The following day, Loona came to work, not necessarily ready to work, but ready to keep herself busy to make the day go by as quickly as she could. However, much to her disappointment, Blitzø actually didn't have anything for her to do. It was to be expected as they had only just arrived, but it meant that she would have to sit at her desk as she normally did and simply take calls.
That would invite Dante to talk to her as usual.
And that only made things much... much harder for her.
So, she sighed to herself and pulled out her phone and started scrolling. Then she heard footsteps and groaned to herself, peeking up to see Dante.
"Not much of a morning person, huh?" he said, leaning against the corner of her desk with his arms folded, a friendly smirk across his face as usual.
She felt her face go red a bit, then she took a deep breath and looked back to her phone. "No, but I can see YOU are." she replied sharply.
"Heh," he shook his head with an amused grin. "Nah, I'm barely even a person." he joked.
She nearly laughed at that, but instead rolled her eyes and lifted her phone in front of her face.
"Since you're here, I'm assuming you know where you need to look in the Greed ring?" She asked sharply.
He gave her a curious smirk, noticing her tense demeanor.
"Not really " he shook his head nonchalantly. "Turns out damn near everyone in that hole will take on a hit." he shrugged, folding his arms. "So I might just have to question them all." he leaned over, flashing her a flirtatious smirk. "I know how much you like to watch."
She blushed again at that, feeling her heart raced a bit faster. She couldn't decide how to respond. She shouldn't entertain him, but when it came to insults, her mind was drawing a blank.
What was she to do?
So she did the only thing she could think to do and got up from her desk with an annoyed huff.
"Blitzø I'm taking a break!" she called out, shoving Dante out of the way, before leaving the office.
"Okay, just don't go far from the building!" her father called out.
"Whatever!" she called back.
After that, Loona went straight downstairs to the side of the building and lit a cigarette. After inhaling a few puffs, she pressed her back to the wall and slid down to the ground with a stressful sigh. After pulling out her phone, she started scrolling through her Sinstagram while enjoying her smoke.
However, he moment of silence was cut off when she was visited by the very person she was trying to avoid. Dante walked out the front door and stretched his arms upward a bit with a pleasant sigh. Once she caught glimpse of his signature pattern of red and white, he eyes immediately darted up from her phone.
He quickly noticed her cloud of smoke and found her to his left, causing a flirtatious smirk to form across his face.
He fanned the smoke out of his face with an amused grin as he approached her. "Can't imagine you came out here for fresh air, huh?"
"Uh... nope." she replied, putting out her cigarette as she stood back up and started walking away. "Just peace and quiet." she replied, sharply.
"No worries." he replied coolly. "I understand COMPLETELY."
Loona brushed quickly past him and started down the street away from him. She quickly noticed him walking beside her, causing her to blush and her tail to wag.
"I said I needed some quiet!" she groaned in annoyance as he caught up to her side.
"I know." he nodded. "I can do quiet." he shrugged with an amused grin. "But I still have a job to do, and I can't have you dying on me."
Loona rolled her eyes at that and shook her head, blushing a bit. "I'll be fine without you here to irritate me."
"Really?" he scoffed with a teasing smirk as they rounded the block. "And here I thought I was SO 'nice' to you." he teased with air quotes.
"You!... I..." she tried to find the right words to say, but ultimately ended up growling to herself and walking faster away. "Just fucking forget it! Okay?" she hissed, looking over her shoulder at him, then snapped her head forward, blushing. "Just... stop asking so many fucking questions."
"Can't hate a guy for being curious." he shrugged. "No harm meant."
"None given." she huffed, rolling her eyes as they rounded another corner. "You REALLY take your jobs seriously, don't you?"
He shrugged at that. "As much as I need to be." He replied nonchalantly. "I don't mind, though. I do enjoy our time together."
Loona blushed at that and couldn't help but look at him. "You do?" she replied, before her eyes widened and she looked forward. "I mean uh... You do... a good job at tailing people." she replied with an awkward chuckle.
"Helps when I have something nice to look at." he replied with a wink as they rounded the final corner back toward the office.
Loona blushed and rolled her eyes as he walked ahead of her.The two of them walked together until they were right around the corner from the office, then they both stopped when they heard the sound of a chopper overhead. They both pressed their backs to the wall and Dante immediately pulled out his pistols, before poking his head around the corner.
There they saw a worn, and rusted helicopter hovering in front of the I.M.P building, with a small walkway connecting it from a massive hole in the office wall. Loona gritted her teeth and immediately recognized where the chopper came from.
"That hunk of junk is from the Greed ring." She said.
"Yeah and get a load of how those clowns are dressed." he said, referencing the various demons in pinstripe suits. "Like if the Looney Tunes had a Mafia."
She smirked a bit in amusement and rolled her eyes as he aimed his pistol.
"I think I heard Blitzø say something about a client wanting us to meet somewhere in hell." she looked at him. "Looks like this is them." She peeked around the corner again. "You got a clear shot?"
"Yeah." he said, sounding almost hesitant. Then he stopped once he noticed Blitzø and the others willingly going with them. "On second thought." he said, watching the Imp's board the helicopter. "This might be the lead that we needed."
"How the fuck are we supposed to follow them?" she shrugged.
Dante hummed to himself, looking around for a moment, before shrugging to himself.
"Fuck it." He sighed. "GTA style, it is."
Loona watched as he walked into the middle of the street just as a motorcyclist was coming towards him. In one swift motion, he grabbed the bike by the front tire and held it steadily in place, causing it's rider to come flying off.
"Sorry, fella." he said, casually grabbing the biker's helmet, before mounting the bike. "I'll be your designated bike-jacker today."
After that, he revved up the engine and spun the bike in a few dognuts, before stylishly sliding right in front of Loona. He flashed a flirtatious smirk and handed her the helmet.
"And they call ME a lunatic." she joked with a roll of the eyes, a small smike escaping her lips as she mounted the bike.
She shivered inside as she wrapped her arms around his strong body and felt his warmth close to her.
"I know RIGHT?" He joked, with a shake of the head, before revving up the engine. "Hang on tight, Evel Knievel."
After that, they took off down the road, passing nimbly between each vehicle that passed. Every obstacle they came across, Dante either found a way around it or over it. Using every day objects as ramps to reach the rooftops. Whatever it took to stay on the Chopper's tail. However insane his path may have been, he always somehow managed to surprise her by how smoothly he was driving the entire time.
Then before she knew it, they were out of the city and on the open road. It was only then that she noticed she had been laughing, though she didn't know how long. She couldn't deny the thrill she felt, which only made it harder as she wrapped her arms around her guilty pleasure.
They eventually arrived in the Greed ring; a putrid smog riddled crime pit that gave off a permanent hue of green across the entire landscape. They ended up following the chopper deep into the city at a massive estate that contrasted with the city's overall industrial theme. They parked around the corner from the complex and peeked around the corner to see the same goons from the chopper carrying the three Imp's bound in rope from the rooftop into the mansion.
"Looks like your hunch was right." Loona breathed out.
"Looks like it IS." Dante said, noting the guarded entrances to the estate. "Shouldn't be too tough." Then he glanced back at her with a daring grin. "Ready to rock?"
"Whatever you say." she sighed with a roll of the eyes.
"Here." he said, reaching into the back of his coat. "I carry these in case I need them, but..." He, then pulled out the triple ice nunchucks that she had seen in his shop before. "I don't really use em much anymore."
Loona accepted the weapon and inspected it with a raised eyebrow.
"Let me guess..." she deadpanned at him. "They're named something lame like Trident or something?"
"No actually, they're named Cerberus." He replied. "It WAS a giant three headed dog." he said with an amused chuckle. "Before it met me." Then he looked back to her. "Ready?"
She looked back up at him and nodded. "Lets do this."
After that, they both rounded the corner and charged toward the fences. One gate stood to their left and to their righr with four armed guards at each one that noticed them immediately. Dante, quickly drew his pistols and fired a shot into a guard on each side. Then as the others took aim at him, he backflipped into the air.
"Woohoo!" He cheered, firing three more shots from each pistol, dispatching the remaining guards with perfect accuracy, before landing on the other side of the fence.
Loona rolled her eyes and shook her head as she walked through the gate toward the front door. "Showoff." she scoffed.
They both stood in front of the door and Dante merely shrugged with an amused grin.
"That's why you like me." he said.
Then, before she could react, he turned and kicked the massive double doors off their hinges, sending them flying into more goons inside. Ahead of them was a grand staircase that twisted around to both sides. The upper floor encircled the entire entrance room with a balcony overlooking it all. Guards quickly rushed into the balcony above and Dante rushed to the middle of the staircase and began shooting at them with them shooting back.
More guards rushed toward Loona on the bottom floor. She bared her teeth and leaped over a chain cycle hurled at her. She quickly turned and swung her weapons at the nearest enemy, but was shocked to see them suddenly engulfed in a massive iceberg.
Her eyes widened and she looked back to Dante on the stairs.
He merely shrugged at that. "What? You've never used a devil arm before?"
"What the fuck is a devil arm?" She called back, before dodging another attack.
With another swing, she froze another four guards in a block of ice. Then, she noticed the shooting stop, and she looked to see Dante heading back down the stairs.
"Now, I do believe I saw a bunch of guys retreating this way." he said with a mischievous grin. "Maybe we should raid his liquor cabinet while we're here."
She rolled her eyes with an amused grin. "If we have time."
The two of them walked down the halls until they came across a massive set of double doors that were shut. From beyond that door, they could hear the voice of an Imp that sounded a lot like Moxxie, but couldn't make out what he was saying.
"Bingo." he said with a smirk.
After that, he casually opened both doors and walked inside. The room was a grand open space with a massive dining room table going down the center. At the head of the table sat and Imp in a pinstripe suit that bared a striking resemblance to Moxxie. A fireplace with green flames sat behind him, casting the entire room in the same color. Near him were Blitzø, Millie, and Moxxie tied up in chairs near him. Nearly twenty of the Imp's goons stood around the room, all welding familiar glowing white rifles.
Blessed weapons.
"Sorry to break up the party." Dante announced, causing the Imp leader to glare at him. "But I'm afraid it's past their curfew."
"That's them, boss." A shark-like demon whispered into his ear.
The Imp leader waved his lackey off, staring right at the pair intensely. "I have eyes, Chaz."
"This is a surprise." The Imp said as Dante slowly reached the table and the doors were closed behind them. "Given your reputation I assumed tricking you would be a lot more... challenging."
"Who said I fell for it?" He shrugged with a mocking grin. "I was just so anxious to meet you is all."
"Oh I bet you were." the Imp laughed mockingly. "Dante, right?"
"The one and only." He replied with his arms held out flamboyantly. "And you are?"
The Imp grinned at him, showing a gold tooth amongst his pointed fangs.
"Name's Crimson." he replied. "I run things around here."
Dante nodded at that. "So it was you all along huh? Your job?"
Crimson laughed at that and shook his head. "Oh no! Whoever THEY pissed off is some seriously powerful fuck! I'm just a lucky guy looking to collect a rather... sizeable prize they've offered."
Dante glanced over at Moxxie to see that he looked even more distressed than the rest, almost in tears even. Then he looked back at Crimson.
"Say." He peered at him. "You remind me a lot of my friend here." he said pointing to Moxxie, then shrugged. "I mean I'm not saying all Imp's look alike, but..."
"Oh yes, he's my little bastard child." Crimson laughed. "I'm sure you can see how high that price tag is NOW, don't you?"
"Not at all." Dante replied, peering challengingly at him. "To think, even for a demon, that you'd sell your own son out like that? Like he was nothing."
Loona's eyes widened and she looked at him, surprised to hear that his care free attitude was gone. He seemed angry even.
"That's why they have MEN run the show." Crimson laughed. "And not some soft little shit and his bitch!"
"I've had just about enough of your arrogant attitude." Dante replied. "You ugly prick!"
Just then, Crimson snapped his fingers and all of his men aimed at Dante at once. Loona gasped, trying to think of a way out of the situstion. He may have tanked one blessed bullet before, but against this many, she wasn't sure if even HE would survive. Then, she looked at him in confusion as she started to notice red snaps of lightning shooting across his body.
Finally, the thugs all fired at him, only for a massive bolt of red electricity to shoot through the ceiling and hit Dante directly. In less than a second Dante managed to make his way around the room and deflect all the bullets with his sword
When the dust settled, her eyes widened in shock to notice that Dante had changed completely. Gone was his human like appearance and instead stood a red and black scaled demon with white horns running over the back of his head.
She gasped in sudden realization, that HE was the strange looking demon she had seen at Queen Bee's party.
Dante was a...
Demon?
Everyone else in the room had the same look of shock, especially Blitzø and the other employees, who were all left to helplessly watch.
"Well, what the fuck are you dipshits waiting for!?" Crimson shouted. "Light him up!"
The goons took aim again and Dante wasted no time, slicing through a crowd to his right with a flurry of rapid slashes. Then he quickly turned as the men across the room fired at him, and he shot all of their bullets out of the air. After that, he grabbed his sword on his back and hurled it around the other side of the room like a boomerang, decapitating the rest of them.
Finally, they were left with only Crimson. Another flash of red lightning hit Dante and he transformed back into his human form. Loona quickly rushed over to the others and began cutting them free.
As soon as Blitzø was free he gasped for sir and pointed at Dante. "What the FUCK was that!?"
"Oh shit!" Millie said excitedly. "That was the sickest bit of carnage I've seen in a while hoowhee!!"
Dante ignored them, however and stepped past them towards Crimson, who backed away from him. He took a few steps closer, before he finally stopped. Moxxie approached his side and stared down at the Imp, looking horrified and hurt at the same time. Crimson glared up at his son intensely, until finally Moxxie shook his head and walked away.
Crimson was shocked at that and watched as Moxxie left the room.
"You heard the man." Dante said, drawing his pistols with a twirl, before aiming them at the Imp's head. "Sweet dreams.
Bang!
In a single shot, the Imp was dead.
The room was left in silence, until Dante holstered his pistols with another twirl, then looked back at the Imp's with his arms folded.
"Everyone cool?" He asked.
"Yeah, we're good!" Millie replied.
"Nice." he nodded.
Loona still stared at him, her jaw hung half open in shock until finally his eyes met hers.
"You... You're a... demon?" she asked.
He stared at her in silence for a moment, then glanced to the others to see that they were staring at him expectingly.
Then, finally, he shook his head with a sigh. "HALF demon." He shrugged with an amused grin. "That make everyone feel better?"
"Uhm NO!" she hissed as they followed him toward the exit. "You're telling me you could've disguised yourself as a demon... THIS WHOLE FUCKING TIME!?"
"Pretty much." He replied, nonchalantly.
"Well shit, your parents must've been into some freaky shit, huh?" Blitzø joked.
"I'll let that slide, leprechaun." Dante replied coolly, causing the Imp's eyes to widen nervously. "The next one's gonna cost ya."
"Hehe, m-my bad." Blitzø replied nervously.
"You are absolutely fucking ridiculous." Loona growled as they walked out the front door. "I can't believe you've been drawing attention to us for NO FUCKING REASON."
"There's a reason." he shrugged.
"Oh yeah?" She replied. "Like what?"
"Same reason I talk to YOU so much." he said with a teasing smirk. "Cause it brings me joy."
Loona growled at that and rolled her eyes as Blitzø hailed a Taxi for them. After that, she decided she would disengage from the conversation until they got back. However, she couldn't simply IGNORE this information.
Dante had demonic blood in him!
He didn't say anything this entire time and chose NOW to reveal it. She knew if she thought about it too much, she'd just end up yelling at him again.
However, as they all sat in the Taxi, she felt strangely relieved from it. As if a weight was being lifted off her shoulders, though she couldn't tell why.
The only thing she did know was that Dante was far more mysterious and incredible than she ever expected.