Vanitas' instincts were yelling for him to run the hell away from that thing.
It was bad, so bad even if the Hellfire Witch was on his side, he wasn't confident of his chances at escape. He fumbled in his pockets for chasseur inventions he brought along, his mind racing to come up with a plan to get himself out of this mess.
"So you're the one who haunted those vampires?" Choosing the exact opposite of what he wanted to do, he stepped forward attempting a small talk in order to buy himself some time. "Not that I'm complaining."
"Haunt? No, don't you see? I'm simply helping them, granting them wishes. Fair and square!" Without ever stabilising its form, it expanded its shadow to fetch photos of the couple, swinging it in front of Vanitas. "Which is why I approached the woman as well. It would be inhumane to separate the lovebirds!"
"Right, I am sure He would say the same." Vanitas lowered his gaze, toying with his cross intentionally. His free hand, still in his pockets, reached what he was looking for.
"So go see Him!" Tossing a tube filled with chemicals, he turned to bolt from the scene. Once it hit its target, it would give him approximately 2 seconds, 3 at most before he would be caught up in the reaction. The booster he had used in the previous fight shouldn't have worn off yet, it was still possible to put distance between him and the explosion in that window.
Three.
Not bothering to retrieve the findings, he ran for the door.
Two.
The tentacles of the mist stretched for him, forcing him to waste his precious second stumbling to avoid being caught.
One.
He was so close, probably only a few steps away. Even if he was the fastest runner on Earth, he was not going to make it.
Fire raged from the collision. Flames surged, devouring everything surrounding it. Vanitas did not look but felt the heat and the next thing he knew, his feet were no longer touching the ground.
"Perfect timing, my prince."
The Gods must be smiling upon him tonight. With a little help, he was carried away from death and destruction engulfing the room. Jeanne, sometime within those three golden seconds, predicted what he was planning and acted accordingly. She lifted Vanitas up on her way out, one hand around his waist, the other under his legs, taking him to safety.
"I will drop you if you don't shut your mouth." Skipping down the stairs as if Vanitas weighted nothing, Jeanne slowed down her pace once they exited the building. She looked up to make sure they were not pursued by the mist.
The first rays of sunrise were illuminating the waking city. Held in the arms of the infamous bourreau, Vanitas had the rare chance of observing her up close. He had heard all sorts of rumours about this one bourreau, this traitor who sided with the humans during the war, wiping out thousands of her own kind single-handedly. As expected of her, she was much more enchanting compared to the lunatics the chasseurs were used to dealing with.
She was as bright as the Parisian sunrise. Irresistible.
"You really are something else." Capturing a strand of her hair, Vanitas brought it up to his lips and gently placed a kiss.
Jeanne stared down at him for a moment, then she did the only thing she could think of.
She dropped him as promised.
"Ow!" He landed with a loud thud, Jeanne stepping over him as if he was trash littered in the middle of the road.
"Now I understand why they say roses have thorns." Getting back up on his feet, he rubbed his waist trying to smooth the ache. "I'm entranced by you, Jeanne!"
Unbelievable.
Jeanne knew she wasn't supposed to kill anyone irreverent to the case, let alone a chasseur, but Vanitas was making it incredibly difficult for her. Thinking back, it was idiotic for her to worry about making an enemy out of the chasseurs when she opened that door and held him by his throat. This shameless, irritating brat with no manners literally made purgatory sound like paradise.
"Get lost. Aren't chasseurs supposed to hate vampires?" With the explosion waking the neighbourhood, she had no choice than to flee the site walking at the fastest pace possible to pass as a human. Unfortunately, it meant that Vanitas could keep up with her easily.
"Oh, I do hate vampires." He was by her side again in no time, like that one annoying fly which wouldn't leave your house. Jeanne didn't bother to even roll her eyes, instead focusing on finding a quiet corner to either beat him up or make her escape. "I just hate humans equally."
"And probably God as well."
Jeanne worked to maintain her facial expression but failed to contain her surprise. Never had she known a chasseur who acted like him. She has always considered them devotees to the church, or cult members if she put it to the extreme. Was this a trick to grab her interest? Jeanne narrowed her eyes and pondered calling him bluff, however, despite his previous flattering, she didn't think it was meant as a joke.
"And if I convey your thoughts to the church?" Jeanne attempted a threat to shut him up.
"In that case, I'll be flattered to know you'd go as far as crossing into chasseur territory for me."
Jeanne had no one to blame but herself for leading him on. She shouldn't have wasted her time talking to him. Shaking her hand, she turned away from the main street and hopped onto a roof, leaving the noisy human behind. As she jumped from one building to another, her advanced hearing taunted her with his words.
"I can't wait to see you again!"