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Post by Glyph on Jan 21, 2010 21:40:38 GMT -5
It was Vesper's turn to smirk when the music changed dramatically and he felt Glyph stiffen. Oh-ho, had the hedgehog finally remembered that, beyond a slow sway, she couldn't dance?
"Suck it up, you big sissy." The bat taunted his beet-red friend, releasing her and back-stepping to the beat. Fine. Two could play this game.
Glyph glowered at him, crossing her arms to hide her suddenly trembling hands, but her face fell slack after she'd watched him loosen up for a moment or two.
Where in Order's name had Vesper learned to dance?!
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Post by Elf on Jan 22, 2010 0:06:43 GMT -5
A tall, lanky figure stepped up to the door of the nightclub, his vibrantly purple hair shifting as his red eyes studied the sign. A light scowl folded his face as he studied the facade and picked up a snatch of the music pounding from the inside.
This was definitely the place...but....why here, he wondered?
More than a few stares of incoming clubbers trailed his way; after all, a 6'5", leggy, powerfully-built man like him didn't exactly blend into a crowd, purple hair or no purple hair. What was more, his clothes did nothing to hide his attractive musculature--the sleeveless, black leather shirt and kneepad-adorned, brown leather pants clung to him like a second skin. The facts that he was missing his left eye--a red bandana wrapped losely around his purple locks sagged down on one side to cover the old injury--or the fact that his right arm was a stub after the elbow, didn't serve to detract from his impressive aura in the least.
Even the club's bouncer didn't give the man any trouble as he walked into the club. For one thing, the guy looked like one hell of a fighter; he wouldn't want to pick a fight with him. For another, he seemed a cool guy; he probably wasn't picking a fight. And for a third, it was always good to have hot people inside a club, no matter their gender.
The purple-haired man didn't seem to see the bouncer at all, or even any of the club-goers. His crimson eyes stared straight ahead, his gaze growing more and more narrow as he slowly made his way through the crowds.
Where is he? Chrono thought, growing anxious. He reached out with all six of his senses, but it was difficult to pinpoint the other demon's presence while lost in the melange of auras. I know I sensed a demon in here...a demon of Lust, no less. That kind of thing in a place like this-- He glanced around, at the ridiculous close proximity of the dancers to one another, and his mild frown deepened into a scowl. A Lust demon in here could get messy FAST. A lot of innocent people might die.
Chrono turned, and suddenly, there he was. White hair, stormy grey eyes, and a young lady with a black braid grinning as they danced. Crimson eyes widened. The Lust demon had already found his target.
The Sinner grimaced. His stance bristled in anticipation for a fight, ready to unleash his full demonic form at any second as he turned and headed towards Ran.
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Post by Meryck on Jan 22, 2010 0:16:42 GMT -5
((OOC: Thaaaaaaaaaat's right folks. We just gave you a PLOT.))
Ran froze the moment he felt the older demon's eyes upon him. Reg looked up.
"Ran...?"
"One's here..."
He didn't have to explain. "Wha- HERE? Oh for the love of-- can't we have one day off?!" Her arms promptly slid off Ran's shoulders, eyes darting around the area, hand already reaching for the gun hidden in a pocket of her belt. The Dragon Demon glanced around.
Holy HELL was this guy powerful. Ran flinched as his eyes landed on the striding devil. No sense of fear for the people around here, either. The duo looked at eachother, nodded, and slipped away into the crowd, scrambling off the dance floor. Ran had the feeling whoever it was was after him, but considering how stubborn Reg was, there was no way he'd convince her to get to safety. The girl had paled upon seeing the powerful demon, and Ran was already bracing himself.
Things were about to get messy.
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Post by Elf on Jan 22, 2010 0:34:00 GMT -5
((>D *cue evil, maniacal, Envy-style cackling*))
Chrono's lips quipped irritably as the two slipped off into the crowd. Using the humans as a shield? That was unacceptable. He had to find a way to get the demon of Lust out of the club and away from innocent bystanders, by trick or by force, if necessary...of course, if he could get close enough to touch him, Chrono could focus a Time Freeze on him without affecting any of the humans around. The Sinner's pace picked up as he settled on the new plan.
Except his prey seemed a little more slippery than he'd anticipated. Working his way through a solid mass of dancing bodies wasn't exactly the most expedient way to track prey, either. Chrono mumbled more apologies and excuse-me's than he could count as he tried desperately not to step on anyone's toes.
Once, an audacious girl appeared out of the dancing melee and pressed herself against him in an attempt to get him to dance. A light blush colored the demon's cheeks; he gave the girl a bemused look and politely excused himself, getting away from her as fast as he could shove. Maybe there had been a time in his life where he'd have been content to flirt with, or sleep with, any woman with a healthy appetite for such things, but that had been a long, long time ago...he couldn't, and never would again. Not after having loved, and lost...twice.
Finally, the purple-haired demon emerged out of the thickest mass of dancers, spotting the Lust demon and the black-haired girl in a clear spot on the dance floor. Both had already turned, appearing to brace themselves for a fight.
Chrono glanced at the girl again, observing the look on her face--resolute and ready. A stab of pain flared through his heart at seeing a look just like one Rosette would wear on this braided girl. When he turned his crimson eyes on Ran, his expression burst with sudden wrath.
"Feeding off an innocent girl are we, Progeny of Asmodeus?" he nearly snarled, his timbre low despite the way he needed to almost-shout to be heard over the pounding racket. "Get away from her."
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Post by Meryck on Jan 22, 2010 0:43:07 GMT -5
Ran was taken aback. "Wha-- Feeding on---?! No, I would never--!" Reg blinked.
"...OH. Oh, THAT's what this is about? Pfft." Trying not to laugh, she clapped her hands over her mouth. Ran glared at her, balefully.
"This isn't funny."
"Yes it is", the girl insisted, giggling. "Can't believe someone thought you were a monster again....Didn't even get yer dad right..." Ran groaned.
"Reg, find the humor in this AFTER the guy who wants to kill me calms down. Please?"
"Oh, fine. I'm mad my day off got ruined again, anyway. What I would give for a day without a demon popping up..." She reached for her gun again.
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Post by Elf on Jan 22, 2010 0:47:18 GMT -5
Chrono's scowl deepened as the pair suddenly started bantering right in front of him. He stared between Reggie and Ran, confusion and ire growing.
The two of them...their interactions...they seemed to be friends. No, more than that; they seemed to know each other very well. Could it be? Was it possible that these two children had the same kind of symbiosis that he and Rosette once possessed...?
Pain lanced through his heart again, shaking him out of his hopeful musings. He wasn't willing to bet on it.
Chrono jerked his head towards the front door. "Outside," he ordered Ran briskly, his baritone offering absolutely no room for argument. "We'll continue this away from the humans."
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Post by Meryck on Jan 22, 2010 10:24:56 GMT -5
Ran flinched at the ire, but nodded, regaining his previous composure before older demon had accused him of-- well, better not to think about it. "Right." Bad idea to be spattering blood all over the place.
Reggie looked between her demon and Chrono before deciding not to go ahead and pull out her gun, shoving her hands in her pockets. Hopefully, this meant this particular devil could be reasoned with, which meant this should be sorted out quickly. Hopefully.
But blast it all, were all Wrath demons grumpy, or did the detective duo just have bad luck?
The exiled Dragon Court prince turned and headed for the door, Reggae promptly falling into step a half-stride behind him, braid trailing behind her.
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Post by Glyph on Jan 22, 2010 21:37:51 GMT -5
Glyph's head popped up when movement (well, movement OPPOSITE of the dancing crowd) caught her eye. The human girl, her dance partner, and a very tall, VERY handsome stranger appeared to be leaving.
Vesper paused mid-step when he noticed the absence of Glyph's attention, only to scowl when he noticed her nosiness.
"Oh, NO WAY." Sidestepping to avoid bumping into a bopping pair of dancers, the bat folded his arms across his chest and stared at her disapprovingly. She was giving him THAT look again, the one that always meant trouble was quickly approaching... Unfortunately, "that" look was also incredibly pitiful and pleading in all the right places. He growled against his weakness. "L-leave it, Glyph. The last time you poked your n-nose where it wasn't supposed to be, we ended up running for our lives."
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Post by Elf on Jan 25, 2010 16:47:18 GMT -5
((I like how you attributed the sin of Wrath to Chrono; it fits like a glove. Under that criteria, d'you think Aion would be a demon of Pride? XD))
As the nervous Lust demon, the irate braided girl, and the even more irtate Time demon exited the club, Chrono kept a few steps behind the other two just in case they decided to bolt. He made sure to stay far enough away that if the Lust demon whirled on him, he'd have enough space to dodge the blow.
Once again, the bouncer seemed to want to step aside for Chrono's impressive form; only the fact that he was getting paid to stay rooted to that spot kept him rooted there. The fact that the Sinner only had half his right arm and one eye aside, now his killer intention blared from him in full force. The bouncer shifted his weight; from one fighter to another, it was easy to tell when a man was ready to bust some skulls, even if such a man carried himself with outward calm.
Chrono all but herded the two down the street until they were out of sight of the club. Only the distant sounds of city traffic and the flickering glow of two streetlights kept them company.
"Right here is fine." He didn't need to raise his voice to convey a sufficiently snappish tone.
The demon's crimson eyes narrowed as he studied the two once again. The fact that they had not only bent to his request, but that they had come along without a fuss, could mean one of two things: either the Lust demon wanted to throw Chrono off his guard by pretending to be a pacifist, or...this was all a big misunderstanding.
The last time Chrono had run into any demons, the world had nearly ended. He was more inclined to believe the former, at this point.
"What are you doing here?" Chrono's brisk tone started up the interrogation without prelude. "Are you two soul-bonded? Are you feeding off of her soul energy?" With the Lust demon in his powered-down form, obviously no horns would be visible, but in order to make him transform and verify if he was indeed hornless and in need of a contract, Chrono would have to initiate a fight. So far, that hadn't been completely necessary, and he wanted to keep it that way.
"Or are you his Summoner?" Chrono turned his scowl towards the girl. She didn't seem like the type to attempt Fell magic, but appearances could always be decieving.
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Post by Meryck on Jan 25, 2010 17:11:41 GMT -5
((Quite possibly. XD))
Reg scowled right back up at him. She was severely convinced that, yes, indeed, all Wrath demons were grumpy. Or at least never learned any manners. However, before she could snap at Chrono, Ran responded, softly and politely;
"I'm afraid you've grabbed the wrong demon, if that's what you're worried about. Even if I didn't have horns, I wouldn't try to feed of Reggae. Not to mention she's too young and naive to know how to Summon a demon." Reg lightly punched Ran's arm at that last comment, sourly. He ignored her. "Besides, I'm being Supressed...", he added, lightly pulling on the Chain around his neck for emphasis,"...so I wouldn't do much damage if I felt like it unless a human took these off."
During Ran's soft easing of the accusations, Reg was sizing up the elder demon, just in case he decided to attack anyway. Her eyes fell on the missing arm, then looked up at where his missing eye was. For a moment, her expression softened into one of pity and sympathy.
But only for a moment. Her face hardened back into a grumpy frown soon after.
"As for what I'm doing here....I'm an exile." Ran's voice turned bitter for the last word, eyes hardening for a brief second before returning to their kind, faux-youthful softness.
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Post by Elf on Jan 25, 2010 17:44:57 GMT -5
Chrono fell silent for a long moment, his expression inscrutable. The crimson eyes stayed steady as they watched the Lust demon: as they analyzed his expressions, his gestures, his demeanor; as they searched for truth. And truth there was, in both the hardened look and in the youthful softness of Ran's stormy eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Reggie's slip, her pitying look. That was the straw to break the camel's back. A grimmace tightened Chrono's expression, half anger, half remembered pain.
"I'm not buying this," he hissed, his voice more wrathful, and more quiet, than ever. "You're an Exile with supressed powers, and the two of you are, what? Partners? Friends?" Lovers?
Chrono's single fist clenched. His eyes squinted shut; he looked away, hoping his shaggy purple hair was enough to mask his expression from the two. It wasn't.
"A demon and a human, together." His words still held that same wrath, but the syllables seemed to choke from him, as if despite his saying them, they would do anything to not be heard. "I won't believe it. That doesn't happen. Not...not anymore."
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Post by Meryck on Jan 25, 2010 17:58:35 GMT -5
Ran looked up at the choking voice, the painful look on the elder demon's face making him feel rather horrible. He opened his mouth to speak.
"Why can't it?" Ran started and looked over at Reg, having not expected her to speak up. She was looking up at the elder demon, rage having drained away to a calmer, more questioning expression. "Why can't a human and demon be together? I know it doesn't happen often, and it tends to be...er...frowned upon, but that's no reason to say it can't be."
Not to mention it kind of put a hitch in the idea of a demon helping humanity, period.
"So, why? I want a good answer, too." She crossed her arms and continued to look up at Chrono unwaveringly. Ran stepped closer to her side, just in case this pushed the elder demon overboard.
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Post by Elf on Jan 25, 2010 18:32:29 GMT -5
A brief moment of silence passed after Reggie's words concluded. It took the whole of her solliloquy for him to do it, but eventually, the elder demon mastered himself. When he opened his eyes and looked up at the girl, they were calm, steady. A hint of sadness lingered in his expression; the sorrow of the old and wise.
"Society's outlook on something like that has nothing to do with it," he stated plainly. "And even the fact that we're monsters--destroyers of life, plagues incarnate--isn't the main problem."
"Humans die. Demons don't. No matter how much you want to spend your lives together, one of you is going to end up alone."
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Post by Meryck on Jan 25, 2010 18:41:48 GMT -5
Ran flinched at the words. His Mark throbbed. Reggie, unaware of the ticking clock on her best friend's life, sighed, looking sadly at the elder demon.
"That's...a rather depressing outlook on the situation." She saw the sadness on his face, and it dawned on her; "You were in love with a human once, weren't you...?"
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Post by Elf on Jan 25, 2010 20:56:44 GMT -5
Chrono blinked. Bemusement flashed across his face before slowly, painstakingly, a smile cracked through the solid countenence. It was an expression containing no mirth, no happiness--little more than a squinting of eyes and a flashing of teeth, and painful to look at.
"Am I that obvious?"
A sigh coursed through the demon's lanky form. He scratched the back of his head, his gaze shifting away from the two as his lips quipped in a pensive frown.
"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding," he all but grumbled, his voice lowering. "But that still doesn't answer the question of what to do with you..." He turned his eyes back to Ran, no longer wrathful, but matter-of-fact and slightly apologetic. "No matter what your relationship is to another, I'm afraid I don't feel comfortable just letting you run around. You have a huge amount of power hidden under those chains..." His expression turned grave once more. "And not all humans see things the way your partner probably does. Some, as I'm sure you're aware, view demons as tools."
He let out a short sigh. "You're young, which means you're probably prone to be volitile; you're a Lust demon, which means you're GOING to end up being volitile, and you're powerful. And all you have keeping you in check are some Supression Chains and a teenage girl?" He shook his head. "I think not."
Chrono sighed a third time, his expression softening slightly. "If I'm reading you right...and I'm pretty sure I am...then I respect what you two have. But I can't trust your sense of self control. Do you understand?"
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