paixaorpg | I Remember The Tower [Complete]

Entry tags:

I Remember The Tower [Complete]

Character(s): Dante, Lady
Content: After entering ~~Pie Show~~ Paixao, Dante waits around and meets up with Lady.
Setting: In the general area of Haja O Que Houver
Time: Wee hours of Thursday morning
Warnings: Colorful language

So those little electronic journals had a purpose after all. They weren’t just free gifts at the door. They could be used to find people. After posting a half-interested journal entry, Dante was surprised to see how many responses it generated.

The one that was most interesting was a response from Lady. Lady was someone he knew a long time ago from his world. And seeing her here threw him. She mentioned the old tower… Either she was hit on the head or her sense of time was intensely fucked up. The tower incident had happened years ago, and it wasn’t a time in Dante’s life that he liked to dwell on.

Anyhow, Lady had told him to sit tight by the Vanaheim gate. He’d wandered some ways off, getting a feel for the place. No sign of real trees or plants, or even animals. Just pretty statues, all artistic pieces scattered around. There weren’t a lot of people around, as it was early, early morning and most sensible people had taken to their beds already.

Still no sign of a bar. If there had been one, he could tell the pretty girl who’d commented in his journal about it, and they could drink long into the night. Maybe he’d wake up in his own bed again afterwards… It was a pretty hope.

Pretty farfetched, that is.

'Come on, Lady, if it’s really you. It’ll be all too good to see someone I know here.' They’d have a lot of catching up to do. He leaned against the side of a building, scanning the occasional passers-by for the girl with bi-colored eyes.

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At least, with a good night’s rest in some hotel (hell, it didn’t matter what kind of state it was in), Lady was able to recuperate from the sleep, and even her wound was getting better. She thought originally that looking for a white-haired man was going to be easy, in a place she didn’t know much about. That seemed to go out the window when she met Allen. Now that she was able to make sure he was okay, Lady did leave the hotel, and was headed up where Dante was supposed to be.

It had been at least five days since Lady was dropped here from Temen-ni-Gru. The young woman was still bothered by it greatly, more than she cared to admit. Well, the main concern was to find Dante, figured out what the hell happened, and probably start from scratch. She was still lugging her cannon down the street, keeping her eyes open for the young, arrogant shirtless wonder. Hopefully, that impulsive half-wit of a demon would stay put. Lady meant it. Fate must have thrown her off, when she saw an older man with white hair against the wall.

Wait—what? Lady paused momentarily, carefully narrowing her eyes when she saw a white-haired man, leaning against the wall.

Dante wasn’t that old and neatly dressed.

Lady wrinkled her scarred nose, maybe even taking a few more steps, somewhat anxious, until she was at least three feet away.

“Dante?”

Dante entertained himself by checking out the few women that walked by, playing the hot-or-not game to pass time. It got boring and old fast when all of them seemed to be just copies of each other. Blonds! All blonds with blue eyes. Surely there had to be more diversity in this world. Somewhere else, maybe.

Soon the monotony was relieved by the appearance of a very familiar girl. Dark hair, funky mismatched eyes, carrying a most ridiculously oversized cannon with her. That was the one! But there was something very off.

"Lady? Is that really you?" He had to stop himself from laughing. "Damn, you look just like I remember! You haven't changed. At all. Did you find some really good anti-aging cream or something?" Lady should have grown up more. It had been years since the tower escapade. And for her, she looked like she'd walked away from it yesterday.

What. The. Hell.

Lady blinked, almost trying to stop herself from scowling deeply as she stared back at Dante, trying to comprehend why on earth the half-demon looked like he aged, worse than before. Admitingly, Lady had to let it sink in for a good long moment, forgetting the fact she was going to chew out Dante for destroying her bike, or maybe, just in general, for leaving her in the dust. The shock weighed out Lady’s temper, though she was sure she was going to give Dante a piece of her mind.

His mannerism even matured. Not to long ago, the man had such a big mouth, spouting out every so often. What gives?

She shook her head in response to Dante’s question; even a pink color came to her face. “N-no…!” Lady’s left hand moved from Kalina Ann’s strap, as if she wanted to ball up her fist and strike him. “What on earth are you talking about?! What happened to you? I haven’t seen you for five days…And look at you…” When she was uncomfortable or insecure, Lady would never look at a person, which was evident the girl had darted her eyes over to Dante’s shoulder, not his eyes. He wasn’t still upset about Vergil? Okay, so, the demon hunter was way over in her head, here.

"What about me?" He grinned. "You're blushing. Obviously I'm doing something right. I didn't even know you could blush before." He moved a little closer to her, trying to get a better look at her.

"Also, I think it's been a little more than five days. I haven't seen you in forever, and for you to end up here, practically unchanged, is more than a little weird." He looked at her cannon. "Still carrying that thing around, too, I see. Good to see nothing changes about you." Seriously, she could have stepped straight out of his memories. "What have you been up to in all this time?"

The comment about Lady blushing made her frown bitterly now. Lady turned away, tensed up and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to prevent herself from throwing a small fit over her display. She didn’t know why it happened; maybe it was because of the comment about her appearance. Who knew; though it didn’t help when he moved closer.

“What are you talking about?!” Lady snapped, almost fuming until she calmed herself down again. Finally, Lady’s blue and red eyes looked back at him, her expression slightly softened. “It has been to five days!” Lady pointed to the cut on her thigh. “If you remember father stabbing me there, it’s still there. Of course I haven’t aged; I’m eighteen.” She offered a sarcastic laugh.

“And for your information,” Lady even moved closer, stabbing him with a finger on the chest. “I’ve been looking for you…unless that tower really fucked things up because you certainly didn’t look like this the last time I saw you.”

Ah, good old Lady. This was more like her, taking matters into her own hands. He didn't back away when she poked him. It was really creepy that she still had that wound. He eyed it warily. That should have been long healed, logically. This pie show was definitely some weird-ass time-warped place.

"Hey, where I come from, it's been years since I've seen that fucking tower, all right? So drop it. The tower doesn't matter anymore. Especially not here. I've aged. Time passes. I'm not going to stay young and ignorant forever, unlike you." Tower on the brain, indeed. The tower shouldn't even be an issue anymore. He wished she'd let go of it already. 'But if she really has just come from the tower...' That wound was really throwing him.

He backed off a few steps. "How exactly did you get here, anyway? And don't give me some bullshit story about the damn tower."

Quite honestly, Lady felt a rush of anger. Get over the tower? A little hard to do it, since her father was dead; it was still going to bother her. And she could nearly shoot him in the head, right here for saying that. But Lady rolled her eyes, as her temper was adding on. Lady didn’t back away, too. She still stood there; tense, with her arms folded.

“Oh, yes,” Lady began in a very cold voice. “What other explanation can I think of, besides the gate to Hell being opened?”

Lady would love to blame Arkham for screwing things up, but a disappointing factor came to light, that many people have came here, not from the tower. Come to think of it, no one had told her a thing how she got here or what happened. There was nothing on the network. “I don’t know how I got here. I thought it was from too much blood loss, but I guess I was wrong. Nice to see you to, ass.”

Throwing insults was just going to tighten the knots that had already been formed. As much as Dante would love to attack right back, as he hated even mentioning the tower escapade, he thought better of it. Lady was the only familiar face in this world right now, far as he could tell. There was no sign of his partner here, so he'd better make do with the eighteen-year old he had.

"Fine. Let's forget about how we got here, and focus on getting out again. Unless you've become fond of this place in your five-day stay." Dante took a breath, trying to calm down. Her bullshit story might not be so bullshit after all. "You met anyone else you recognize yet?" Start off slow and patch the hole if possible.

"Whatever," Lady waved her hand, glancing away momentarily. It was a hard shove into reality, much like the death of her mother, Lady had to be strong again. At least there was Dante, the one person who could get her fire going again. And probably the only person she knew out here.

"If you were thinking of Chromedome, no. My father is dead; I guess you missed that when you were fighting with Vergil." She sighed, trying to look as indifferent about it as possible. "I don't have anyone on either side, so I could care less."

It was the truth. Lady wasn't going to think negatively of it; there was no point. After all, Lady had shoved most people away from her, sheltering herself. Such was the life of someone who vowed to destroy demons.

"But you're the only person I know, so you better keep in touch, instead of disapearing on me." No, it wasn't in Lady's nature to admit she was going to depend on someone with demonic blood to bail her out. It was that enormous wave of pride and ego in her.

Lady was even more a loner than Dante himself. Not surprising, given how spiky she could be. And with that temper... He shouldn't have asked.

"Oh, I'll keep in touch, all right. These little handouts from the gate are perfect for that." Did she want to split up already? He didn't think so, especially if he was the only one she knew in this entire world. It would be ironic if she wanted to stay with him, considering what he was. He wouldn't rub it in her face, though. He would have once. But not under these circumstances.

"So... want to stick together for our time here? You said there were no demons, but I'm sure there are some somewhere. If I can't find a way out soon, hey, it's a city. I'll set up shop here instead." He shrugged. "A change of location never hurt a business much. And if you want to go your own way, go ahead. You can more than take care of yourself."

No, Lady didn't want to split up...even if it meant she would have to depend on a demon. Disgusting. There wasn't much Lady could do about it, but deal with it. Lady shook her head, "No, I didn't want to split up," Her tone partially hinted at her unsatisfaction. "All I have right now is you."

For the love of everything holy, he better not take the wrong way.

"But me, not wanting to split up with you yet doesn't mean I won't do it in the future. I need someone I know around here..." Lady depending on someone? Never.

All she had right now was himself! Oh, how he could take advantage of that. And a few years ago, he would have. But things had changed. Dante realized the importance of having someone reliable to depend on. Besides, he did have a conscience, and it would have chewed on him for ages if he'd just abandoned Lady. He probably would have shadowed her anyway if she had wanted to split.

"I gotcha." He smiled, a few shades shy of a smirk. "You could use a partner. So could I. A mutually beneficial arrangement. All right. We'll stick together til you get tired of me and point that cannon my way."

That went well. Now onto more practical matters. "So you've been here a few days. Where do you sleep at night? And where do you get food from? I haven't seen any restaurants around here. Of course, I've only seen about two percent of this place, but I just got here."

Partner? There was something still about this whole mess when she first met Dante, shooting him in the head twice, but she didn't know quite what it was. Shoving that last bit of pride and hatred for demons, Lady grudgingly nodded, though that part of her mind was raging and fuming over working with something remotely demonic.

Get over it. That other, more rarely rational part of herself screamed back. You don't have anyone here...you've felt guilty for this whole mess--get over it!

Finally after having a split-second fued with herself, Lady's bicolor eyes were schooled blank, so there wasn't a dectable anger over this. "Partner, right..." Lady was more fond of working alone. Again, not much of a choice. "As for me? I've been nomadic. I sleep whenever I get the chance to stop and eat when I can...probably not the best idea. I'm sure we could benefit more if we stayed together."

Wow, I sound like an idiot. Lady informed herself. Eventually after holding in her emotions, Lady let out a loud frustruated sigh, folding her hands across her chest again. "Don't get any ideas..."

"Don't worry. I'd rather work alone too. This is... some other place entirely." Dante looked around uncertainly. 'Strange place. I won't stay here any longer than I absolutely have to!'

Being nomadic... Dante expected as much from Lady. It suited her. Getting done only what she needed to, when she needed to. No excess side trips. Streamlined efficiency. 'She could probably teach me a few things about hunting tactics. It's been awhile and I could use a refresher course on her methods,' he considered.

"How about this. I'll stay with you only til I know my way around. If we don't find any damn portals, I'll find a place to set up shop. Then you can go on your merry way. Good?" He remembered all too well how they met. He didn't want to push her to violence again. She was as dangerous as her cannon. And having her as a permanent partner, with all that fierce hatred, would be gambling a bit much.

"Good, I'm used to being alone..." Lady took a step back. "I'm sure you feel the same way."

Kalina Ann's weight was starting to mount down on Lady by just standing there. She pressed her lower hands against her back, to help aleivate some of the burden of the cannon's weight. Finding another place to stay, along with food was becoming a ritual now.

"Fine," Lady's tone finally wore down to something friendly. "Good luck...We got competion, you know." Yes, Lady did say 'we', referring them as two. Oh, well.

'We' was a good start. Dante smiled. 'Maybe I'm actually getting through to her. I can never be sure. Glad I can stop this dancing back and forth, trying to get her to come with me. My head was starting to hurt from all that planning and careful talking.' He noticed she seemed to be tired or sore. Well, she would be after the hell that tower was, then being transported to this place. It would exhaust anyone. First on the list: securing a place to stay.

"There may be others that do what we do, but I doubt any of them can actually be considered competition." He smirked. Dante was excellent at what he did, and now with the added power of Lady, they'd be fucking unstoppable! "Business tactics aside, we should find a place to stay during the day, maybe a temporary place to work from. I'm thinking somewhere near the city center. The best digs are always down that way." He moved around Lady, back to the road. "Gotta start now. Stamp out the so-called competition early and there will be no problems."

Either it was exhaustion, or really, Lady was starting to open up. She wouldn’t show Dante, but she still wanted him close by…for some reason. It was Lady herself, telling her it was a weak quality, but that inner critic was fading away slowly.

“Merely an observation, until other demon hunters appear along with us, Dante,” Lady replied in a very Arkham-like fashion. She ignored it. “Anyway, suppose you’re right…but exorcists differ from a human woman and a half demon.” Lady stretched her arms above her head, still getting achy. It was probably time to move out and rest, considering Lady only got one good night’s sleep.

Lady dropped her hands, shifting her feet, “Probably…maybe there are better places to stay than the lower half of this place. O Pastor sucked…” At least now, Lady was ready to move along. “There have to be better places to eat and sleep, don’t go where I came from…”

"Exorcists have a different market than we do. They send demons on their happy little way after a possession or something like that. I simply slay demons, no questions asked. Simple elimination. I don't give them the chance to fix their mistakes or go on to possess someone else." Demons certainly couldn't be reasoned with, at least none that he'd ever met.

He started down the road, giving Lady his back, which was a sign of trust he'd allow very few. "Come on. We won't go to O Pastor and down that way. We'll get the best there is in the city center. I'm loaded." Business had been heavy lately and he had plenty to survive on. "You can have your own room in the nicest hotel, and a few decent meals too."

((OOC: We can wrap this thread up soon and head into the center of town to get lodgings and food and more chances for interaction. 8D))

[ooc: Yeah, I think we're about done. Probably one more reply will do. D: Sorry for not managing to reply sooner.]

At least, Allen Walker mentioned something differently with his work. Lady wasn’t actually going to continue arguing with him, only giving Dante a light shrug. “Not what they said, but alright.” Lady had to agree with him; it was her personal experiences, especially with Arkham, that demons were not ones to be reasoned with.

One more tug on Kalina Ann’s strap, Lady followed him, not with a single protest, but very relieved. “Sounds like a plan. You have to be tired, you’re still part human, Dante, you could use food and a place to sleep, too, you know.”

“Thanks,” Lady told him, without feeling that cringe of hatred in her. “It means a lot, Dante.”

((OOC: Don't worry about it. You replied when you could and it's fine with me. ^^))

Dante glanced back at her. "Not a problem." 'I have to take better care of my partners. Maybe this time she'll stick around,' he thought. "And you're right. I could use all of those too, but not as soon as you might." He wouldn't go into specifics, but she looked worn out. Telling her that would earn him a punch at the very least.

"If you learned anything about those exorcists, share what you know. This won't be any short walk and we'll need something to keep us busy." Dante continued onward. Knowing who or what might be competition, staying one step ahead in the game, was essential. Besides, said exorcists might share a common goal and there'd be no need to fight for jobs. Allies were better than foes.

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I Remember The Tower [Complete]

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