Goldie opened her eyes. Her yellow orbs shifted, taking in her surroundings. A flood of memories refreshed her memory. I have a new master, she thought as she ogled his sleeping face. A calm expression on his face, a few out of place strands of hair were in odd directions. She rose on all fours and barked, "Master!" Shocked at words that came out instead of a woof. Dante seemed equally perplexed at her. His clear blue eyes stared at her, ". . . Hi. . ."

Outside, a few birds began to sing in the glory of a bright new day...

The two both looked down to see that she was wearing nothing. Blushing bright red, she tried to cover herself as best she could with only her hands. The experience demon hunter had no idea what to do with the girl. His eyes couldn't help but to attach themselves to the sight of her nude body. He felt his face grow hot. The girl wrapped herself in the blanket, tucking her head under the cover. The echoed noises of Enzo walking into Devil may Cry sounded. "Dante? Oh, Dante?!" he called, expecting an answer. He took one last long look at the chick underneath his cover, shaking from... Fear? "I'll be... right back... don't move..." he said with his hands out, meaning to appear more nonviolent to the shuddering huddle.

Dante was greeted with a raised eyebrow, "What was that?"

"Oh... what- that up there?" he shrugged, "It was nothing. Don't worry about it. Now, uh, lets go..."

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"It was nothing..."

That's what he said, his exact words. Long after he and the newcomer had left, Goldie was still wrapped in the sheet. Her black blue fuzzy head poked out. She sighed. I should leave, her golden eyes filled with regret. I don't know why I even stayed so long anyway... Goldie looked up, So... I guess I will go away....

"...It was nothing..."

Its not like he would care or anything. Another sigh escaped from her covered mouth. She swallowed a sudden dense bump in her throat. He won't miss me.

"I guess it's official then; you're all mine now!"

Why would he say something so hurtful?... Was he lying when he said such kind words? I... I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Sorrow filled her soul. What's done is done... But, I still owe much to him. He... Dante showed me such hospitality, It must be my duty as his...ahem... I guess I owe him a favor to.... The empty water bottle that rolled from the wind in the drafty wood caught her attention. The least I could do would be clean up a bit for him.

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Dante couldn't help but think about her, his face growning hot whenever he imagend her standing there before him. Who was she?... Have I ever met her before in my life? No... Dante yawned and stretched as he put his arms behind his head. It struck him. Dante stopped in his tracks.

"Master."

Thats what she called me. And her yellow eyes DID seem familiar. So that means... That chick was Skimpy. He continued walking after Enzo, Wow did not see that comming.

The half demon groaned, "Are we there yet?" he asked for the umpteenth walking for what seemed to be an eternity, Enzo and Dante made it to the place; the Oasis strip joint. The moment they entered the building the two were blasted with the loud pounding music. Enzo rushed up ahead to shake hands with the manager. Dante kept his lazy pace, keeping more than a few feet behind. A lady in a french maid outfit caught his attention, his blue eyes trailing after as she passed him by.

A man nearly bumped into him as Dante was walking. "Oh! I am terribly sorry!" the voice said in a hurried manner. "I am Mr. Kingsly, the owner of this establishment." He was nearly yelling over the stereo system. He wore a blue suit, with a red bow tie. A pencil neck and thin frame showed clearly though the dim lights. Mr. Kingsly put his hand out in a handshake, "Its a pleasure to meet you, Dante, I have heard so much." he forced a smile. Dante reluctantly grabbed his sweaty palm in a firm grip, making the smaller man wiggle uncontrollably. When the warrior released his hand, Mr. Kingsly clutched his fist and held it close to himself, whimpering.

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Goldie had already gathered a large pile of garbage. Many old pizza boxes, empty bottles, and all sorts of other trash was now in many vacant boxes that were littered around the room. Goldie managed to find the old shirt she wore. She had decided to stay as a human, it was easier to clean with thumbs. I guess I'm only doing this as an excuse to stay here. Its only natural. A dog just wants to stay home... and be with their master. But this is not my place...

She scanned the room to see how much had gotten done; the area around the couch still needed work. Goldie trotted over there. A smell caught her attention, it was the scent of Dante. It was all over the red couch, embedded in its fibers. Her nose a half an inch away, she inhaled the rich aromas. Goldie found herself resting on the sofa. It was so soft and firm, her dainty frame embraced the contours of her body like a hug. Goldie felt nothing but longing and saddness. I wish things could have been different. Her eye lids drooped, I feel so tired all of the sudden...

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"First things first," Dante said, taking both Enzo and Kinglsy aback. "Let's talk payment." the manager cleared his throat. "But Mr. Ferino and I have already discussed that. You see I have already wired the transaction to your bank account."

"Perhaps," Dante said, glancing backwards, "But I want something more. An extra bonus."

"Well, I don't know... I mean, that is out of the question." he said more steadily at the end. Enzo pulled Dante aside and whispered harshly in his ear, "What are you doing? We already got this in the bag! You're going to ruin everything, man!" Dante felt some saliva in his every syllable. The cross breed shrugged him off, "Take it or leave it. I'm out if I don't get what I want." Enzo shot him a leer and tried to stamp his boot. Dante, in a suave motion, avoided Enzo's shoe and took a stride over to Mr. Kingsly, "What do you say? Satisfaction guaranteed."

The owner scratched the back of his head before saying, "Name your price, Mr. Dante."

"Alright!" he exclaimed in glee, "I want one of those." he said pointing to one of the waitresses. The girl looked up, rather hopeful. "I'm afraid I cannot part with even one of these lovely ladies." the girl frowned and walked away. "No no, I mean one of the dresses they got on." Dante said, shaking his head.

Mr. Kingsly went very quiet. "I am afraid we don't have any in your size, sir..."

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Contrary to his usual style, Dante sneakily entered the room. Quietly shutting the door while silencing the bell. He slipped out of boots and tip toed around a gigantic mountain of trash in the middle of the room. Kept yourself busy, eh? That's alright, I had been meaning to get to that anyway. He stood over her, watching as she slumbered. He felt a wave of empathy for her. Dante couldn't explain it, he just did. "Ahem." The girl stirred. "Good morning, sleepy head." She shrunk in her seat and cowered before him. "... Hey... Skimpy." Dante said with and edge of remorse for waking her. Skimpy huddled to one end of the couch, putting as much distance as she could between them. "Pl-please don't hurt me, Master..." Dante's blue eyes went wide at her small comment, "Huh? Now why would I hurt you?"

Goldie flinched as he let out an air of frustration. "Sorry." he muttered in disappointment. This is so not going according to plan... he thought. The big half demon plopped himself beside her. "Listen," he said with a sigh, "I'm not mad at you." They happen to make eye contact. "That said, you still owe me for all the food and rent. Understand?" Her black blue head nodded. "Good... So, I was figuring..." he paused and cleared his throat. "You can... stay here, if you like- that is..." red began to settle on his cheeks. "You can earn your keep here." Her tail began to thump against the velvet couch. "I assume that's a yes?" Dante grinned and rose to his feet to ruffle her head. "Now that we got that over with, I wanted to tell you that... Well, let me just..." he turned his back on her, "...Show you... Your new..." He brought out a french maid's outfit. "Uniform."

Skimpy stared at it, mouth agape. Slowly looking from Dante's cheery face to the dress and back again. Her small hand grasped the lacy cloth. "There you go! If you want you can try it on in the bathroom." Her golden eyes nervously flicked from him to the dress. "Are you sure your not mad?" a dark blue tail between her thin legs. "Yes... Why?"

"I... I wasn't sure if I was being punished or not..." she said softly.