nestingdevil | (no subject)

your e still one of mine ykknow

ad all i ever wnte

[The message abruptly cuts. As if he sent it without realizing, as if there's a back-track between the strokes. Two minutes go by, five. Then:]

eh doesnt mtter

mak e sur youre bck once we gt thi s figur d out

[...]

appreciated
take care of yourself, boss

call me back if you need me
[He can't be around the Nest for long, maybe. But if they need help in Vandare - especially with the city breaking up, now - Stocke'd like to think he has willpower enough for it.]
doesn't matter how far i am or how long it takes
still one of yours
[Echoed. It's easy to avoid that flinch of hatred, over the network; without sight setting his parasite off Stocke thinks 'Greed,' not 'demon.']

woulnd hve it any othrr way

um!
greed!

i know you're really busy but...
can i ask you for a really big favor?

favo r huh ?

yeah!
will yhou come to a dinner party with me for a friend?

he doesn't have very many.... so we're having a partty for him to meet new people and make friends!

a frind huh ? gootta name?

been a whi le bt you do rmmber who yure talkn to rght ?

ill sse wht i cn do

yeah hes katsuie!
i don't know if you've met him yet

well.... i was just thinking if he at least knows you then maybe he'll be able to meet all the other people you know!
you're pretty popular
you know lots of people!

maybe you could help him...?

sor ry dnt know him

[Ah, though: there it is. Dawn's innocence in the thick of it. Greed pauses on his side while the tips of his talons hover breathlessly over the keyboard. Naivety or just ill-rooted faith, he isn't sure. But Dawn's misplaced guidance sure has hit its mark.]

[But then, nothing's wrong with a little hope now, right?]

[Greed's lips peel open and in a flash of teeth, he finally responds:]

you do kn ow flttry will get you n o whre hm

we ';ll see wht we can n do n promises thogh. woulnt want to sse you disspointed lovly

[Sending computer messages is for chumps. Besides, who even knows how often Greed keeps up on the stupid thing, and this is too important to wait. It's fairly early in the day so he assumes it's probably fairly safe to go barging in on the boss. And even if it isn't, it's not like it's the first time and it won't be the last.

Because Dante has no manners whatsoever.

He knocks on the devil's door once, loudly, before announcing:]

Greed! You up? I'm coming in.

[Before doing just that. Unless it's locked in which case he'll be super disappointed. And possibly kick the door.]

[Licks of smoke play at the bottom of the door. They funnel in on the edge - creating a continuous loop from where the hallway ends and his own den begins. Dreamlike, but without the questionable answer as to who or what is lurking just behind. And as Dante's knuckles bounce on the other side of the wood, the gap in the frame breathes with a furnace sigh. Shooting settled-ash and soot out into the hall like dust from an old, untouched book.]

[There'll be no need for door-icide today.]

[The loose knob twists. While the day's still young and morning's just another visitor, the room in question hangs in a limbo(ing) dark. A peer of sunlight droops in from the back window. Its access is restricted - the only allowance being a thin slice cutting from one end of the room to the next. A few clumps dust float by, their brief moment in the lime-light turning them a'sparkle before they disappear again. Back, back, back to the dark from whence-they-came.]

[A fitting lair.]

Ah- [Greed's voice curls. At first, it's hard to make out just where he is. It's the sharp sound of his boots that give him away: their signature click-click-clicks parting the thick layer of charcoal in a lengthy drawl. He wraps one hand along the base of his neck, allowing his skull to hang like a corpse on the end of a rope. But with one tip, one roll, the bones down his spine give a pitiful crunch - the resulting sigh as pleasant as a late-night aftermath.]

[Truth is, he's used to these types of interruptions. He shouldn't be so surprised. And considering the nature of everything, he doesn't think he'll have to wait too long.]

[The dark proves no problem to the minotaur, the single blade of light catching his eyes and casting an eerie bright-gold reflection in them as his gaze sweeps the room. It doesn't take much to spot Greed, a shadow among the soot and ash, the dim broken apart by his furnace-light.

Without invitation he moves further into the room, arms folding over his chest as he does. Much as he'd like to stop being the one to bring bad news, well...

Dante wears scarlet for a reason.]

So I don't know if you've seen the news, but the doctors over at the labs have come up with a way to get rid of our little pest problem.

[Certainly Greed remembers the parasites, those sickening crawling bugs inhabiting the bodies of their loved ones. Changing them, their behavior, everything... And the inevitable outcome.]

[Under the smokey overhang, the Sin's eyes wheeze open. They're red, blurry; a duel set a'glow like brake lights on baked, desert concrete. He doesn't bother waving Dante over. The Minotaur has a way of forcing himself into the situation whether invited or not. To bother would be a waste of time, a listless effort.]

[Besides, this is something they both have an interest in. And oh yes, he's heard the news.]

[Greed lines his index up to the side his thigh. He taps it once, the feel of his claw on leather as artificial as he is. All the while, Dante's words pass by in a drift: "...the doctors over at the labs .. " "-way to get rid of-". They mingle in a blur and it's his own avarice that picks out what it wants. Not the who, not the what, but the solution. A flicker passes by the devil's face: a chip in his armor that's almost violent. That's almost wrat-]

[The Sin's jaw cracks, exposing his teeth in a sidewinder's smile.] That so. [Without his vest, the tattoo kissed into the side of his neck vibrates in blue. He touches it mindlessly; a distant thought or two floating between his viper-slit glance. Greed waves them away not a second later; two fingers hurriedly twiddling in the dark.]

[The issue with the parasites has just been one more thorn in his side and as time passed, as the days drew out to months, the scratch had grown infected. Toxic. Enough to bring his core screaming in protest; a terrible back-fire against its host. Though really, he's just one in the same.]

[Avarice incarnate, sin in the flesh. And Lord have fucking mercy - ]

[Greed saunters across the room. He pauses by the dresser at the back, his nails playing with one of the drawers.] Who's doing the operations? There are some 'docs in town that're reliable. But I don't think I have to tell you that some will have another agenda. [He turns his head upward, effectively meeting Dante in the mirror. He waits for a second. Even with all his selfishness, he knows there's more than just Stocke on the line. Greed lifts his shoulders and with a sink, he pulls himself from the reflection.]

She's there, isn't she.

[It's been a point of interest for Greed, what with a few of his own disappearing under mysterious circumstances and not being nearly as present at the 'Nest as they once were. More than a few had fallen prey to the parasites, and Dante had been keeping an ear to the ground for good news.

This is the first break he's heard in a long time, and it couldn't have come sooner.

He waits while the devil absorbs the news, both silent in the oily, smoking darkness. Only the sound of greed's claws on leather, and Dante's gently swishing tail to break the heavy stillness. He's agitated, understandably, nothing about this has been easy and it's getting far past the point of being reasonable to ignore. Dante doesn't like a problem he can't kick to death.]

No idea, my contact says they're reliable. Lot of success so far. [Still there's always that chance that something will go wrong. Hence why he's bringing it to Greed's attention now.]

She's going in later this week. Been feeling the call back to Kulen, we're running out of time.

[He doesn't need to say it, either she takes this one shot and has a chance, or they keep playing the ignore it and hope it goes away game until she ends up ripped apart from the inside. Either way, things are looking grim.]

[A point of interest and oh, is that putting it lightly. Vandare had been one thing: a common enemy and a common goal. Take care of the Bloody Bones and rebuild the rest. A simple idea that only grew more complicated as time went on. The parasites, though. They had been like a thief in the night - the slow creep disease setting in before any of them realized the signs. Greed yanks a compartment open and a pair of keys loops in the hook of his middle finger.] Might be worth taking a look ourselves, don't you think?

[Laboratories. Bad blood born of another life - of a time far away from here. He doubts it's the same thing. This world is a little more open - its secrets blurted on the network as easy as a keystroke. Still, history: it has a way of leaving a wound or two.]

[And while it hadn't been him there, the situation's not so different.]

[The Sin coils his fingers around the ring.] Not too surprising. That's where the colony was, right? [The details elude him. He remembers Dante referring to a swarm; sentient bugs with a hive mind mentality burrowed under the surface. The priests in the village up North had something to do with it, though now? Now, not much of that remains.]

[Greed's tail gives a petulant flick. Running out of time - ] The labs are in Bavan, right? Pretty convenient - [Soot furls out of his jaw, a lofty note. He's got business in Bavan, anyway.]

[A little detour won't hurt.]

[A quietly pleased flick of his tail as those keys appear, he and Greed do think very much alike at times.]

Glad to see we're on the same page.

[Dante's no more a fan of it than Greed, though likely for different reasons. In this case he's just paranoid without a solid cause for a change. Still, relying on one's gut instincts has kept him alive, better not to ignore an anxious twist.]

Right, and with everything else the bugs have changed I don't think it's unreasonable to assume they're ready to go home to mother.

[And leave the spoiled remains of their former hosts like so much discarded refuse. Their job's done, no need to worry about them anymore. There are still plenty of human attendants, the monsters didn't trash the town like whatever happened in Rota. It still stands as whole as it was the night of the infection.

Maybe they should have burned the whole hive to the ground, but how do you burn creatures immune to the heat of lava that live inside stone? No, they'll need a bigger fly swatter.]

So I've heard, couldn't tell you where but I think we'll find our way easy enough.

[With Dante's innate ability to navigate any maze they'll find their way eventually.]

[As his hand wanders along the dip of his back, the keys disappear. Their bulk drops from his claws into the welcoming slip of his back pocket. A flash of silver, a single chime, and they're gone. It's true that, on occasion? The two of them do think alike. And as the Sin's lips peel back, the expression in the mirror is enough to say it all:]

[They're definitely on the same page.]

[Greed straightens and his hand gently closes around the frames of his sunglasses.] Sounds like they've got it all planned out, then. [A slight hitch teases on the end of his words. A loathsome hiss, a snide regard. He pries his thumb between the earpieces and with a flip of his nail, they peel open. He's never had to worry about an infection before. Maybe with some of his own at one time, but that had been the usual: common colds, a bit of the flu. The former homunculus leans forward and with a press of his hand, his sunglasses slip onto the bridge of his nose.]

[Point, click, and oh, is he ready.]

Ah, that's right - that ability of yours is pretty useful. Might come in handy - [The edge of his talon clicks against the nose piece. With his signature pair in place, the mirror's reflection becomes suddenly dark. No more red to save its name, no more purple to chase it. Just the impossible black: hollow and socket(ed) like that of a sneering skull. Greed lowers his hand to his side.] - but first, I think you and I have some other business to take care of.

[Mainly, the Toyotomi. Of which, Dante has made himself pretty clear. It's admirable, in a way - expected, considering the Minotaur's nature, but also appreciated. A light touch of a smile plays on the devil's features, his index coasting along the side of his thigh a second time. Thoughtful, perhaps. All the gears a turning, turning, turning. He tests his tongue to the back of his teeth and with a shrug, the gem in his ear drops to a spinning-still.] We'll be a couple of days. Bring what you want, but try to be a little polite, hmn? They're our big guests - [He tilts his head up, locking glance for glance in the one-way mirror. The insinuation is as crude as it is clear.]

[Whatever agreement they had, there's no love lost: between himself or the group's new, self-appointed figurehead.]

[Moonlight falls over the floor of the Sin's room, cold and piercing, a shine over clawmarks and scorches on the floor. It's blocked by a silhouette before it breaks over the furnace, the dark part solid shape, part wavering and indistinct - a shade's tendrils cast a shadow like one reflected through water. The shade in question watches the street below: monsters and humans, noise and quiet alike.]

[Stocke doesn't twitch when he hears Greed's footsteps (distinct and long since memorized, like everyone in the Nest's) or the door. Returning to the Nest feels more like 'home' than anything else in the past two years, and that sound, with no parasite's compulsions...]

[The shade's tendrils drift, but he curls his hand around the windowsill and slides off it, standing to face Greed. He hasn't been down to the bar proper yet - it felt right, to let the Sin know first.]

Boss. ['I'm back.']

[He knew Greed wouldn't let him down. This kind of thing required a certain finesse, a finesse that the demon just so happened to have in droves. He understood exactly what Dante was asking in coming to him

And he didn't even need to offer the question directly.]

Sounds like it, [He drawls.] But I suppose it couldn't hurt to do a little homework of our own. [Neither has Dante. He doesn't get sick, nor his twin, certainly he's aware of the various illnesses that can affect humans but for him they are merely a thing to be observed from the outside. Sure, he's managed to give himself something of a hangover before, but that's really the worst of it. And even then they were nothing like the real thing.]

[An infestation though, this is something far worse. He's only seen something like this in particularly bad demonic infestations. Surgery was never an option with those.]

[Greed's words pull him back into reality, the wandering ears and gaze snap back to the devil, tail once again giving a matter-of-fact flick.] Right, that little deal with our friends.

[Friends who seem to be having some difficulty remembering past agreements. He gestures vaguely as if somehow that alone should assuage any concerns Greed has as to Dante's behavior. In fact, the flippancy should really only be concerning.]

No promises, but I'll try not to put his head through a table as soon as he opens his mouth.

[Which is about as much guarantee as you can really expect out of Dante, to be fair. Mostly because he isn't especially violent until provoked. Antagonistic all day long? Absolutely, but he won't raise a hoof in defense until someone starts something first.]

[It's fortunate that they're on the same page in that regard as well. The old Toyotomi Dante never met and has no opinions on, but this Kouen guy, well... He remembers when he first rolled into town and started making demands. It's no surprise his habits haven't changed thus far. He won't stop at Vandare, and he certainly won't be content to let them live their happy little lives left in peace.]

(no subject)

<avaricious> 3/4 | PRIVATE I FUCKING LIED

<avaricious> 4/4 | PRIVATE DONE

<swordpacts> [1/3?] DON'T BE SORRY

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<swordpacts> [3/3]

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<giratina>

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<avaricious> 1/2

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1/2; i thought i replied to this i'm the worst at keeping track of things

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tosses this at you, lmk if anything needs to be changed!

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, avaricious. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 012.07.333.07 * avaricious has joined 018.07.154.55 <avaricious> ithsihoitiwrks ? <BANNED USER> SCREENED MESSAGE. UNSCREEN? Y/N -- <avaricious>thdvllsnst <avaricious>** vdndrere