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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I know. It's still-"

He cuts off abruptly, eyes narrowing and shoulders tensing as he looks around. He silently counts off the people he can see, which ones of them are demons. But there's an extra aura that isn't coming from any of the apparent humans nearby.

"Heads up. We've got company."

She lifts her head, gaze searching in response to his tension as much as his words. At first all seems normal: children playing, the way the squirrels skittered along the ground and gave them a wide berth. It takes a minute and a quick flicker of movement out of the corner of her gaze. A stray slinking through the gaggle of children.

"Don't animals usually get skittish around you and Dante?"

His own eyes have also found the odd dog, sweet and pitiful looking and already drawing attention from the kids. There was no mistaking it...it was the source of the magical aura. The growl that escaped his throat as he stood was something animalistic.

"They do. Think of that like a rabbit just casually strolling past a wolf. Might as well be a hunting dog wearing bunny ears, it's about as convincing."

She frowns and stands stretching her arms over her head. "Go, I'll take care of the kids."

She makes a beeline for a pair of boys playing in the sandbox and likely the demons next target if it kept on that track. A few murmured words that they're parent said it was time to go. She made the rounds, collected kids, held a few by the hand as she escorted many of them back to parents explained that it wasn't safe for one reason or another and to come back tomorrow.

Once it was cleared there wasn't much else she could do. It was up to Alastor from here.

He holds one hand out and his sword flies into it from its hiding place under a bush. Electricity crackles over him as the last of the children leaves, the sky clouding over as soon as he finishes transforming. The light rain that starts should encourage parents to get their kids inside quickly, far away from this slaughter.

The other demon recognizes the powerful magic when it feels it and bolts, but not quickly enough. Alastor's darting after it long before he can lose sight of his target, a look of vindictively cruel excitement crossing his face. He does so love toying with his prey, and this time it's going to be especially satisfying. If he were to be honest, chasing it out of sight from the park was as much for the sake of letting this horrible beast wallow in its own terror as it was to reduce the chances of having an audience.

She careful to keep her distance once everything is cleared. Hanging back long enough to watch Alastor give chase with a look of glee she wasn't sure how to take. And even with their recent heart to heart it did leave her a little off put as she watched both hunter and demon disappear.

"Good hunting," she murmurs as she turns to head back to her motorcycle.

No point in hanging around to see how he fared. Wouldn't make much of a difference, in the long run. Instead, Lady heads back to Devil May Cry to wait it out and play pool, maybe chat with Patty if she was around. Say hi to Dante while she was at it, too.

It takes a while for him to come back, much longer than it should to chase down and finish off a single demon. In that time, thunder rumbles loudly outside until finally, with a final clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning jumping from the sky to the ground, the weather clears.

A few moments later, Alastor steps into the shop out of a ripple in the air. There's blood spattering his face, horns and helmet, even flecking the ends of his wings, and his claws and blade are shining with streaks of red. Despite this, he seems relaxed, even satisfied.

"You can tell the client the job's done."

Normally, Lady likes the thunder and lightning. She enjoys sitting and watching the flashes of purple streak through the gray while thunder sends the walls shaking. Today is different though, she can't quite keep still, unfamiliar to being left in a support role with this sort of demon. She normally handled it. No child deserved to be a demons main source of food. And she would much rather their parents didn't have grieve over them.

It was just...child-eating demons always left her jittery. If she wasn't handling it, or actively working on how to handle it she was all jitters bouncing around her loft as she worked the how, when, and where of it.

She finally settles when she sees Alastor. The blood only getting raised eyebrow before she's nodding. Her cuestick left leaning against the table as she goes to make the call.

"Good work. Feel better?" She tosses over her shoulder as she leans on the desk, the phone ringing in her ear.

"Much. Though there won't be any pretending I'm not back out in the world after this. Then again, that was kind of the point of making such a show of it."

He shrugs as he takes off his helmet, showing more blood directly on his face.

"Though I'll feel even better if I can get this cleaned off before it turns sticky, so I'll be right back."

While she handled the call, he wandered into the bathroom. A minute later, the sound of a shower running filtered through the door. He would be taking a fairly quick shower, he was getting pretty hungry after throwing so much magic around all at once, so he'd end up coming out to raid the fridge fairly soon.

She nods; ear still pressed to the receiver of Dante's phone waiting for the client to pick up. The client being a fairly well off bottom rung socialite who had children playing in that park the last time the demon had attacked. She didn't expect the call to get picked up knowing that, but it did and she was passed around a few times until Lady was finally speaking to the woman. She handled payment arrangements and the meeting place for to pick up Alastor's payment. Hinted that it could be an older gentlemen as well. She'd have to talk to Morrison about it later.

When all was said and done, Lady was right back at the pool table-- racking up a new game. And much calmer.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, Alastor steps out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and another over his head, wrapped around the base of his horns to over his hair. His wings are still dripping slightly, evidently having been lightly patted dry at the most. No wonder, really, given how soft that membrane is even dry.

He barely glances over at Lady at the pool table before heading for the small fridge in the corner of the room.

"Everything sorted?"

The only thing Lady can coherently think is 'oh good god' as her cue stick slides a little too quickly under her hands and she misses her intended shot. The ball, on the other hand, goes rocketing around the table until finally coming to rest at the far pocket.

"Huh? Uh, y-yeah. All set I need to talk to Morrison see if he wants to do the handoff or if he wants me to."

Please please let a hole open in the floor and swallow her now.

"Good. How much am I getting paid for this, anyway? I kinda stalked out before Dante managed to work out a price..."

He reaches into the fridge and shifts things around until he finds what he's looking for. Then he pulls out a bottle of apple juice and a bag of lunch meat.

"Want something while I'm in here?"

"Enough that if someone else had taken the job he could have paid me a hefty chunk of what he owes me." She pitches her voice up a couple notches, so Dante can hear her annoyance. Not that the pizza fiend likely cares.

She lets herself look for five seconds-- Enjoy the view of his bare back, and then she's turning her eyes intentionally back to the pool table. Not that looking away is helping her brain sort out how to fix the mess she'd made.

"You can't get what I want out of the fridge."

Dante continues reading his magazine as if he hadn't even heard while Alastor closes the fridge and opens the juice bottle.

"Don't yell at him for it, I kind of insisted on taking this one."

He takes a long drink from the bottle of juice before wiping his mouth and opening the bag of meat.

"What do you want, then?"

"I'm not yelling; just reminding him that he has a debt that he should be looking into how to pay off."

She lines up another shot. She is not going to look in his general direction until he has pants on. Or while he was still drinking juice. Why did she peek?

"You to put pants on." The balls crack together as she takes that shot. Rolling and hitting the bumpers as the rearrange themselves. The 8 ball coming dangerously close to falling into the left side pocket.

He puts a hand on his hip with a slight huff.

"I'm covered, what's the problem? Besides, this is more comfortable than pants."

Instead, of responding she makes a point studiously ignoring him as she takes another shot and then another. Mumbling about how that wasn't actually the point, and that pants would be easier.

He still doesn't get how a towel is much different from pants, so he's just going to sit on the couch with his snack.

"Sorry if the thunder was a bit loud, by the way. It was my way of sending a message."

"It was fine."

He nods and rolls up a bit of the meat to chew on, then pauses.

"And, uh...lemme know when you've gotta leave. That storm's going to go for a while on its own, but I can stop it if you want."

She takes another shot. The crack of the balls hitting each other filling the immediate silence.

"Probably after I finish this game."

"So no calling winners, huh?"

Which, with a solo game, would basically just be challenging the one playing.

"Not without pants."

"If you take your time, I should be dry enough that my wings won't drip on anything I put on by then..."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject