Blessed Crusade (CC/DtbB RP)

[Meryck]

((OOC: In other words, me and Elf made our own thread so we wouldn't hog the Random RP))
((Elf's Edit: The first part of this RP is here))
((Mer's responce: Elf, GTFO my post. You are not allowed to shake fish here. XD))
((Elf's Rebuttal: STFU, I'm a packrat and in the future I'm going to want to re-read this RP from the beginning. >.< Also, that's what you get for giving me mod powers. >D))

Ran muttered an, "I wouldn't trust me either." Reg just looked a little annoyed, but nodded. It was hard to remain mad at someone who was obviously hurting horribly.

The poor bastard.

Of course, the implications of the elder demon's words kind of sucked. "So, what, you're basically gonna be keeping an eye on us from now on?"

[Elf]

((Mer's Spaz: FINE, if you're gonna shake fish on MINE, I'mma shake fish on YOURS.))
((Elf's Counter-Spaz: WHAT THE HECK DOES SHAKE FISH EVEN MEAN.))
((Mer's Counter-Counter-Spaz: It means it's fun to get you back for getting on mah post.))
((Elf's Confusion: .....*still doesn't get it* Is it a reference to Monty Python's Fish-Slapping Dance?))
((Mer's Confusion:...um...what?))

Slowly, very slowly, another smile spread across Chrono's face. This one, however, was no pained look, no reflection of a lost love or a shattered past. This was a toothy smirk, made of fangs and pure mischief.

"What a wonderful idea," he said, grinning down at the braided girl. "Now why didn't I think of that. Thank you for the suggestion. I think I'll do just that."

"So, first thing's first." Chrono's smirk vanished, replaced instantly by that grave, stiff demeanor. He pointed at Reg, his crimson eye pinning her in place.

"You, young lady, need some food in you."

Chrono turned and started off down the street. "C'mon. I know of a good ramen place around here. I'll buy." He glanced back at the two, and finally, a soft smile, a glitter of mirth, lit up his face.

[Meryck]

Ran blinked before following the elder demon. Reggie rapid-fired blinked at the multiple shifts in demeanor before trotting to catch up.

Hey, it was rude to deny free food.

After finally getting back in-step next to Ran, Reg looked back at Chrono. "Y'know, I don't think I caught your name." Ran let out a sigh at Reg's brashness. Typical Reggae Alastor.

[Elf]

Chrono's soft smile grew as he dropped his pace, allowing Reg and Ran to fall into step beside him; after all, his long legs were bound to eat ground far faster than either of them could.

"Chrono," he said simply, for there was no surname, no title to go with it. All his old titles had died with with Pandaemonium; he'd decided to shed off the stigmas of his past a long time ago. None of that mattered now.

"And I didn't catch either of yours," he remarked, tossing a glance to his right, at Reg, and then to his left, at Ran.

[Meryck]

Reggie offered a grin. "Reggae Alastor, at 'cher service." Ran's soft smile managed to counter Reg's life with a wane, quiet politeness.

"Ran Valentine..." His "human" alias was his preferred name, after all. He'd rather not be branded as Rangda the Exiled Prince again so shortly after meeting someone.

[Elf]

"Hm." That fledgling smile grew just a hair more. "So Ran and Reg, then, huh?" Chrono's gaze turned forward, and his smile turned inward. It wasn't in his nature to give people nicknames, but it had been something that...she would do. Sometimes he still felt like he could hear her, as if she were just over his shoulder, chiding him: "Loosen up a little, ya wet blanket!"

Chrono shook his head lightly, trying to banish the lingering memories. Focus on the here and now, Chrono, he told himself. That's what she would want, anyway.

It wasn't long before the motley little trio made it back to a more well-lit part of the town, although not too many people were out at this time of night. There were a few lights, mostly of restaurants that counted on their clientelle getting the munchies at all hours of the night. It was one such place that they now approached--though it was more a brightly-lit indent in the wall than a restaurant.

Chrono pushed back and ducked under the Kanji-decorated half-curtains to the ramen place, blinking as the brilliant lights of the establishment hit his eyes. An apologetic smile lit up his face as the two people behind the bar--a man and a woman--called out cheery greetings in Japanese. No matter how many times he came here, Chrono still couldn't pick out what they were saying; he had no talent for language, it seemed.

"Good evening to you," he said politely, bobbing his head in a semblance of a bow. "I've brought you new customers." He used his one good arm to gently usher Ran forward, figuring the white-haired boy for the more shy of the two. "Have a seat."

"And a good evening to you, Chrono-san!" the head chef beamed at the purple-haired man. "Large Miso Ramen as always?"

"Yes please," Chrono replied, taking a stool, straightening himself out, and grabbing a pair of chopsticks. He always had to shake his head at the way the Japanese man added another syllable to his name, along with the honorific at the end. No matter how many times he'd politely tried to correct him, it had never worked.

"What'll you two have?" Chrono cast a look sideways, at Reg and Ran. "Pretty much everything on their menu is top-notch."

[Meryck]

((OOC: For those of you reading who are NOT Big Sis or just don't know about ramen- like me- the wikipedia page can be found here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramen ))


Reg glanced at the menu as she sat down before smiling politely at the chef. "Ah...a small Shio Ramen, please." Ran sat next to her, smiling politely as well, though his had the young demons usual tinge of shyness.

"Medium Shio for me, if it's no problem..."

[Elf]

"Ah! Good choice! Coming right up!" the chef called with a grin, his words thickly accented and containing more syllables than the English language typically called for.

While the chef busied himself with his three patrons' orders, his wife poured tea and water for the three of them. Chrono nodded his thanks, picking up his tea. The ceramic cup would have fit comfortably in a small person's hand, but Chrono's fingers wrapped all the way around it and then some. Nonetheless, he held it in a moment, leeching its heat into his skin. He gave pause, bringing the cup towards him, his eye falling shut as he inhaled the green tea's aroma.

You can really smell the rice they use in tonight's batch, he mused. He took a long, slow sip, contemplating the flavor.

"Mm." Chrono opened his eye as he set the tea down on the bar before him. "The warmth goes right to your bones," he murmured.

"So." The demon turned slightly in his seat, his arms resting casually on the bar as he took both Reggie and Ran in with his look. "Tell me a little more about yourselves. It'll be a bit before our ramen's ready, and," he glanced at the husband and wife's backs, who were already engrossed with bickering in Japanese, "I don't think that anything you say will really compromise you, here." He gave a wan smile.

[Meryck]

Reggie smirked and sipped her water. "I think you're right on that one." She placed her cup back on the bar. "Honestly, I don't know where to start. We're paranormal detectives by trade, me because my adopted mother is one, and Ran because my adopted mother found him when I was seven. Really, after that, not much else to say."

Ran quietly took a sip of his tea, glad that Reg would never mention where he came from.

[Elf]

Chrono blinked. "Only seven?" Rosette was about the same age when we met. He swallowed hard.

"Paranormal detectives? Really." He pulled his good arm closer to him, turning a bit more to give the two a contemplative look. "Quite a profession for two youngsters, even for following in your mother's footsteps..."

There had to be more to it. Children didn't take on such dangerous tasks unless there was something they desperately wanted. Rosette had joined the Magdalan order determined to find and rescue her brother, whatever the cost...

"Are you after something?" His crimson gaze flickered from Reg to Ran and back again. "Even if your mom was one, investigating the paranormal can be obscenely dangerous..."

[Meryck]

Reg shrugged. "Not really, no. I just wanted to help people, and it was the best way I knew how. Not like I was scared of much, with my upbringing." She took another sip of her water, and her sleeve twisted just enough for a glimpse of a bitemark scar on her arm.

She neglected to mention that she had also wanted to help Ran in any way possible, so he wouldn't always be haunted and hunted on the streets. And what better way was there but to delve even further into the paranormal as a detective so she could catch some threats before they managed to get serious.

[Elf]

Chrono's eye caught the scar immediately. His brow furrowed in concern, causing the red headband to stretch a bit across the missing eye. He averted his gaze quickly though, figuring Reg for the type to dislike pity. Not to mention that her nonchalant tone, and her tendency to be a little scant on details: there was no reason to assume she'd be forthright about any more information from hers or Ran's pasts.

"Hm." Chrono turned to face forward again, his gaze wandering somewhere over the chef's heads, through the fields of green watercolor adorning the back wall. "Helping people; that's a good goal." A smile flitted over his face, a nostalgic look. "Still, being a paranormal detective has to get pretty crazy...you must've seen some wild things."

[Meryck]

Reg glanced over at him, eyes flitting once again over the missing arm and eye before looking away. "Yeah, well. You get used to it." She took another sip of her water. "I'm willing to bet you've seen some wild things too. And I'm not gonna be the only one answering questions."

Ran sighed again at the girl's brashness. She never learned.

Her green eyes looked up at Chrono. "So. Mind telling us something about you?"

[Elf]

Chrono couldn't help but crack a smile at Reg's brisk remark. Get used to it? "I'll bet." Oh boy, if only she knew.

The demon shrugged, looking away again, though the light smile still stayed firmly in place. "Not at all," he returned nonchalantly, debating on whether to keep her guessing, or...

But no. That wouldn't be right, would it? What did he have to hide? What reason did he have to hide anything anymore? The world had completely changed. He couldn't be called a Sinner any longer; there was no more Pandaemonium, no more Pursuers to fear. And besides...

Chrono gave Reg a rueful grin. "It's the least I can do for almost trying to kill your partner," he admitted.

"So, where to start..." Almost of its own volition, his good hand wandered over to absently rub the stump of his right arm. He glanced down at it, blinking as if he'd just realized it was gone. "You're probably curious about this, huh," he half-chuckled, giving Reg another painfully embarassed grin. "I lost it in the Pandaemonium incident...though that was long before either of you were born."

His gaze flitted back to the decorative watercolor scrolls, darkening for a moment and growing pensive. That was definitely not a subject to linger on.

"What else did you want to know?" he asked, glancing back at Reg with another tentative, watery grin. "I've lived quite a long time, so there is a lot I could say..."

[Meryck]

Ran blink-blinked at the word "Pandemonium", looking over at the elder demon in surprise. Sure, that was twenty-something years before the exiled Dragon Court prince was born, but he had heard of it. But....he always thought Pandemonium's Demise was merely a story used to scare the hell out of young demons.

Reg, however, knew nothing of Pandemonium, and assumed it was an incident that happened a long time ago. She leaned on the counter. "You could start by telling us why you have so much issue with other demons." Even Ran didn't immediately assume all other demons were out to kill, maim, or rape, so there had to be a reason why Chrono did.