Michael was wandering through the city, winding through the lesser backstreets looking for the old bookstore he had heard about. Lady had picked up some information that there was a tome relating to angels, and he thought it wise to acquire it so it could be kept safe in his library.
Eva walked beside him to help him with his errands and she looked distinctly upset. Dante had only allowed her to go because she was helping her Uncle (and because he felt guilty for telling her off just as much as Luke who kept getting her into trouble).
"Is something bothering you?" Michael asked, turning to his young niece.
Eva, as usual, pasted a bright smile on her face. "No. Nothing. Just thinking, that's all."
"Your mother told me about what happened last night."
Eva frowned, unable to keep up the charade and she sighed dejectedly. "Oh." She looked up at her Uncle. She loved spending time with him as they both shared a love of reading, unlike Luke who hated to read anything unless it had pictures of half naked women.
Eva was a tremendously skilled warrior, but also highly intelligent, and she liked everything to be well thought out, never making any split second decisions, something Luke teased her incessantly about.
"You let him get you into trouble again …?" Michael sounded amused and she looked away.
"I don't know why I bother going with him. I know he doesn't listen to reason. He's a stubborn reckless idiot!"
"And yet you follow him anyway."
Eva nodded. "I don't know what I'd do if he never came back one day."
Michael nodded understandingly. "How is your training going?"
"I've mastered every assault course my dad sets up, and my aim is almost as good as yours now."
Michael laughed. "Wonderful."
They stopped outside a little shop huddled away at the end of the alley, peering about. It didn't seem like a shop, or much of anything. The windows were blacked out, there was no sign to advertise it as a book store and it looked run down as if abandoned.
Eva glanced about her before following in behind Michael. Once inside they came to a dim space lit only with a few oil lamps. There were shelves that vanished into darkness out of the circle of warm light, and a counter at the far side that nobody seemed to be manning, piled over with books. There was a variety of clocks at the back wall, their pendulums swaying and they ticked loudly all at the same time.
The beamed ceiling was pitch black, and carved with odd symbols Eva hadn't seen before and despite herself she couldn't help but feel a little anxious about the place.
Michael strode to the counter and rang on the bell.
"Hello?" He called.
There came a sound of clattering out the back through an archway behind the counter that made Eva jump and scuttle closer to Michael. She scolded herself mentally. She was the granddaughter of Sparda and the Archangel Gabriel, and the daughter of Dante and Selene who had thwarted Lucifer and his children. She was a demon hunter of the highest calibre. There was nothing she should fear.
She watched as a tall thin man walked through the archway to the desk, dressed in a sharp black suit and a top hat of white. His thin eyes regarded the two carefully.
"Yes?" He said.
"I'm looking for a book I'm told you have." Michael said.
The man laughed, waving his arm out to the countless rows of shelves that vanished into darkness. "As you can see, I have many to choose from."
"Actually I'm looking for a specific one." Michael pressed. "It's called the White Grimoir."
The man stiffened suddenly before regaining composure. "The … White Grimoir …?"
Michael nodded. "That's right."
Shakily the man grasped an oil lamp from his desk and handed it out to Michael, who took it uncertainly. "It would be at the back of the shop, left corner if it's here. The title isn't familiar but I may have it. There are so many books here I'm not sure."
Michael nodded and strode towards the dark space, waving Eva to follow behind him. Neither noticed the tall dark figure lurking the other side in the far corner, watching them intently, pushing her glasses up her nose.
Eva followed close by Michael as they strode through into the darkness. It was especially dusty back here. The dark didn't frighten her, she dealt with demons and had never been afraid of it, not even when she was younger. But something about the place put her ill at ease, and she felt as though they were being watched.
"Uncle Michael?" She said.
"Yes?"
"What's the White Grimoir?"
"It is supposed to be a book which details every Angelic Arm and their use."
A silence fell between them as Eva dutifully scanned the shelves looking for anything with that title. Many of the spines bore ancient titles in languages she couldn't read. Her mother and Uncle had taught her all the languages they knew and she was fluent in all of them including Latin. And yet there was no title she could read back here.
She turned as something caught her eye. It looked like … a black butterfly. Her eyes widened, aware of the danger and she suddenly threw herself at Michael, knocking him to the ground. Something sharp wound overhead, missing them by a hairs breadth as they tumbled down, slicing a deep gouge in the shelves.
Eva reacted quicker than her uncle, quickly drawing the custom made guns her father had given her: one black and one white hand gun called Dawn and Dusk. Much like her father she was able to channel her power through her weapons, though until she knew what she was dealing with she refrained from doing so.
She fired at the dark shape heading towards them and was amazed that they dodged and hurtled forwards, launching a hit towards her. She dodged, and kneed them with just as much speed sending them back.
"Oooh." Came a female voice as they regained their balance and stood before her. "You are a clever girl."
"Who are you!" Eva shouted.
By now Michael was making it to his feet and was drawing the Halo, urging Eva to get behind him, but the girl was as stubborn as her mother and wouldn't budge. He lifted the lamp in his other hand, which fortunately he had managed to keep from going out to reveal a woman clad in an all in one black catsuit with a cut circle at her chest set with some kind of round trinket with a crescent moon. Her glossy black hair was piled into a hive on her head and down her shoulders, clamped down the arms of her outfits and flared out at her elbows and was woven through with red ribbon and a light gold chain. Her blue eyes, dusted over with purple eyes shadow, peered at them through her thin rectangular rimmed glasses, a sideward smile quirking at her generous lips with a beauty spot set just beneath it to the right. Her hands were covered with white gloves, secured at the top with three thick black straps, and held a pair of red guns that glinted like rubies.
"Are you after the book …?" Michael asked calmly.
"No, I'm after your life, half angel." The woman said putting a hand on her curving hip. "It's just business, nothing personal I assure you."
"You're working for a demon?" Michael readied to fire.
"Something like that." She purred.
"Which one?"
Eva looked from the woman to Michael, trying her hardest to keep her composure just as level as his.
The woman just shrugged. "I don't see that it matters all that much since you're going to be dead soon anyway."
"We will see about that." Michael turned to his niece. "Eva, get out, go and find Lady."
Eva shook her head. "I won't leave you here with this woman!"
"You would be wise to do as you've been told, little girl." The woman said, and felt a slight tinge of admiration at the stubborn glare that was directed at her.
"No way." Eva said.
"Please." Michael urged. "Lady is not far away."
"Two of us will be a better chance against her." Eva argued. "I'll give you support fire. But don't send me away."
Michael sighed. "Stay back, then."
He stepped in front of her and set down the lamp, and was surprised that his assailant was waiting patiently, watching them with mild amusement.
"Might I ask the name of my assassin ...?" He asked.
The woman inclined her head. "Dear me, did I forget my manners ...?" She drew away one gun and held out her hand as if to shake. "Bayonetta." She realised Michael wasn't going to shake, and sensibly so. "Alright ... let's get this started."
Bayonetta sprang forwards and Michael moved quickly, Eva shifting aside as well. Bayonetta kicked a book shelf and forced them to run, and she jumped down before them, firing. Eva dodged ... only to realise she had weapons on the heels of her shoes! She jumped to dodge the fire from them, smacking against a shelf and sending it toppling away from them.
Michael groaned as some of the bullets hit him, but he persevered, working to try and find some way out of the enclosed space and into the street where they might have a better advantage. He didn't have the time to come up with a strategy, however, as a heavy hit sent him careening backwards. The woman had moved so fast he didn't seemed to see her.
"Uncle Michael!" Eva screamed.
Bayonetta turned at this as she jumped over Michael who was lying on his back unable to recover quickly enough. "Uncle ...?"
As Bayonetta made to fire a death shot to Michael, the gun was shot from her hand by an immense force and she stopped. Within seconds Eva was standing over Michael in her devil trigger form, her body glowing with red light, body pulsating with power. It seemed like another form burned just around her, not quite visible.
Bayonetta's delicate brows rose. "Oh. This is interesting."
"Stay away from him!" Eva screamed. "If you want to fight somebody ... then fight me."
Bayonetta studied her for a moment. "And you would be ...?"
"I am Eva, daughter of Dante, descendent of Sparda." Eva straightened. "I kill demons like you."
Bayonetta said nothing and then she laughed softly. "I'm not exactly a demon." She sighed. "I'm afraid I have ... a previous engagement and our time has run a little long." She started to walk away.
Eva surged forwards. "Come back here!"
But Bayonetta was gone before she could reach her.
"Eva ... stop." Michael was struggling to his feet, his bullet wounds healing.
Eva did as she was bade and turned to him before running over to make sure he was okay.
"Who was that?" Eva asked drawing her guns.
"I don't know, but I don't like it." He glanced at the wrecked store. "We'd better leave."
Bayonetta was sitting in The Gates of Hell - Rodin's bar as he shook her drink.
"You get your target yet, Bayonetta?" Rodin, the huge demon who ran the bar asked as he slid the drink to her.
"I met a very interesting girl today." Bayonetta sipped at her drink. "Tell me ... what do you know about Sparda ...?"
The glass Rodin had been holding was smashed in his hand as he clenched his fists. "He was a traitor who turned against his own kind and fought against his allies to defend the humans. I don't like his name mentioned in my bar."
Most would have been intimidated by the huge bald man, but Bayonetta didn't seem concerned. "Oh?"
Rodin considered broaching the unpleasant subject, but then as it was Bayonetta asking, he decided to tell her. This was her job. "Two thousand years ago, Sparda, Mundus' strongest and most trusted warrior, rebelled to save the human world. He sealed his power at the same time he sealed away the demon world. He had two twin sons: Vergil and Dante. Vergil as far as I know was killed at Mallet Island during Mundus resurrection. Dante, however, has been a plague to demons, hunting them down. He destroyed Temin-ni-gru, killed Mundus, Argosax, the demon Abigail and thwarted Sanctus – a holy man bent on bringing forth the demons. But the worst ... the worst thing he ever did was to stand against Lucifer himself over fifteen years ago and then his children."
"Lilith and Sammael?"
Rodin nodded. "Man made a promise to kill all demons, he's shown his face in my neck of the woods one too many times than I'd like. And the rumours have been going around that he's teamed up with some half angels too. Can't say that I like the guy."
"He sounds like a regular felon." Bayonetta knocked down the last of her drink. "But I wonder ..."
Rodin waited for her to speak, but she didn't. "Something on your mind?"
"I think I met Dante's daughter today."
Rodin's face went sour. "Yeah. I'd heard that he and the half angel had kids, but it was never confirmed."
"So that would make them part angel, demon and human ..."
Rodin nodded. "Yeah. Makes you sick, doesn't it?"
But Bayonetta didn't answer him. She didn't like having to follow the beck and call of her demon masters, but she had no choice.
"I'll take another round." She said.
Okay. That's it so far with more to come I'm just drafting it. It's been a while since I've played Bayonetta (and DMC for that matter :( ...) Again any suggestions, comments, reviews, opinions are all greatly appreciated.