"Talk"
'Thought'
"Hey Rat-Face, it's been a while~"
A young adult woman could be seen happily running up to Jackie Estacado, smiling at him before giving him a deep and loving kiss, which he didn't refuse and even returned the favor by deepening the kiss. The love and passion lasted for a few more moments before the two pulled away.
"Good to see you too, Jenny, sorry for being so busy, I promise to spend more time with you when I can."
Jackie gently caressed the woman, now known as Jenny Romano, while also pushing some of her black hair back, which made her giggle softly; however, before she could respond, she quickly noticed a certain young redheaded child with bright yellow swirling eyes wearing a large coat to hide her naked body and holding a puppy in her arms.
"Oh, and when you say busy, do you mean this little cutie?~"
Jenny immediately realized the situation and what she was seeing, but instead of being harsh and rude, she was warm and welcoming, even sharing her bright smile with the child, who didn't understand why.
"Her name is Makima, I found her alone on the way here."
Jackie didn't want to reveal too much, both because he still doesn't understand the full story, and because he rather not share something personal without permission
"And as you can see, she's not really in the, um, "Best Condition", do you think you can help her?"
Luckily Jackie's lover was able to understand and sympathize with what was happening, her nodding to his request and looking back at the child, kneeling down to her
"Let's get you and your puppy clean up with a nice warm bath, does that sound nice to you?"
Jenny was being clear with her tone and emotions that she was someone that can be trusted and was only trying to help, the redhead could only stare in response
"... That would be acceptable."
But Makima seemed to agree with the idea of being cleaned in the end, though without expressing any emotions or a change in tone, it was hard to tell if she was glad about it or not. Luckily, Romano didn't say anything about it as she led her to a nearby bathroom. Estacado stayed behind because he didn't want to interfere with "lady business", so he just stayed back like a true gentleman and let out a small sigh of relief.
'I need to talk with Jimmy and Vinnie… Maybe they can help me find out what actually happened to this little girl…'
After a long and relaxing bath in the tub, the yellow-eyed girl took long moments to fully clean herself and her puppy from dirt, grime, and stains. She used special soap to freshen their hair and make it softer and silkier. Both the redheaded child and puppy were finally and officially fully cleaned and refreshed. They were even given clothes as soon as they were all dry.
"Sorry if they're a little big on you, but I hope my old clothes fit your body well enough."
Jenny had been waiting outside the bathroom and now took the opportunity to see how much the young kid and her puppy had changed after washing up. The puppy seemed very happy with its fur shining soft instead of rough from uncleanness. It wagged its tail to show how much happier it was. And as for the yellow-eyed girl, her red hair, though still wet, was now less messy and filthy. She was no longer completely naked; she wore real clothes for once: a black jeans, striped long-sleeved shirt, and a dark red scarf around her neck. It was obvious that it was too big for the child, but it was good enough for someone like her who used to be naked not long ago.
"It's antique, I'll be sure to return them to you after I get some proper clothing for myself."
Even though Makima seems apathetic and neutral about all this, she still knows when to be polite and even somewhat thankful
"It's ok, you can keep them, consider it as a gift from me."
Jenny didn't seem bothered and even appeared to want the small child to keep her clothes, offering them as a kind of present.
"A… Gift?..."
For some reason, the mere concept of receiving a gift felt unnatural to Makima, who just twitched in her unreadable expression without noticing, which made Romano smile.
"Come on, Rat-Face just ordered you some food to eat, I hope you like Burger King~"
In the next moment, at the dinner table in the kitchen, Jenny and Estacado couldn't help but be in wide-eyed shock as they witnessed a young redheaded girl just finishing her 20th Burger King bag, preparing to go for the 21st.
"I don't know if this is impressive or what?..."
"Well, I guess we know what her favorite food is…"
The yellow-eyed child ignored the whispers between Jackie and Jenny, as she was simply enjoying her Extra-Large Whopper burger. She also occasionally fed her puppy.
'To think human food can taste so delicious…'
As Makima enjoyed her food, the two adults started to speak with one another again, which she tried to ignore again, but something was said that caught her attention.
"Jenny, I'm sorry for asking this, and I'll understand if you say no, but can she stay with you, at least until I can find her a proper home to live in? And don't worry, I'll be sure to pay for everything she needs."
Jackie was once again doing something nice for the young red-headed girl, which started to make her frown
"Of course, I don't mind, she is always welcome to stay here with me, I'll be sure she's happy and safe."
Not only he, but also Jenny was willing to help an unknown random yellow-eyed child. Both were willing to help her enough to waste and lose money just for her health and happiness. She didn't understand it; she couldn't understand it.
"... Why are you two so nice to me?"
And because she couldn't understand it, Makima decided to just ask so that she could, which definitely caught Estacado and Romano's attention
"What do you have to gain from treating me like this?..."
A moment of silence followed after Makima finally asked, as both adults looked at each other and then back at her, and once that moment was over, the man who had saved her spoke up
"Because we can, and we want to help you."
Was all Jackie had to say, and it was enough to leave the small kid in stunned disbelief, clearly doesn't even know how to even respond to such a thing, and it lasted all the way till she was founded tuck under a blanket on top of a nice comfortable bed
"You can sleep in my bed tonight, you must be pretty tired from all you had to go through."
Jenny just finished up tucking in the young redhead girl and her puppy, before stepping back and standing next to her lover, who just turned off the light, but kept the door open
"The door will be kept open and the hall lights on, so you won't have to be scared of the Dark."
Once Jackie was sure everything was fine, he finally left the bedroom, and his girlfriend followed just close behind.
"Good night."
The last thing Jenny said, before disappearing and just leaving Makima alone in bed, who seems to be wide awake, no doubt now having a lot in her mind, she glance down towards her puppy, who just slept by her side, this made her reach out a hand and start to pet the small animal
'... Because they want to?...'
I'm assuming as a child, she doesn't understand humans at first, plus with her being raised by untrustworthy people, she would not be able to process the idea of love and affection.
(How do you think Makima would be like around Jackie's friends and family? Especially with the Darkness)
/Darkness Main Characters\
Jackie Estacado: A mob boss and Makima dad.
Darkness: A demonic burden.
Knobby: A British Darkling who is Jackie's best friend.
Jenny: Jackie true love and would do anything for her.
Aunt Sarah: Family to Jackie, and wouldn't do most things without her blessing.
Vinnie: Jackie right hand man, basically in charge of the business side of the Mafia.
Jimmy: Jackie left hand man, in charge of controlling Jackie men and getting info.
Johnny Powell: He will appear after the game, but yeah he is an expert in all supernaturals, even has relics to keep himself protected from people Jackie and Makima.
(There are others, but these are the main one you'll see in this story and such)
/Darkness Main Side Characters\
Inugami: A young samurai who wields a cursed Darkness sword called Kusanagi to fight evil and avenge his murdered family.
Shoshanna: A former Mossad agent, an ultra-efficient and highly trained agent who wields a mystical Darkness gun called Arm of the Night.
Jimmy Wilson: A drunken Scottish Darkness axe wielder who loves to drink and hates the English.
JP Dumond: A creole descendant who was once a respectable doctor now turned Voodoo doctor who commands a Darkness cudgel.
(They will specifically show up in the Anime and Darkness 2, might see them team up with Denji, Power, Aki and Kobeni)
