The Devil's in the Details.

[MadxHatterxTeapot]

Awaken…

The violin’s whisper pulsed into her mind as she stood on the stage with Iris. Green eyes settled onto the crowd in front of them. Still, she didn’t feel that bunch of nervousness go away any time soon.

Awaken! The instrument hissed as Mara brought it out of its case. Her heart hammered in her chest slightly as she gazed out into the crowd again. For a moment she glimpsed Vergil in the crowd as he sulked in the back, away from most of the humans in the room. She didn’t know why she even cared what he thought about her music, or the violin for that part. Inhaling deeply to try and push those nerves out of the way, she lifted the bow up and placed it against the strings.

Then, Iris began to sing.

Her melodic voice filled the air; a sweet song touched the audience. The crowd gathered together to listen intently as Mara played her violin with all of her heart. While she knew Iris was charming the people, she was in her own world with her instrument. The strings sung a song of praise and afterwards followed with sad memory.

When she was finished her part, she parted from Iris and gave her a somber smile before stepping off the stage to head in the back where Vergil had stowed himself. If anything, she wanted to keep her distance from the crowd and relish in the moment of Iris’ performance. Her gaze settled on the songstress at the front until a glass came into her line of vision. Surprised, she stared at Vergil’s outstretched arm with a refill of the cocktail she was drinking earlier. Her green gaze glimpsed the drink in his hand before a delicate palm reached out to take it from him. “Thank you, this is…a nice offer.” Giving him a soft smile, she sipped the cocktail and briefly nodded towards Iris.

When she next looked up, her best friend was still on the stage. Curiously, she glanced at Vergil in the case that he knew anything. Judging by how tense his body was, she thought better against it and instead merely sipped on the beverage he’d bought her as Iris began to sing one of the most beautiful songs she’d ever heard. “…Oh my god.”

She almost dropped her drink in the process, barely saving it from spilling on Vergil. Indeed, she had come so close that the color of pink tinged in her cheeks again as she gazed at the swordsman standing beside her. “…I-I’m sorry.”

--

“Knock ‘em dead.” When Dante said it to Iris before she got on stage, he hadn’t anticipated her too just sing. The crowd loved her and was mesmerized by the way she raised her voice and lifted their spirits. Her voice was an embodiment of heaven itself and the higher she sang, the deeper he felt the beast within become tamed.

Then the killer came when she drove it home with an encore. It was a song he’d never heard before and it certainly wasn’t any one of her famous hits he’d come to learn about over the time spent with her. For a while, Dante forgot about how uncomfortable he felt in his suit and he could only listen to Iris’ voice and the lyrics.

He was hypnotized momentarily and the brief flash of his own mother singing a foreign lullaby to him caused his gut to wrench slightly. Out of the corner of his eye the slightest bit of moisture formed and he had to turn his head slightly to avoid anyone seeing it. Devils never cry… He had to remind himself that he wasn’t quite human. He was still every bit the monster people feared these days.

Exhaling a deep breath, he couldn’t help but whoop and holler at the end, just to give off the impression that her song hadn’t affected him in such a way. At least, until he was alone with her, maybe then Dante could tell her how he felt about the song.

Yet despite the hurrah over Iris’ song, he still couldn’t help but feel like they were being watched the whole time. There was some kind of unsettling feeling that Dante couldn’t quite shake. Someone was watching them…

[Minaarchangel]

Vergil glanced down, "It is not marred."

He looked up and listened to the song, suddenly realizing that he wished with a deep longing that someone felt that way about him. But it was not to be, and he clamped down on the emotions welling up inside. Who did this angel think she was, making him feel this way? She was not going to be singing like that much longer when Dante felt the desire to follow his groin elsewhere. Vergil found himself unable to even take some sick pleasure in that kind of sadness. He just felt sad, and he hated that even more.

Vergil did his best to ignore Iris when she finished and the last notes echoed around them in the room, as if trying to find an open window from which to escape. The applause afterward was deafening, and he was feeling overwhelmed, on top of feeling like something was watching them, like something was coming. He moved closer to Mara, his chest pressing against her shoulder, so that he could pull her under cover as quickly as possible.

When Iris left the piano, she was stopped by women who were wiping away tears with linen handkerchiefs and others who wanted to ask her about her muses, her inspiration. She just smiled and said it was someone special and moved on. When she found Dante, there was a look on his face that she could not exactly figure out. A look that made her want to take him aside and tell him that if he hated it, she would never sing it again. It had just been something she had written in the middle of the night, when the music refused to be ignored.

She moved to his side and let her fingers slip into his hand, "Are you okay?"

Her violet eyes turned up to him, to search his face, "Do you want to go somewhere quiet and talk for a few minutes?"

Taking his hand in a more firm grip, she led him to the doors that went outside to a small balcony, and up stairs that would take them to the top of the building proper. Iris lifted her skirt and walked up the steps, towing Dante behind her, and she looked up as they got outside. That far up, they could actually see some stars, and the lights of the city were a beautiful backdrop for their talk. There was a railing around the edges of the roof, so there was no chance of falling over on accident.

"It's beautiful up here," she said, walking to the clear plastic fence with the iron railing on top of it, putting her hands on it. It was cold to the touch, and she smiled a bit, looking back at Dante.

"It's okay if you didn't like the song. I guess I should have asked you first if it was okay for me to write a song about you. I'm sorry if it upset you."

[MadxHatterxTeapot]

The closer Vergil drew to her, the harder her heart hammered in her chest. When his chest brushed against her shoulder, she tensed slightly but relaxed a bit more. There was a young gentleman that had set his sights on her but when her bodyguard came into his line of vision it was clear he was soon disinterested. Unconsciously, her hand had slid around his arm and she squeezed it a bit. Even after Iris departed the stage, she was reluctant to let go of his arm. There was some contemporary music playing in the background as the guests mingled with each other but Mara paid no mind to any of it.

Vergil’s discomfort was what had her concern right now. “…Are you all right?” Maybe it was a moot point to ask him, seeing as how she didn’t expect to receive an answer from him. A tiny part of her figured it was worth a shot though. “You don’t…look like you’re having a good time.” Taking a deep breath, she offered a small smile. “…I’m not much for parties though. The occasional bar scene is nice when it’s…comfortable and…not as flashy.” Maybe the attempt at conversation wasn’t a good idea either. “…If you want,” What the hell? She’d already talked him up this much. “We could…get out of here and maybe go grab some ice cream. The parlor’s open late.”

Her fingers nervously tapped against the strings of her violin as her gaze shifted around the gala. Some of the guests had filed out by now but the feeling of being watched wasn’t leaving her. Again, she drew a bit closer to him until she outright admitted her fear. “…Perhaps my imagination is overactive but…but I really just want to go now. I don’t…I don’t feel safe here.”

--

She knows, you idiot. He felt his stomach do a little somersault when Iris approached. The concern written on her face was evident, even when he put on his tell-tale charming smile. Holding his arm out, he followed her outside away from the crowds. While it was definitely less stuff on the balcony, he knew that this evening would not end without some questions.

He was taken aback by her offer to completely write the song off for good. “What?” He sputtered. “What? N-No. No…that’s not…” He reached up to scratch behind his head and then reached forward to take her hands in his. “Iris, there’s nothing wrong with the song. I just…” He trailed off and shook his head. “It brought up some memories about my mom, that’s all.” He squeezed a little bit and gave a small smile. “She used to sing something similar when I couldn’t fall asleep. Not the exact same thing…but I kind of reminded me of it.”

He could feel the slight sting of tears in his eyes again and Dante grimaced slightly. “I’m not…supposed to get sappy like this. So…don’t you ever think that, you can’t use the people you care about for inspiration.” Opening the folds of his jacket, he showed off his guns. “…My job? I don’t just do it for you, I do it for my mom.” He murmured softly. “I do it…because it was what she would have wanted me to do, protect people…like my old man tried to do. He’s nothing now and he wasn’t around much when I was a kid. So…” He nodded. “Don’t…” he leaned in to kiss her and pulled away. “Don’t say you’re sorry for something that’s not your fault. the song was great," he grinned. "Benny's right though, think you got another hit. Did you hear that crowd?"

[Minaarchangel]

Iris turned away from the view of the city when he spoke to her, taking her hands. She looked up at him, "I wrote it for you. In my notebook, it's just called Dante. They wouldn't ever let me call it that if we were going to release it but...it's your song. I wanted to show you how I felt, and I'm not very good at words when they're not set to music. And I wanted to surprise you."

She moved forward after he kissed her, and slid her arms around him, her head coming to rest on his chest. If anyone had come up and seen them, they would not have seen a singer and her bodyguard, but two creatures not of this world embracing under the night sky. Iris looked up at him, and put her hand gently against his cheek, stroking the flesh slowly and carefully.

"You do protect me. You always have. And if that's what she would have wanted for you, then I think that you're doing just fine."

Moving back to him, her head against his chest, Iris just held onto Dante, her eyes closed. She wanted this moment to last for as long as it could, the sound of the city drowned out by the height of the building, his arms around her, holding her close, her hair a waterfall of curls along her back and shoulders. She would have made love to him, up there in the star light, if they could have gotten away with it. But the sounds of the party were drifting up to them, far too close for comfort. Instead, she would just have to settle for holding onto him for now.

It was the sounds from the party that got her to look up. More accurately, it was screams that got her to look up. They were screaming down there in the ballroom, and there was a shattering of glass and a piercing scream or two that slowly disappeared in the air. Iris gasped softly and turned to leave the safety of his arms, to find out if anyone was really hurt when the shadows around them moved, and formed into creatures, spiders with blades for legs, that hissed at the two of them. Iris immediately went back to Dante's arms for protection, not that it mattered.

One of the arachnes spat webbing at her, grabbing her legs, and she was jerked out of his arms with a cry. Iris was dragged across the roof, toward the gleaming jaws and blades of the green creature, hovering over her with malice in its red eyes.

~~~~~

"Well enough," Vergil replied, not trusting himself to say anything else. He was not particularly comfortable but he was not going to admit it. She could admit it all she wanted, but he was more interested in figuring out why things were so strangely tense, especially after the angel's song. It should have calmed the people down.

Reaching out, he took her arm, not painfully tight, but enough so she would do as he directed her to do, and he walked her over to a wall, pushing her back against it, "Stay here. I cannot keep you safe if you're running around."

Vergil turned around just in time to realize that yes, there was something indeed wrong. Screams went up all over the ballroom as arachnes appeared out of the shadows, beneath the piano, under the curtains, out of the corners. People were already fleeing for the doors, trying to run, when the creatures leapt on them, a few running even with the heavy-carapaced creatures on their backs. It was then that they crashed through the windows, falling to their deaths. He had to do something, but it was hard to use Yamato in a crowd.

He instead called upon Beowulf, the clawed gauntlets and boots appearing on his hands and feet respectively, and he was able to launch himself into the fray, pulling one of the spiders off a woman so she could flee with the others and tearing it apart. Black ichor splattered his tuxedo, which would need another deep cleaning, but he was actually more concerned with the fight going on around him. Vergil moved behind another arachne, ripping its legs off, wondering where in hell Dante was, or Iris for that matter. He had seen them go outside, and they had not returned.

Yanking another arachne off a helpless party goer, Vergil turned to see them slowly closing in on Mara. His eyes flashed angrily, and in the two steps it took him to turn around, he shifted, changed, getting taller, black wing like appendages sprouting from his back. Yamato was in a sheath made of his own flesh now on his left arm, ready to be drawn with the right, and he teleported right in front of Mara, his clawed feet digging into the floor as he began tearing into the spiders. He would defend her, he would save her. He was not his father.

[MadxHatterxTeapot]

He was awfully close for someone that claimed they were “well enough.” Everything he said and did with her, each time, Mara found it harder to believe. Even with her admission, she knew he wasn’t happy. “Vergil…I-“ But the sound of frightened partiers scared her. Her attention jolted to the dance floor and the sight of the giant spider demons attacking everyone.

It was every arachnophobe’s worst nightmare come to life. Her gaze traveled up towards the high ceiling and Mara could discern some of the webbing up there while Vergil immediately took her aside. They must have been hiding there the entire time. No wonder she couldn’t place where they were being watched. As he placed her up against the wall, she gazed at him, nodding to his order but outstretching her hand after him when he stepped away. “No, wait. Aah!” A razor sharp claw lashed out and cut her hand, causing Mara to stumble backwards with her instrument in hand.

One of the spider creatures had successfully cornered her along with several of her kin. Eyes wide and fingers fumbling for the bowstring, she placed it against the instrument and played, hoping it would scare them away, maybe kill them. The violinist could only hope, but as the music came out…they only advanced and fear set into her gut. “No…” She whispered, horrified. No, daddy. Please, don’t forsake me now. I-I promise, I’ll be a good girl and…and I’ll close the gates. I’ll fix what you did wrong. She pleaded silently before she held up the violin to avoid getting bitten by one of the monsters.

Its fangs snapped viciously at the wood, but the instrument did not falter under its strength. A wave of webbing began to circle around her legs from the other monster and a strangled scream of fear escaped her throat. You’ve failed… She thought it was the instrument talking to her, but it was her own doubt.

Clenching her eyes shut tight a she thrashed against the webbing, a frantic screech sounded before the arachnes scattered at the blue blur that skidded in front of her and cut them down. Green and blue blood splattered not the ground and littered parts of her gown, but when she looked up there was a demon that stood in front of her. Yamato was attached to his flesh, but but he using a different weapon,

--

It was coming for her. She first heard it scratching and clawing at her closet door when she first heard the commotion downstairs. Her mother always said to keep quiet, and stay hidden, if she ever found herself endangered. The monster had found its way into her bedroom though, the perfect opportunity to snack on a small human like her.
When it wrenched the doors off her closet, she could only watch it in horror as its claws descended upon her but shortly afterwards its body crunched from behind and the monster was clawing at the carpet. Whether it was trying to crawl at her or away for its life, she wasn’t sure.

Another beast was pulling it away from her and snarling angrily at it while crying out her name. “Mara! Mara!”

The one that was trying to get at her was torn in two in front of her and immediately thrown out of the way as the other hurried to her side, scooping her up into its arms and gazing down at her with glowing green eyes. For a moment, she screamed, attempted to get out of his arms but he held her firm and its clawed hand reached out to gently stroke her hair. “Daddy’s here…” It spoke softer this time. “It’s okay…Daddy’s here…”

The voice was distorted and despite her thrashing and his frightening visage…she heard him. She heard the worry in his tone and the relief at the same time. Her little head tilted up to gaze at him and tears brimmed at her eyes. “Daddy?” She whimpered softly and she saw the creature nod its head and cradle her close. “Daddy…” Mara murmured, her fear quelled and her fingers wrapped around the back of his neck tightly.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry baby girl. It’s okay…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you…” Ralcosel assured, still stroking her hair as the devil trigger faded and he was back to his self. “…I-I won’t scare you like that again.”

“…You look like a kitty, daddy.” Mara confessed, wiping at the tears in her little eyes and smiling at him sadly. “A big, scary, kitty.”
--

“…Vergil.” It was all she could muster as she stared at him. Relief washed over her features and she offered him a brief smile before staggering to her feet. “…It is you.” She said, the fond memory of her father’s devil trigger returned but before she could celebrate this small victory, another hoard of the arachnes were coming and her hands immediately placed themselves onto his arms. “…I trust you, just…don’t let them get me.”

--
It’s your song.

His? He blinked confused and then he fully understood it. She’s in love with you, you ******** idiot!

Remember what you are… He opened his mouth to say something, his doubts started to get to him after he pulled from their kiss, but her arms were too warm around him. He tried to think of something, anything, to say to push her away. He was too dangerous for her despite his promise to always protect her.

You’re going to kill herrrrr…. He held her tighter and tried to ignore the haunting doubts in the back of his mind.

No. No, it’s not like what happened to mom. You can do this…you’re bigger now and stronger. You’re not that scared, stupid, kid anymore. Lifting his head, Dante felt his confidence returning to him but before he could utter anything, his sharp ears caught the sound of frantic cries and Iris stepped out of his arms for just a moment. In the background it sounded like someone was spitting before he was hurled backwards by the slimy webbing wrapped around his arms. “Aah, ********!” He snarled, falling flat on his a** with an Arachne above him, hissing and clicking her fangs at him.

Iris’ scream was what set him off though and when he looked up, through the drool dripping over him, he watched her getting dragged backwards by her legs. Another one of those bugs had grabbed her while he was being subdued.

What did I tell you…you will get her killed, just like-

“No!” A guttural snarl ripped from his throat and he smashed through the demon’s chest cavity with his bare hand. He saw red for a moment and his teeth sharpened considerably before he ripped the beast over him in two.

Tearing the webbing off his torso and chest, he stormed towards the spider hovering over Iris and again, without using his sword grabbed the demon from behind by its throat. At first an angry screech surfaced from its throat and its legs kicked and scratched into the air as Dante held it above the girl. His head tilted upwards towards the monster and a wicked grin crossed his lips slowly before his grip tightened. “Mercy…” It whispered soon afterwards as it caught whiff of his blood. There was fear in its voice.

“…You don’t deserve it.” He said in a low, calm tone before he snapped its neck and tossed the body to the side, where it skidded in front of a whole collection of arachnes that surrounded them from the back. There were 5 all together, scratching the concrete and hissing at him. A few clicked their fangs together as he carefully reached down to pick Iris off the ground.

“…Blood of Sparda.” One of them hissed as he drew Iris closer. “…You have something delicious in your grasp.”

“…Pity, ladies.” Dante rolled his eyes, keeping a firm hold on Iris while he reached for one of his guns in the suit jacket. “I’ve already had my fill of kisses for tonight. Quota’s full. I’m taken.”
One of them turned their bottom towards them to fire a stream of webbing, but Dante held fast to Iris before whispering into her ear. “Hold tight to me…don’t let go.” In a flash he had dodged it like it was nothing, moving with such speed it took a moment for the demons to recognize he’d even moved so fast.

As he stood out of the spot where the webbing attached to the floor, the screams from the party goers inside caught his attention and he briefly turned his head to the sight of Vergil, down below, doing his best to keep the other half of this mess under control. “s**t…” He mumbled before turning back to Iris and glancing at the demons closing in on them.

“…I have an idea.” Dante uttered, placing Ebony and Ivory in both of his hands. “Somewhere inside, you got angel powers. Let’s see if we can’t put them to use, huh?” He asked, and winked at her. “They keep calling you “angel” anyways, let’s show ‘em what that really means. Could be worth a s**t but…I’m gonna need ya to sing.” Maybe, if the power of Mara’s violin was fading, Iris’ could be growing.

[Minaarchangel]

Vergil was there in front of her and cut down the creatures so they could not get near Mara. The demon then glanced back at her, his voice distorted, darker as he spoke to her.

"Help these people get out of here. But do not run far. Stay out in the hallway where I might come find you later."

With that, he knelt down and carefully freed her feet, so that she could move, and helped her tuck her violin under her arm. Vergil then turned back to the arachnes who were closing in on them once again, and threw himself into the fray. It was more than just protecting Mara now, it was about protecting all the innocent humans who were still in the room. Part of him wondered when he had gotten so damn altruistic, but he knew whose influence that was. Mara's and the angel's. A lover and a sister, things he had never had before.

Snarling, he tore into one of the spiders, putting out its eyes and listening to it scream before he could clear a path for himself once again. When there were less people around, he was himself once again, Yamato in hand, and he was the swordsman of stillness, a stoic sentinel. He waited for the arachnes to surround him, to try and take him down, and he cut through them with speed they would have never had in a million years of life compared to the blood that flowed through his veins. But he was getting things under control.

"Mara!" he barked. "Answer me!"

He needed to know she was safe, but still doing as he told her to do. It would keep him considerably calmer and from tearing through the people that were still fleeing the room looking for her. Vergil stomped an arachne to death and then turned around, to see how many more were coming for him.

~~~~

Iris was being dragged across the roof, her skirt sliding up and revealing the silvery heels she had been wearing with her gown as she got reeled in by the demon. She screamed as she saw the fangs over her, dripping on her legs, pulling her closer, sniffing her as if it knew what she had inside, how good it would taste, what kind of history this blood had. And then he was there, killing the creature, pulling her into his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding her face in his shoulder for a moment while he held her closer, hiding from the horror that left her quaking in his arms while the arachne talked about how delicious she was. When he told her to hold on tight, she did so, and they were moving together, so that he could protect her and fight at the same time. Iris looked up when he said something about the angel inside her.

"But that only comes out when we're...you know..."

Biting her lip, she nodded a bit, and began to sing softly. Not his song, but one of her other songs, one that was, ironically, about being powerful and strong no matter what other people said about a person. Iris took a shuddering breath and kept going, hoping that he was right about things, that it could help in some way. That they were not just wasting time.

[MadxHatterxTeapot]

Holy s**t, did she think they were going to have sex in the middle of this ******** mess?!

Glancing at Iris, Dante gave her a confused and almost mortified expression. “Uh, babe, while the idea is a nice gesture, I’m gonna to need your voice from a professional standpoint.”

While she stood there, clearly concerned for her safety, she always got behind him and his suggestions. He’d kept her safe thus far, why was this time any different?

You’ll never save her…not completely. The voice of doubt was in the back of his mind again.

He was starting to rethink this whole thing until she sang. The sweet sound of her voice filled the air and it calmed his nerves and quelled his fears. Then, he started to fire off his guns at the monsters in an attempt to keep their focus on him while Iris stunned them. Dante was able to effectively back them both up towards the skylight where he could get a look at the action below them.

Vergil was doing a standup job ripping the demons to pieces, but he’d never seen his brother exhibit such ruthlessness. Nor did he understand why the monsters were swarming the partiers.

The closer they crept towards the pair, the warier Dante became until the music finally started to take effect. The demons began to wail, some in confusion, and some in pain. The ones that were painfully affected began to screech and scream. A bright glow swirled around their bodies before he fired off his guns and the beasts exploded from within as a sprinkle of lights rained down on the other demons, still crawling for them. The blood from the archane bits splattered about and when it touched the flesh of the spiders, they began to writhe in pain, as though the blood was blessed or something.

“Well…how about that?” Dante grinned, turning back to Iris and putting and arm around her before he kissed all over her face. “Look at what you can do, turn demon’s blood into holy water.” Keeping his arm wrapped firmly around her, he looked down at the state of his suit before making a face, realizing he’d left his jacket around him. “…Can I take this thing off now, babe so I can help Vergil?”

--
She was in a daze at the moment, admiring his courtesy in making sure she was all right. Even with his devil trigger, he was still the same Vergil inside, just like her father. While this was no time to get sentimental, Mara couldn’t help but smile softly at the half-demon in front of her before he cut away the webbing around her legs and ordered her to direct the innocents to safety.

His grasp was warm, firm as he tucked the violin under her arm. They would worry about that later, for now the partiers were prime priority. With once last glance towards Vergil, she hurried to clear the way for people to get out of the grand ballroom and escape the nightmare that marred the beautiful evening.

She was just in time to catch Benny Craimer out the door, covered in a bit of blood and looking like he’d seen the depths of hell. He probably hadn’t seen anything yet. “Mr. Craimer…” Mara uttered, helping his staggering form to stand upright. “Are you all right?” What was she saying? There was no time for this. “Listen…Iris…is fine. Dante will take care of her, he’s a professional. Um…” How could she say this? “There’s no time to explain, get out of the building and call 911 to get these people treated, go.”

The sound of Vergil’s voice boomed from behind the wall outside the ballroom and her heart fluttered slightly at the notion he even called for her. Despite his demanding tone, she moved back towards the door to open it and stand in the doorway. “I’m here!” She called out, holding her hands in the air, with the violin. “Here, Vergil!”

The bodies of the arachnes littered the floor and green blood splattered the dance floor as she observed the swordsman clutching Yamato tightly in his grasp. Green eyes searched the area for Iris, hoping to god she was safe throughout all of this mess. "They...they were here the whole time." She stammered, pointing to the ceiling. "All up there..."

[Minaarchangel]

Iris blushed when Dante voiced his own confusion about things. She held onto him though, still singing, letting him fight the demons that were coming for them, though she did not understand what was going on, how the world could have been so easily turned on its head. All she had to do was sing now and she had a weapon? It was strange, and she came up next to Dante to look through the skylight to watch Vergil fighting.

Below, Vergil was cutting through arachnes as fast as they could come for him, but he could smell something strange in the air, and he was afraid of seeing another enemy before these were taken care of. Near Mara, a tall man with dark red hair to his shoulders came walking past her with familiar violet eyes. He winked at her, and walked past, his long white coat fluttering a bit in the breeze, the huge war hammer he was carrying sitting on his shoulder.

He walked into the room where Vergil was cutting through the arachnes, and he took the war hammer off his shoulder. The length of the handle must have been about as tall as him, because the huge head was level with his. It was a sharpened curved blade on one end and a heavy mallet on the other, and it was etched in blue on silver that seemed to glisten in the room. Smiling, he spun the hammer effortlessly in his hand and called out to the half demon.

"Brace yourself, mate."

Vergil saw the man walk in and instantly smelled something familiar. The same thing he smelled when he was near Iris. Was this man an angel, or just part of her bloodline? It was hard to tell from this distance so he simply braced himself, and that was a wise decision, because the stranger slammed that heavy war hammer down against the ground, and the floor shook and bucked like it was water instead of solid ground. The arachnes went flying into the air, and Vergil used the momentum of a wave of ground to launch himself into the air as well, but on purpose.

He was able to cut through several before he landed, and then the stranger had his back to him, and was using the sharp bladed end of his hammer to slice more of the creatures apart. But the whole time he seemed to be enjoying doing it, loving the way they screamed when the blade went through them or when they were broken open to the smooshy insides with the hammer end. Up above, someone recognized the stranger down below.

Iris froze when she saw him, just watching him fight with Vergil for a moment, Dante's question forgotten as she breathed a single word.

"...Dad?"

She turned, picking up her skirt and running for the steps. She had to see. She had to see if it was real and she needed to know whether it was him or not, though he had not aged the twenty some years he should have. Iris ran into the ballroom just in time to see him smash another arachne into the ground and then look up at her and smile.

"Hello sweetheart."

"...Dad," she repeated softly.

Prentiss Weatherby brushed an arachne aside without so much as a glance its way and came over to her, smiling as he reached up and touched her hair gently, "We'll talk about it soon."

Iris nodded, then remembered that she had just left Dante behind. She turned to see if he had followed her, hoping he had taken off the tuxedo jacket, so he could fight better. But for now she was left holding her arms around her body while Prentiss turned away from her and went back to fighting the bugs that were left, not that there were too many hanging around.

[MadxHatterxTeapot]

The scent of rich oils permeated the air as Mara stood in the doorway, watching Vergil dispatch a few more arachnes. She stood, mesmerized by the smooth movements of Yamato cutting through the air and splitting spider abdomens in half. Unlike Dante, her guardian’s speed was matched by the grace of his blows. She wouldn’t have taken her eyes off him if it were not for the strange man that suddenly appeared out of her peripheral vision wielding a great war-hammer. Her lips parted open curiously and her eyes widened a bit. For a moment, she panicked and wondered if he was a demon too and had come to call off the beasts and attack Vergil but something was different.

He made no gestures of ill will towards her even though she was right in his visible reach. “Vergil…” Her concerned voice squeaked through the air as the man gave him fair warning and raised his weapon before it came crashing down against the floor. Several tremors shook the foundation of the building and the room and Mara practically toppled over, unable to keep her balance on the floor. The remaining spider demons were knocked off their equilibrium.

While there were the few that made their way towards Mara, they ended up turning right around to fall prey to the scent of the strange man. It must have been their desire for a taste of the strange man’s blood that drove them; otherwise they would not have been easily distracted. One by one they fell until the room was cleared and all that stood between her and Vergil was this man claiming to be Iris…

“Father?” Mara sputtered, taken aback by the sudden realization. Did her best friend referred to this stranger as her father? “But he’s…he’s dead.” She whispered, trying to make sense of the situation. Her brow furrowed in concentration, making sure she had her facts straight. Unless…this was all set up.

A sinking feeling settled in her gut and she felt that sensation she was being watched again. Looking up at the ceiling, Mara recognized no more Arachne were up there. These lesser, but hoard, of demons proved to be distracting enough. “Vergil…” The violinist ventured warily, shaking her head. “Something’s not right.” She mumbled, her fingers nervously clenched around the neck of her instrument as she stepped into the room, her heels making cautious steps on the tiled floor. “…We shouldn’t stay here. It’s not safe.”

--

The sound of Dante’s hurried footsteps down the stairwell to hear his own reaction to the reunion. “DAD?!” He gaped, hands clinging to the railing. He stood there completely dumbfounded, scratching his head. Wasn’t her family all dead? Iris outright admitted the guy was killed when she was little and she’d already buried her mother. So who the hell was this a*****e?

“Nngh.” He winced slightly and an unsettling feeling crept its way from his gut into his nerves. This man gave him bad vibes despite his assistance in clearing out the rest of the scum. Once more, he felt that little demonic half of him creep up on his mind and he had to restraint himself from unleashing the beast for no reason. “…No.” He mumbled to himself, leaning over the railing and shaking his head.

Kill him! He poses a threat to what is yours.. His teeth clenched tightly together and Dante ground the sharp fangs in his mouth until his head snapped up at Iris’ footsteps coming up the staircase. Without thinking, he firmly grasped her by both of her shoulders and pulled her aside. “Don’t run off like that again, you don’t…” He sighed, attempting to pull himself together. “You don’t know if that guy was like…a decoy or a hallucination by another demon hanging around.” Maybe it was the paranoia of losing her to Fenix again, but he hadn’t realized how possessive he’d held her. His grip a little firmer than he’d liked.

Mine! Mine! All mine, put her against the floor now you fool. Ravage the angel and make her sing... He felt his mouth go dry and fought off the beastly urge. He had to wonder if that strange man's presence had anything to do with this sudden surge in his mind.

“…What the hell was that down there?” He asked. “You said…” He exhaled. “You said your old man was dead. Was that him or did someone spike my drink and I’m hallucinating. You called him “dad.”

[Minaarchangel]

Prentiss left Iris and went back to pounding away on arachnes. She nodded to Dante a little, and reached out, taking his hand in a crushing grip, obviously having trouble dealing with what she was seeing in front of her.

"I've been having dreams. For a while. He was in them. That's my father. But the way he looked in pictures from twenty years ago. At least in the face. The hair is different, and the clothes. He was a police officer then."

With the last arachne pushed out of the way, Vergil went to the doors of the ballroom and looked around for Mara, looking her over to make certain she was well. When he could not see any obvious wounds, he nodded to her, "You may want to stay here. I am not certain what is going on. He smells like Iris."

Prentiss put his war hammer over his shoulder and turned back around to see Dante with Iris. He came forward, holding a hand out to him, "Hey. Prentiss Weatherby."

"My dad..." Iris barely managed to gasp out.

"Almost," he said with a smile. "I know you know what's in our blood. I'm so sorry, my precious Iris. Had I known...I would have told you. Warned your mother. But it meant that when I died, my soul didn't just go North, so to speak. It was an automatic pair of wings for me. It'll be that way for you too. Right now's just the first time that I've been allowed to come to you."

Iris's chin quaked a little, and she moved forward, embracing him. Prentiss held his daughter, and for a moment the expression on his face told the entire story of how deeply he had missed his daughter. But then he suddenly looked at her with wide eyes, then he turned and looked at Dante, and his face turned furious.

"You son of a b***h!"

"Dad!"

Prentiss gently pushed her out of the way, then pulled the war hammer off his shoulder and slammed it into the ground in an attempt to send Dante flying, "What have you done to my little girl?!"

Iris ran and put herself between her father and Dante, "Dad, stop! What the hell are you talking about?!"

Vergil came back into the room as soon as he heard the hammer slam into the ground again. He frowned, realizing a lot of this was probably because Prentiss had the same abilities as him, or rather close to them. So he moved forward, speaking out of the desire to stop all this, and not particularly because he was worried about anyone's feelings. He certainly was not worried about his brother.

"You need to take a pregnancy test."

She stopped where she was and just turned to look at Vergil. Why would he have brought up something so random if...she was not... Her hands went to her stomach, as it slowly sank in why Vergil would say that. He never lied. She knew that from the way he so enjoyed telling the painful parts of the truth. Which meant she was...pregnant. For a moment she smiled, until Prentiss pointed the war hammer at Dante again.

"That's right. I could tell immediately when I touched you."

He glared at Dante in a way that would have killed him had Prentiss had any latent psychic abilities, "You better be ready for a shotgun wedding, pal. You're not leaving my daughter to take care of your spawn alone."

"Spawn," Iris said, snorting. "Real nice Dad. But I'm pretty sure it's just a baby."

[MadxHatterxTeapot]

Dante still wasn’t buying the whole “dad” thing. While Iris was sure this man with a pair of chicken wings was her father, he still wasn’t convinced. He was leery to let her go and embrace Prentiss but his concerned slackened somewhat as he watched the genuine shows of affection. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. A smile twitched at the corners of his lips but his expression changed the moment the angel drew out his weapon and ignored his daughter’s plea.

”You son of a b***h!”

“What the ********?” His eyes widened and quickly, Dante unsheathed Rebellion to jump backwards away from the force the hammer hit the ground. Debris and tile flew up into the air and the force nearly knocked him off balance as he skidded away from the attack. The demon inside of him egged him on, urged him to shred the angel to pieces and bath ein his blood. The girl is miiiiine.

He clenched the hilt of his blade and scowled at Prentiss, attempting to rush in before Iris stepped between the two to quell the violence. He stopped, still keeping a firm hold on Rebellion. “Iris is a grown woman, man. She can do what she wants and if you’re pissed because your daughter decided to have sex with me then you got bigger problems man.” He pointed at the angel. He would have gladly duked it out if it meant knocking some sense into the guy but he wouldn’t raise his hand unless to defend himself.

Out of respect for Iris (if this jackass was her father) he put the sword on his back and took a step away before Vergil dropped the bombshell of Iris’ pregnancy.

“…Hold up, w-what?” Disbelief crossed his features and he held his arms out with a bit of agitation. “Come on, that’s bull s**t. It’s only been like…a week. How do tell if she’s…” The look on Prentiss’ face did not harbor good intentions and Vergil’s stoic expression wasn’t helping. “Oh s**t…” He said, before he had to collect himself. “******** no. No, I don’t mean “oh s**t.” That was probably one of the worst things you could say to a woman if she found out she was pregnant. “Uh…” There was no other way to express his shock and slight discomfort at the situation.

Everything was going so fast, his brain was running on a diet of excuses, bullshit, and confusion at this point. What was he supposed to say? “Well,” He managed a cynical smile a first before grinning. “I do care about Iris very much.” But his happy expression soon faded. “But I don’t appreciate you referring to uh…my uh…” He pointed a finger at the girl’s stomach. “My kid…” He thought he would visually cringe at the idea, fearing he’d be anything like his father…and leave or not do enough for Iris. “Is not some…”hellspawn.” Hands shoving into his pockets, Dante could feel a scowl forming on his face and he sneered. “…So, you can either shut the ******** up or understand I’m…uh, not my old man.” You might be…

He had to ignore his doubts again, no matter how much they pulled at him. “I’m going to take very good care of your daughter. Baby, I’ve uh…” He shrugged his shoulders, and beamed, thinking a second opinion might help. “Done a pretty stand up job so far, right? Tell him, so…” He pursed his lips. “Maybe he can get his chicken talons out of my back.” There was some bite to his tone, but he couldn’t help it when he was standing here and being accused of something that…well, yeah it was his fault, but he wasn’t going to leave Iris. "I.." His feelings of discomfort came back again and he cleared his throat. "I mean, I do...do a good job, right babe?"

He couldn't believe it though, he might as well have turned into his father. As far as Dante knew, he only was told so little about hos his parents met. Yeah, they were happy but how was he supposed to know he didn't knock up his mother, raise the kids for a few years, and then chose to drop out of their lives?
--

“But Vergil…” Mara called after him as he went back into the room. Still in the doorframe, Mara could only watch the scene unfold and have mixed emotions about it. What was so hard about understanding she just wanted to get out of this place? “We can figure this out later!” Her tone rose a little, wondering if anyone would hear her. “I…” She faltered on her words. “I…I want to go home.” It wasn’t the first time she’d felt like saying this all evening but it would be the only chance she got.

"Hey, Mara." It was Richie, the bassist looking awfully concerned in the door way as she turned to face him. "Um, Benny's downstairs. He says he needs to talk to you about what we need to do to minimize press and s**t." Running a hand through short blonde hair, he pursed his lips and nodded tot he staircase.

Grumbling, the violinist shook her head. "I only told him to call for ambulances for people. We...we'd figure this stuff out later." Sighing, she glanced back at the arguing pair. Maybe Benny could get her a car to go back to the hotel. It could hurt. Glancing back at Vergil and the scene underway, she sighed and pursed her lips. "I have to go talk to Mr. Craimer.' She called out, wondering if her bodyguard even heard her, he was so focused on the task at hand.

Shaking her head, Mara called out again. "I'm going to...nevermind." If Vergil's display of defending her was merely just part of his job then what did she care if he didn't? "I'll be back..." But the moment she stepped out the door, Richie's hand clamped over her mouth and the visage of the gatekeeper appeared in his place.

The girl thrashed a bit in his grasp but they disappeared in a flash of black smoke and reappeared outside on the rooftop of an adjacent building. "The Spawn of Ralcosel...as you requested."

Her teeth bit into the flesh wrapped around her mouth and the spindly fingers with drew with a hiss as the gatekeeper slapped her with the other hand, screeching at the violinist as he threw her to the ground. This one was different than the last one that was in the hotel building.

When she turned to glance at who the other was talking to, her eyes widened and she could feel the chill in her veins. "...You." She whispered.

[Minaarchangel]

"I think I need...to sit down," Iris said, putting out a hand and feeling for one of the chairs that had been turned over.

Prentiss was right there, getting her a chair, and he glared at Dante, "Yeah, I can tell you're taking care of her. That's how she ended up knocked up."

Iris looked up at him, "Dad, stop. I'm an adult, and I was on the pill, I thought I'd be fine. It's not Dante's fault."

"He could have kept his damn hands to himself."

She put her hands over her stomach, "What are you doing here?"

"You're in danger, the key's in danger. I was allowed to come to you because it could mean the difference between the world being swallowed in war and things continuing to spin. Whatever's been going on, you need to keep the key safe, as safe as you can. It cannot fall into the hands of the ones that have been chasing you. If it does, we're all going to be in trouble, not just this realm. The demonic realm, the human realm, the angelic realm, all of it."

Iris looked at Dante, "Dante keeps me safe. I don't have to worry if he's around."

"Either way, I'm going to be around too."

She nodded, and reached back and took Dante's hand, smiling a little, "We're going to have a baby."

Getting up, she pushed some hair away from her face, "I have to tell Mara."

Vergil turned when she mentioned something about telling Mara, and went to see if she had heard all of that from her hiding place. And there was no sign of her. He frowned, of course she had run off to do something, and he stalked out of the ballroom, freezing momentarily. The smell was definitely demonic. A gatekeeper, and Mara's scent. But there was no blood. He turned just as Iris appeared, and shook his head.

"She's gone?"

Her heart dropped, "...What do you mean gone?"

"There are traces of demonic scent here. She's been taken."

~~~~

Lionel Fenix, handsome and debonair as ever, was standing on the roof, waiting there quietly. He smiled as Mara saw him, realized what kind of trouble she was in, and he walked forward, his suit perfectly tailored. He nodded to the gatekeeper and let it go, having gotten what he wanted. They were on top of a tall building, there was nowhere for her to run, nowhere for her to hide. He closed the distance between the two of them and smiled a bit and reached out, taking the violin from her and tossing it across the roof, letting it slide against the gravel under their feet.

"Hello Mara," he said with a smile. "How are you? You look very pretty this evening."

Demons rose up around them, lusts and arachnes, and they hovered, waiting for his orders, "I'm sure you'll agree, it's a shame it had to come to this. But I think Iris was a little hasty in firing me. This will give me a chance to speak with her again."

He lifted her chin with his fingers, "Because I think she'll do anything to keep you safe."

[MadxHatterxTeapot]

“Oh great…” The devil hunter groaned in exasperation, knowing that Prentiss Weatherby was going to make life with Iris a living hell. He was probably going to have to watch everything he did around this man and make sure he wasn’t going to breathe down his neck. The ******** up thing was there was a high likelihood of this happening in the future. “So nice to have ya around, “dad.”

While Iris’ assured him that he was doing a good job taking care of her, the angel took away his confidence with his presence. He tried his best to keep his mouth shut at every little comment Prentiss made, but the only welcome distraction was his girlfriend set to give her best friend the good news. That was until…

“Gone?!” He exclaimed, “How the hell can she be gone! Vergil was supposed to be watching her!” Pointing at his brother, a scowl laced his features. “What the hell did you do?!” He was furious now, the very notion that the violinist had been taken was sure to affect Iris’ health if she was pregnant. Stress wasn’t good for babies? Right? Right! “You were supposed to be following her a** like a hawk, why didn’t you hang around her while…” He wanted to badly to come up with an insult for Prentiss, but bit his tongue. “Daddy WarHammer here took care of the rest?”

Come to think of it…he thought he heard her saying she wanted to go home somewhere in the background of all this mess. “…Fenix.” He uttered, figuring it could be the only other answer. “Holy s**t, what if Fenix has her?” If the former manager had his hands on the girl, then he was sure to use her to get whatever he wanted from Iris. “********, ********, ********!” Dante hissed, “We need to move and follow that trail, now!”

They were wasting time standing around here twiddling their thumbs. He moved to Iris and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Come on babe, we better go before that scum bag decides to send any other unpleasant surprises. Mara’s in danger.”

--
Lionel Fenix had set this up every step of the way. That was why she had felt like she was being watched the entire time. From the moment Iris got rid of him, she knew that they wouldn’t see the last of him. The gatekeeper dispersed, merely the delivery man playing the part of one of their band members. She was sure the rest of them were in on it from the get-go considering they all had been affected by her violin.

When he approached her, he looked just the same as she remembered him. Her lip twitched in disgust and scooted away from him as he stepped closer. But he didn’t grab her, only the violin, which she fought to keep hold on until he ripped it from her grasp. The instrument clattered away from her and she outstretched her hand just in time to have one of the lusts cut her with its scythe.

“Aah!” She hissed, clasping her cut palm tightly as Fenix smiled down at her. His sickeningly sweet smile caused her to tense where she sat on the rooftop. Scrambling to her feet, she found herself surrounding by the array of demons. Each with their weapons poised at her, ready to strike. Her heart beat was quick, frantic, but she did not display to him the fear he wanted to see.

“…I am my father’s daughter.” She spoke, her tone shaking a bit, but she stood her ground. “I do not fear you.” Mara’s voice was adamant and she held her head high as she slapped his hand from her chin. “The monsters may have gotten him, but I won’t let you get to me. You can’t have Iris…and you won’t get the key.” Pursing her lips tightly, she clenched her eyes shut, the tears brimming. “Clever, though.” She glimpsed the demons around her, eager to shed blood. “…whisking me away to get to her soft spot.” Iris had another though but Dante wasn’t as easy of a target. “…But you had to pick me, because I am “weak” you could not pick the devil hunter, because he is too strong for you.”

If she could keep him distracted long enough, maybe they could find her. “What’s the matter, Lionel?” She laughed sarcastically. “You can dish it…to those that are under your power or authority? But you can’t take it from those that can clearly beat the snot out of you?” She glanced at the demons that hissed and screeched at her. “…All of you. You are a disgrace to the demonic community and less ambitious than I thought you to be, how undiginified.”

Get real Mara, Vergil only cares about getting the key to heaven from Iris. He won’t come for you. Maybe Dante and Iris will…but now is his chance to bail. Her doubts were returning to her about her guardian, but she couldn’t let that stop her now. “I know what you did to her…” Mara hissed, glancing at the violin scattered across the way. “I know you did awful things to her…and you’re not going to get away with it…if I have to tear your heart out with my bare hands and rip it up in front of you…I will sooner die than let you hurt Iris ever again.”

[Minaarchangel]

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Dante," Vergil said with a sneer. "You always were better at that than actually doing something about the problem."

He grimaced, "There's no trail to follow before it gets cold. There's no trail at all. They know we could track her, so they've hidden her. Whoever or whatever they are. I am certain it is Fenix though."

Prentiss grimaced, "Fenix. He's been after the key for years. He thought he had it too, when he had me killed. He had no clue until years later that it had passed on to my daughter."

He glanced at Dante, "And you can call me Mr. Weatherby."

Iris was pale, deathly so, and he moved to her side to keep her from falling over. Prentiss put his arm under her shoulders, and looked at Dante again, "First thing we do is take Iris somewhere safe. Then we figure out how to find Fenix and Mara."

Vergil nodded, though he was too angry to speak. He had let something happen to her. It was making him furious that he had, and that he gave a damn. He did not care about her, he could not care about her, and he refused to care about her. It was not that way and he would kill anyone who said anything different. That being said, he was going to kill Fenix for his part in this. Slowly.

~~~~~

He smirked, "So many brave words. Is that all you can manage, little not-even-a-half-breed?"

Fenix snatched her violin hand by the wrist, squeezing painfully hard, and he looked her right in the eye as he reached up and with a bend and a twist, broke her forefinger, "You know what I did to her, and she was under my control. So what do you think that means I'm going to do with you, hmm? At least the angel part of her held some fascination for me. You're just cattle."

His fingers moved to her middle finger, and did the same motion, the sound of breaking bones audible in the night, "You're right, I'm not interested in a fight right now. I'm interested in getting what I want. And you are the quickest way of doing so. But I should make certain that even if you get that violin back, you won't be able to use it."

That was all he said before he snapped the last two fingers on her hand, and threw her to the ground. Snapping his fingers, the demons swarmed around her, and they all disappeared into darkness, reappearing in an office. It was a huge office, at the top of a high rise in the middle of the city, the building scraping the clouds in the sky, it was so far up, as skyscraper would denote. Fenix let the demons attack Mara again, this time not being particularly gentle as they dragged her to her feet and over to chains that formed out of shadow, buried deep in the wall.

They tore her gown and her flesh as they forced her wrists into the manacles and locked them tightly around her flesh, bruising it in the process. Fenix shook his head and went over to his bar, making himself a drink, "As trite as it sounds, you could have probably saved yourself so much pain if you'd just kept your mouth shut. But I always did think you were kind of stupid, Mara."

Turning, he wiggled the martini shaker at her, "Drink?"

[MadxHatterxTeapot]

“Take Iris somewhere safe? She’s SAFER with us than locked up somewhere. We waste more time doing that, Fenix might kill Squeaky before we can save her.” Dante argued, gesturing angrily as they left the building. “Let me guess…” He could feel his fury starting to boil over and he grit his teeth at Prentiss. “You want to keep your daughter safe and if sacrificing her best friend will buy her some time from the b*****d that took the violinist, you think that maybe we can ******** forget about all this?”

God, it was like what happened with his mother all over again. His father was gone, and he and Vergil had turned their backs for a minute before she had the chance to warn them. He grasped Iris by her shoulder and pulled her away from Prentiss. That possessive quality took over him as he held her close. “…No, man.” He glanced at Iris and he breathed heavily. “You’re safer with us. I don’t know how Fenix would think to even touch you in plain sight if your father and the two of us are involved.”

There was also the fact she had used her voice to protect herself when they were on the rooftop. “…Don’t forget either, you helped kill them nasties on the roof.” He nodded back to where the gala took place. The ground floor was filled with partiers being treated by paramedics for injuries caused by the monsters. Some men and women were taken by ambulance to the local hospital, leaving only Benny Craimer to sort out the mess as he talked to local authorities and some press that arrived for comments.
This place was a living nightmare and he didn’t want Iris to have to witness any of it. “…You can’t protect her,” He advised Prentiss. “you can’t protect your daughter from the reality of the situation.” He was then reminded that he couldn’t take control of her life like Fenix had and treat her like a commodity. Giving a sad glance at the girl in his arms, he pursed his lips and tilted her chin up. “I say…we leave it up to you.” He exhaled. “You have a choice, babe. You can…let your old man take you somewhere safe…or you can help us find Mara. It’s gonna be dangerous though…but what do you care about more?” The key that nobody but you knows how to manifest…or your best friend out there…?”

He glanced at his brother, wondering how all of this must have been affecting him. Wait. What was he thinking? Why would Vergil even give a s**t about Mara in the first place? Ah. Right. No Squeaky, no key to heaven. “We that ******** without a trail?” He asked, disheartened by this information but determined to find her. “…All right. Let’s not focus on Fenix. How about any of the nasties he used to conjure up and whisk her away? There’s gotta be a hub where a bunch of them are gathered…or…” He pursed his lips, not liking the other idea. “…You could trace her by scent of blood.” He cringed slightly. “We got…a lot of possibilities and little time. Maybe we could check his office, find some clues. He’s bound not to be in the most obvious place to look, right?”
--
While Mara knew it was against better judgment to insult Fenix, given her position, she wouldn’t back down. She had to stay alive, she had to keep him distracted. When he moved in front of her, she tried to step back but found one of the lusts shoving her towards him and he squeezed her wrist tightly. Pain shot up her forearm and her mouth parted open into a silent scream as tears prickled the corners of her eyes. His threats were valid though and she knew, after all the trouble she’d given him, he would make her suffer.

“…I’m the only one that can keep the gates open.” She shuddered, and cried out in agony as he broke her first finger. “…I am the only one that can wield it…human or not.” Her breath was raspy, squeaky now as he broke the second finger. She bit her tongue, hard in an attempt to keep herself from screaming. The pain was excruciating as he stood there with such calm reverence as he made sure her hand was completely rendered useless as he broke the last fingers on her hand and she choked back the bile threatening to spill forth before he dropped her and the demons descended upon her in a flash.

The realm of transportation ripped and tore at her skin and she felt like she lost a part of herself when they reappeared back in Lionel’s office before the demons clawed and scraped at her flesh. The fabric of her beautiful red gown was torn in several places, up the slit of her leg, down her back and across her stomach. Her hand was in such great pain she didn’t feel their slices to her flesh, their slaps to her skin, or the bruises they left when they kicked her when she was down.

She kicked and screamed, attempting to fight back with what strength she had as they dragged her back towards the wall, hissing their laughter as they drew her up against the wall. Mara found herself chained like an animal but she would not break. Her head threw back a bit at the pain and she refused to look at Fenix while he stood at his desk and so casually made himself a drink. “…It is a pity.” Her voice was hoarse as she looked through her blurred vision. One of the demons had knocked her in the head pretty good, so she saw double-vision for a moment. “Because I thought you were smarter than to piss off the sons of Sparda.”

One of the lusts appeared out of nowhere again and her head was slammed back against the wall and this time, she struggled to stay conscious. “…You always knew that I knew…what you were, Lionel.” She mumbled, giving him a sickly sweet smile. “…And you always knew you had to get rid of me first to get to Iris. You never…anticipated Dante to screw over the money for her and ruin your plans. So powerful…yet you couldn’t make Iris get rid of him.”