Blessed Crusade (CC/DtbB RP)

[Elf]

Chrono's smile faltered. He dropped his gaze, returning it to the cup of tea before him, his crimson eye lost among the ghosts hidden within the dancing steam.

"A lot has changed in eighty years," he began quietly. "The Sinners' Rebellion in the 1870's cut down the demon population quite a bit, but the Pandaemonium Incident in 1925 nearly wiped out the whole demonic race. Almost immediately afterwards, the surviving demons started forming coalitions and councils, attempting to organize themselves in order to ensure their continued survival in a world dominated by humans."

"Now I'm not familiar with all the courts and councils out there," Chrono admitted, sharing a studying look between Ran and Reg. "I know of the Dragon Court, the Bloodletter's Coalition, and the Children of Beezlebub, in this area at least. What I have noticed, though, is that the intelligence and sanity of most demons these days is on the low side. Only the royalty and nobility among the younger demons seem to have any sense or reason."

He paused in his tale, his single eye scowling into the tea steam as his voice lowered. "I made a promise," he all but murmured, "that I would make a future for humans." He glanced back over at Reg. "So occasionally, I'll take on bounty hunting jobs to put down rogue demons. It's not that I have a problem with demons in general. It's that I want to protect innocent people from those who would harm them."

"And as far as your friend goes," Chrono cast a stony glance at Ran before his eye flitted back to Reg, "three things worry me." He started counting off on his fingers. "One: he's still an adolecent. Two: he's a demon of Lust. Those two together are a nasty enough combination; Lust demons aren't exactly known for their temperence. And three: the Supression Chains." His eye lingered over the chains binding Ran at the neck and wrists. "Only a human can take them off, true, but some humans aren't exactly the most upstanding people. Being paranormal investigators, I'm sure you two have run into a Demon Tamer or two. And when the chains come off..."

Now Chrono switched his attention fully to Ran. "Repressing your power is obviously a good thing if you can't control yourself. But the repression itself can have its own effects. The longer you go without letting your power course through you, the more addictive it becomes once you finally have access to it." His face tightened at a stab of remembered regret; clearly, this was the voice of personal experience talking. "In a way, those chains could end up being a double-edged sword for you. And what worries me is that you might be too young and inexperienced to deal with that."

[Meryck]

Ran froze at the words "Dragon Court". Oh wow. Chrono had no idea what nerve he just struck. Twenty-five, nearly twenty-six years, and that was still such a fresh memory.....

Ran met the scowl with a sad sort of look, a haunted expression in his eyes. "I know....." He knew far too well how young he was, how volatile he was. How addicting his power was when the chains came off. "But...but I--" His eyes drifted to Reggae, who had turned to look at him. He grimaced and looked away. "I can't let these come off...not again...", he whispered.

He couldn't let what happened in that poor ex-town happen again.

He couldn't let himself even think about hurting someone again.

I can't hurt Reggae again.

The girl's expression melted into absolute sympathy and pity. She slid off the stool, silently, and promptly hugged the young demon. He started and looked at her with wide-eyed surprise (and a blush he couldn't help; he was a Lust demon in love, after all) before his expression returned to that haunted, saddened look. He shut his eyes and he wrapped one arm around her in response. His Mark throbbed.

He absolutely could not hurt her again.

[Elf]

Chrono didn't speak for a long moment, letting the younger demon try to stutter out a response. He watched the boy stiffen at Chrono's words, watched the haunted expression take over the young-looking face. Though Chrono knew all too well that the "adolescent" demon was over fifty years old, he himself was over twice that in age--to him, the 'boy' was still a boy. He also knew all too well what the look on the boy's face implied before he heard Ran's despondent whisper.

The elder demon's face softened, his brow easing into a crinkle of pity. He watched Reggie's expression undergo a similar change, watched her wordlessly get up, walk over, and engulf the younger demon in a hug. He marked the ruby blush on Ran's face, marked the saddened look that overtook his eyes, and the tenderness with which he embraced her.

All the signs were there. These two had a bond that ran deeper than blood. Even a completely blind man could see that the demon boy had already fallen in love with the human girl, and Chrono still had one eye that worked.

His pitying look shifted again, tightening until an onlooker might fancy that age lines had appeared in the demon's youthful face. He remembered that feeling, holding the one you loved more than any other in your arms, the feeling of wanting, of needing more than breathing, to protect her.

Chrono's soft smile came back for a dramatic revival, brightening up his face as if it were illuminated from the inside. For several more moments, he did nothing but watch them, this impossible pair...a demon boy and a human girl. He'd never imagined that such a thing could happen again. He was partly grieved, and partly relieved, that history could still repeat itself.

"Ano...!"

Chrono blinked, snapping his head up towards the sound. The Ramen chef stood there, biting his lip to hold down a grin, a bowl of ramen in each hand.

"Here you are!" he called cheerily, setting the two bowls of Shio ramen in front of Ran and Reg. "Enjoy!"

"And here you are, Chrono-san!" his wife called out just as cheerily, setting the huge bowl of Miso ramen in front of the violet-haired man.

"Ah, thank you kindly!" Chrono said, picking up his chopsticks and pulling them apart. He clapped his hand onto the counter and said the one word in Japanese that he actually knew: "Itadakimasu!" Time to eat!

[Meryck]

The detective duo looked up, startled from their own little world by the arrival of food. Reg blink-blinked at the elder demon's joy at said food before biting down her own grin. She looked back over at her demon, expression softening. The are you gonna be alright in her eyes didn't need to be spoken. Ran looked down at her, smiled, and gently lifted her arms from around him.

I'll be fine.

He took one of her hands and pressed it to his lips, cordially, like a promise. For once, they were both blushing. Reg grinned, chuckled, and took her hand back so she could scramble back onto her stool. Ran smiled softly, shyly, blush taking longer to fade than hers, as he turned and pulled his own chopsticks apart and quietly began to eat.

[Elf]

Later...

Chrono let out a long, low sigh as the three of them made their way down the street. It had been a good half hour since he'd downed the last of his ramen broth, but he still felt warmed, full, and satisfied--the mark of good ramen, in his opinion. In fact, he was a little tempted to indulge in a Food Coma and just nap until all the carbs digested.

The elder demon glanced over to his left and couldn't hold back the smile; Reggie, on the other hand, already HAD indulged in the Food Coma. In fact, she'd fallen asleep in her seat the moment after putting her chopsticks down. Her white-haired companion had merely sighed at this and scooped her up; apparently, it was a common occurrence. The sight of the demon boy tenderly holding the human girl to his chest, and the girl's peaceful sleeping face, warmed Chrono all over again as if he'd started a brand new bowl of ramen.

His steps slowed and halted as the three of them came to the wrought-iron gate Ran had been guiding him to. Chrono took a moment to study the building--at the brick facade that looked straight out of the Roaring 20's, at the ivy creepers decorating the nearly century-old iron bars. His eye lingered over the plague mounted on the heavy gate: Chi Detective Agency.

"This is where you live?" He glanced over at Ran. Now came the tricky part: sticking to the pair even while they were within these walls. He'd grown to like Reg and Ran quite a bit over the past few hours, which was why he felt more strongly than ever that he should keep his eye on them. The last thing he wanted was something to happen to cause Ran to lose control, and considering that their profession dealt with the paranormal, the likelihood of that happening was actually quite high.

But how was he going to go about this? He couldn't just barge in and crash on their couch or something. What was more, if he wanted to keep a watchful eye on the children, he still had their adopted mother to contend with. As he imagined what that encounter might be like, a disturbing vision flashed behind his eyes: Reg's hair and eyes, along with military fatigues, on Sister Kate. The demon paled a few shades at the thought. Don't be ridiculous, I'm sure she'll be nothing like that, he told himself.

[Meryck]

Ran shifted to open the gates without doing anything that would hurt Reggae when she woke up.

(After all, while he was an immature demon, and he had done everything to keep them short, AND he was in his human form, he still had claws, and Reg would not be happy about getting her body scratched.)

"For seven years. It's a bit too big for everyone, considering the only people who actually work and live there are me, Reg and her little brother, and Ms. Valentine, their adopted mother. Still...", he nudged the gate open and stepped into the yard, smiling softly, "Home's home."

Like Chrono, he had also been figuring out what to do with the self-appointed guardian of the detective duo. Unlike Chrono, he knew Crysta, and therefore already had an idea on how to handle it. After re-adjusting Reggae to make her more comfortable (and fighting down a blush at her snuggling against his chest), he turned to the elder demon, smirking just a bit at Chrono's awkwardness. "You coming or what?"

[Elf]

Chrono gave a start, blinking. "Sure," he blurted, trailing after Ran.

He sighed, fighting down his bafflement. It seemed the younger demon had no problem at all with Chrono's insistence on trailing the two Chi detectives. It probably stemmed from the fact that Ran himself was hell-bent on keeping his sanity and control. Still, such a rapid acceptance had been a little unexpected.

"So it's just the four of you, huh?" Chrono scanned the expansive grounds of the Chi Detective headquarters as Ran lead him through the courtyard. It went without saying that that would leave a LOT of unused space. Ran had implied that other people worked here as well; that made a bit more sense.

Chrono blinked, part of Ran's words hitting home suddenly--Reg had a younger brother. That was one more thing that made her and Rosette similar, except...His face tightened briefly. Joshua... He dearly hoped that history hadn't repeated itself TOO much, that the younger brother was happy and healthy.

[Meryck]

Ran smiled a bit more and got to the door. Blinked. Then looked over at Chrono and smiled embarrassingly and apologetically.

"Ummm....c-could you get the door? My hands are kind of full, and I don't think Reg would appreciate me dropping her...eheh..."

[Elf]

Chrono let out a chuckle, his curious look replaced by a warm smile. "Dropping her would be a bad idea," he agreed, reaching before the younger demon to get the door.

"After you," he said, a mild smirk forming as he held the door open for Ran.

[Meryck]

Ran smiled. "Thank you." However, only a few steps in the door, and....

"BLOODY HELL!!"

Somehow, the snarling, Brooklyn-sounding-woman's yell from down the hall didn't startle the young demon. He blinked once in surprise, then sighed.

"Ohhhhhhhhh, dear. Not again."

[Elf]

It did, however, startle the older demon. Visions of Sister Kate flooded his consciousness--Sister Kate getting Rosette in a chokehold, and suddenly she was wearing military garb and had Reg's hair and was turning her infamous deadly glare at HIM--

Chrono swallowed.

"...Not again?" He cast a glance sideways at Ran. "What's not again?"

[Meryck]

Ran sighed. "Oh, long story. Don't worry, Ms. Valentine isn't usually that screechy. She holds issue with having to yell at people over the phone, is all. That's really the only reason she yells like that..." He began heading for Reg's room, gently adjusting the girl in his arms again to make sure he wouldn't scratch her up. "I wouldn't worry about it. She'll calm down soon enough. Ms. Valentine's kind of incapable of staying upset for too long."

[Elf]

Chrono let out a long, slow sigh, trying not to visibly deflate. "Oh, good." However, his relief was all too evident in his tone of voice. "So...my guess is to let her calm down before going to talk to her...right?" An uncertain grin flashed Ran's way.

[Meryck]

"Yup." It was just as simple as that.

Ran continued down the hall and, eventually, made it to Reggae's room. Nudging the door open with his foot (and thanking God Reg's door was the only one that wouldn't remain shut), he slipped in without a sound.

Reggae Alastor's room was a bit of a mess. Books of myths and histories lay scattered among the floor with the occasional left sock, some books closed, some books opened, all of them marked on specific pages. A dart board set opposite her bed with the emblem of the Dragon Court tacked onto the bulls-eye (though it could have just been hanging there due to the multiple darts in it, and no one would be able to tell). A nightstand stood next to the bed, having nothing more on top but a lamp and a well-thumbed version of the story "Of Mice And Men".

Ran set the girl gently on the bed and pulled the blankets sprawled at it's foot up to her chin. Smiling slightly, he gently tucked some of her bangs behind her ear.

His lower lip gave the slightest tremor. His Mark throbbed unhappily.

He forced himself to stand upright and walk out of the room, shutting the door behind him softly.

[Elf]

The elder demon, of course, followed--he was a guest in this house (or an intruder, depending on your point of view), so what else could he do? He paused at the door to Reggie's room, peering inside. He marked the general state of disarray, his eye catching particularly on an illustration in one of the books on myth--until his gaze wandered up to the wall. He squinted at the dart board, finding it difficult as always to focus with only one eye, and also struggling to make out the picture obscured by the half-dozen darts stuck into it.

Chrono blinked. That was the seal of the Dragon Court. What did Reggae Alastor have against one of the most powerful demon coalitions in the modern world? Mixing up with them was no minor business...there must have been a history there.

Chrono watched Ran lovingly pull the bed's blankets up to the girl's chin, and smiled. The look on his face--the barefaced longing--made his heart go out to the boy. He could say with perfect honesty that he knew how Ran felt.

He stepped back from the doorway, silently waiting for his guide to emerge.