looks down into his cup with a thoughtful scowl. What he wants...what he really wants. He's never said it aloud. Joe, Silvia, Blue Jr., Rachel...they all gave it to him without him even asking. With him trying to throw it back in their faces, even. But not everyone is like that. Some people need things spelled out.

"What I want is to be accepted for all that I am. A benevolent demon, not just a human with strange powers. I don't want to pretend to be something I'm not, and I don't want people to pretend I'm something that makes more sense to them."

She doesn't say anything for a long while. She's so still you could probably forget she was there. She accepts Dante's half-demon heritage...most of the time. Accepts Trish too. Once she knew Trish wasn't going to slaughter anyone innocent and they were on the same side. But if she were being entirely honest she primarily accepts it when it helps her get her job done. It's not a realization exactly, there's always been requirements to her acceptance. Always rules and expectations. It's uncomfortable to look at herself and how she acts and knows she used it as a carrot no matter how unintentionally.

"I uh... should go," she murmurs soft her body suddenly unfreezing and sliding into motion as she stands. "I'm sorry if I spoiled your meal." She takes one last sip draining her water and deposits the glass gently back on the table. A few bills following shortly after it pulled carefully from the pocket of her jacket. Enough to cover his dinner, tip, and a little extra for him to do with what he wants.

She doesn't explain why as she turns and starts toward the exit.

He goes back to his burger while he waits for her reaction. He's nearly done by the time she moves, and he can't help but raise an eyebrow at the money she leaves. But before he can ask, she's already away from the table and walking toward the door. Without even really thinking about it, he puts his food down and stands up to call out to her.

"Wait. You, uh...you don't have to pay for my dinner. Just showing me where to find it was enough."

The last couple days were complicated. Meeting Alastor had not exactly been a good experience. Not that very many of her run-ins with demons were, but this ...this was different. Normally, it just ended in sinking lead into the monster. Hell she’d done that to Dante within the first five minutes of knowing him. It would have been easier if she had, at least then he couldn’t have asked her any of those questions. Couldn’t have made her feel icky and covered in slime.

She’s even less proud of how she left. Just stalking off after paying for his dinner.

Simply put she needed normal. And normal for Lady involved kicking Dante’s ass at pool, which really didn’t sound very exciting. Heaving a sigh Lady pushes inside, sure Dante is back and settles on the couch.

For just a second and then she’s up pacing the floor. “So I met Alastor a couple days ago.”

Why yes she is the queen of deflecting and ignoring things.

Dante, of course, is sitting back at his desk with a slice of pizza in one hand. It was a rough mission, and that meant he was going to be eating a lot more than normal. Not that he didn't already eat like a horse.

Lady's arrival doesn't surprise him, he assumes she's just here to pester him about his debt now that he's gotten paid. But no, she just sits on the couch for all of two seconds before she's back up and fidgeting. The real surprise, though, is what she says.

"Alastor? You mean the Devil Arm? Don't you know better than to go snooping in someone's weapons stash?"

"I don't have to snoop when they're standing on the roof of the building across the street." She pauses in her pacing then hands on her hips. Was he a devil arm? He looked an awful lot like a person when she saw him. Last she knew the devil arms couldn't take a humanoid shape again. Maybe she should start paying a little more attention to what he does with his toys.

That gets his eyebrows to raise. One of his Devil Arms is out and about? He hadn't even noticed...then again, he hadn't known they could do that. Does this mean they could be getting up to trouble behind his back?

"Well shit. What was he up to?"

"Waiting for you." And the ways she says it makes it very clear that she finds that very strange still. She's not going to mention that he called Dante boss because she's still thrown for a loop by that. Not that she's particularly surprised by the look Dante's giving her, boy can be pretty oblivious. It still earns him a look of 'don't you check on your devil arms?'

"What's he want me for? A rematch?"

He takes a bite of his pizza, either oblivious to the meaning behind Lady's look or ignoring it. The truth is, he doesn't. He just chucks them in his armory and ignores them. It's not like they're his friends or anything, most of them even tried to kill him.

"Gonna have to take a rain check, if so. Afraid I've already hit my quota of impalements for this week."

"I don't know we didn't exactly go into a great deal of detail. I just showed him where to get dinner after getting the basics." She runs a hand through her hair then, roughly. She shouldn't have gone back afterwards she knows that now, but she did and it left her questioning things she held pretty close to how she believed the world worked.

"You poor thing. At least things worked out in the end."

Somewhere outside, Alastor sneezes. But he doesn't think much of it. Really, he's kind of distracted. Dante's back. That means it's time to face the music, as much as he's not looking forward to it. He pauses for a moment with his hand on the door, not paying attention to what's on the other side of the window, before pushing it open.

And then he stops, just a step into the shop, dark grey eyes wide as he looks at Lady.

"Oh...uh...I'll...um, come back later."

And then he starts to back out of the door.

Dante has just opened his mouth to respond to Lady when he hears the door open. It's kind of easy to tell that the newcomer is a demon, but he's been starting to get used to seeing devils that were visiting on polite business. The confusing part is the fact that the guy's staring at Lady like he caught her in the shower or something.

"Lady, you know this guy?"

The sound she makes is just on this side of barely restrained annoyance as her hand and forehead meet rather unceremoniously. Now? Of all times, Alastor had to pick now? But she's looking at Alastor equally flummoxed by his presence as he seems to be about her's as she responds without looking back at Dante.

"Uh...Hi Alastor..." Awkward of awkwardest greetings yes all things considering.

She moves then, crossing the room and surprises herself when she catches Alastor's arm.

"I can wait outside." It's an invitation to do what he needs to do. Granted it comes out mumbled with her eyes staring holes into the floor. Her hand letting go then, though most notably not as if he burned her so much as letting him go to make his own decision.

He jumps a bit at the sudden hand on his arm, although he doesn't lash out. He just stands there staring for a moment, before he reaches up and scratches the back of his head awkwardly.

"You were here first, so I, uh, don't want to interrupt if you were in the middle of something."

Alastor? Well huh. This guy doesn't seem at all like the sword that ran him through and tried to possess him a few years ago. But still, there's something familiar about him that Dante can't quite shake. Maybe it really is him, and he just isn't nearly as eloquent or threatening when he's caught off guard?

Well, for now he'll just watch what these two do.

She shrugs. "It's fine. I was just letting him know you were looking for him." And his arrival stopped her from asking quite possibly a very stupid question. So there was that too. She almost wants to tell him thanks.

"Alright...I guess I'll, um...let you know when I'm done."

He glances over at Dante, tense and resisting the urge to draw his sword preemptively. There's just something terrifying about being in the presence of the master you defied. Now he understands the fear of his servants when they brought him news they knew he wouldn't appreciate.

"If I can, anyway."

"Thanks and...uh good luck?"

She isn't really sure he'll need it, but it can't hurt right. She might not have the highest opinions of demons, but she's aware enough to recognize when one isn't entirely comfortable. Doesn't stop her from being incredibly awkward about it as she ducks out the door to sit on the bottommost step. And this is the least she can do after being the most closed-minded and rude individual he's probably met before.

"Yeah..."

He takes a deep breath and walks back into the shop as she walks out. The conversation takes a little while, and Alastor's voice raises a couple times during it. At one point, there's even the sound of a fist hitting wood. But eventually it calms down, and Alastor walks out of the shop, looking tired but pleased, despite the obvious tear lines running down his cheeks.

"You can go back in now, if you want."

She was pacing. Sitting there wasn't cutting it anymore and she needed to do something. And why did she say she could wait outside. It wasn't any of her business how it worked out and she wasn't sure she had anything left to say to Dante.

But she stills as the door opens again. Her head tilting as she takes him in. Well, he came back out on his own power and didn't look particularly distraught so that counted for something. But she doesn't ask how it went, just stands there a moment and then seems to snap out of it and nods. Though she still hesitates before ultimately slipping by to go back inside. Maybe she should have said something but what she didn't know and maybe her silence was better than putting her foot in her mouth again.

"So..."

Dante's still sitting at his desk, although the pizza box is skewed slightly. His expression is as unreadable as ever, anything he might be feeling hidden behind a casual veil.

"That was interesting."

She raises an eyebrow at him. "You don't say." Really you're going to be vague now?

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Complicated homecoming...

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