By Fang Wolfsbane
"This had better be worth it," Dante whined as he dismounted Lady's motorcycle. The two-wheeler was a thing of beauty, one he had tried for years to get a chance with only to be denied by her owner with a flat palm to the face. How Trish had gotten permission – more than once – was beyond him.
"Oh come on Dante. Don't be such a big baby about it," said blonde said the moment she climbed out of the van Nero and Nico had so eloquently dubbed the 'Devil May Cry service van'. He still couldn't tell if they were serious about the name or not.
"You try telling that to my empty stomach," Dante groaned, patting his abdomen for emphasis.
"Speaking of, we're still not done with that conversation," Nero interjected, pointing an accusatory finger right at his uncle. Dante huffed. He'd need to talk to Vergil about teaching the kid to respect his elders. Scratch that, he wasn't that old, at least not by hybrid standards. On that note, he made a mental reminder to shave his beard the next chance he got. It was becoming far too scruffy for its own good.
"Just drop it for now, kid. You'll be lucky if you see a cent out of him by next Monday," Trish said, flashing a coy smile at him. What was the deal with everyone picking on him today? The moment he got the chance, he was heading down to his favourite tavern to get a strawberry sundae. The rest of them could stick around to clean up after.
Following the two semi-demons out of her van, Nico looked around the spot they had been sent to. It was a rural area of town, one that wasn't a stranger to demon popup surprises. It was the main reason why this part of town was mostly abandoned. Those who could afford it had simply left, not wanting to deal with the weekly possession menu. He couldn't complain. It kept him in business. Somewhat.
"Are y'all sure this is the place? Seems kinda empty," the youngest female in their group observed, readjusting the frame of her glasses. If she had been someone else, he would have ordered her back in the van or told her to go hide but considering that she had been a big help during his own rescue a couple of years ago, he was the last person to tell her to make a U-turn.
"It's what Morrison said," Trish hummed, hands resting on her hips as she surveyed their surroundings as well. Usually the demons would announce themselves with a screech and start attacking without a plan. That usually led to their heads being separated from their necks. It was rare for their uninvited guests to lay in wait for them to make the first move.
He didn't like it.
"And you know he's never wrong," Lady added, only ever too grateful for the jobs he sent her way, when she didn't pass them on to Dante instead. Either way she usually ended up claiming the reward money from him, though this time was different. They didn't have a specific client that called them in for a job, which meant this one would be pro-bono.
His wallet definitely didn't like that.
But what could he do? Just leave the demons to run rampant to possess and kill like they wished? Sure it would lead to more jobs, and more income, but his conscious wouldn't allow it.
If it did, he'd never have gone to the church to help Nero against that giant statue of his father in the first place. He wasn't sure who to blame for his consciousness existing in the first place, his father or his mother. He chose to play the safe route and blame both. He was certain his brother did other wise he never would have attempted to open the gate to the underworld, multiple times.
"Wait, do you hear that?" Nero asked, his hand already reaching for the red and silver sword on his back, the Red Queen.
"It's probably Dante's belly whining like a baby," Trish assured with a wave nonchalance of her hand. He returned her obligated quip with a raised finger from his free hand. She reciprocated with one of her own.
"No. Listen," Nero insisted, looking to the nearby alley. Knowing better than to doubt a demon-half breed, or quarter breed in Nero's case, for a second time, they all prepared themselves, weapons drawn and eyes focused where his pointed. There was silence, and then… laughter. Female from the sound of it.
"My, my, what a show you put on for us," the voice said as not only one, but two figures appeared from the alley's shadow. Nearly identical in appearance, Dante would have sword they were identical twins like him and his brother, except there was one clear difference. The shape of their bodies.
Neither was lacking in the muscle department, from what he could tell from their modern Victorian steam punk dress code, but other curves and bumps made it clear what their voices did. One was female, and the other male. The female seemed to definitely not care that her chest was open enough to confirm his biological guess. What was it with demon females and their need to show off those simple bumps that would have lesser men on their knees at the mere sight of them? Though he didn't mind looking when the opportunity presented itself.
" Tell me Sparda-kin, are we right to assume that you're the famous Devil May Cry?" the female asked with a fanged grin on her lips. None of them dared to move.
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