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>Dante's Family<

Shade: Shade is a gym teacher at the school Liberty Center. He’s an Ancient Dragon with black skin, a dragon like tail, and white hair and markings on his face. He’s a thousand years old and has the ability to open “rifts” which are holes in space. It’s somewhat like teleporting, and used to go from one place to another, regardless of how far apart they are.

Shade is a thousand years old. But he was in an egg for five hundred years before that. There are only three true Ancient Dragons from his planet left in existence, him, Ice, and a psychopath witch named Kori. Shade used to work for Kori, helping her expand her business empire throughout the galaxy by killing off the people who wanted to get in her way.

He fell in love with Ice, who left him when she found out he was a murderer. When he found her on Gaia he wound up staying and hiding from Kori. In the meantime he picked up a son from the cabbage patch named Antony and his job as a coach. For the most part, though, he's a cheerful, slightly perverted dork that's always looking for a fun way to spend the day. He acts that way because this is like a vacation from his old life, and should be enjoyed thoroughly. He secretly believes that Kori will find him again someday. Basically he's living on borrowed time.

Antony, his son, has an OCD personality, pretty long blue hair, and is a grim reaper in training. They don’t have last names, Shade never bothered to make one up that he actually uses daily. Antony goes by Antony Shade at school, for lack of a real name. They live with a magician named Jack in a house on the hill sort of place.


Antony: Born with the strange ability to make parts, if not all of him invisible, Antony has discovered that he is actually part grim reaper. How that happened, only the cabbage knows, but Antony possesses the ability to speak with, touch, and send ghosts to the other side. He wishes to be a prince and tries his best to act politely, but certain people will always, always get under his skin. Or he will get under theirs.

He's a young adult, yet still lives with the family because Jack, Shade's roommate, has put up wards against spirits that keep him protected. Ghosts like Antony, and he can be possessed if he isn't paying attention. As he grows older and more experienced that won't be the case, but as it is now, he needs the protection.

He's working as an assistant to Dyer Maker, who's a lawyer, and finishing up his schooling. He wants to go to college to become a lawyer, as well. The twin daughters of the Maker family, Kashmira and Rhye, hate Antony passionately and make his working life hell. Poor guy.

A good friend of his (on his half, at least) is a young starmaker named Christian. This will cause Dante to have mixed feelings when he meets the teen.

>The Blues<

Some of the musicians mentioned in this journal:

Jimi Hendrix [X]
Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble [X]
B. B. King [X]
The Black Crowes [X]
Janis Joplin [X]
Steve Vai [X]
Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett [X]

Any suggestions of blues players that Dante might enjoy would be appreciated!

Credits

Dante's art (C) Smerdle
Dante's character (C) me
ETC.

Smerdle is pure AWESOME. Fact!

Dante

The wave of light was like a nuclear blast. It started in one small area, then spread over the world, taking the lights, the power, even the back up generators down with it. The radios, televisions, even the MP3s stopped working, leaving the world of Hyros utterly silent for an eerie moment.

Then the people of the planet started to scream. Riots broke out in areas thousands of miles away from the source of the problem. Windows were broken, things were stolen, people were killed.

But Dante had no clue what was happening. In fact, the biggest thought in his mind was that something had gone squoosh under his elbow. It wasn't a pleasant sensation, too warm and sticky, as if he had landed in something. Reluctantly he held up his arm. He was almost sick at the sight of some small animal's remains sliding down his forearm and dripping to the ground. In fact he gagged, looking away.

It was only then that the high pitched screams of the people and creatures around him alerted him to the fact that he and the... victim were not alone. The were shouting and screaming, and those that weren't running for their lives were staring up at him in horror.

He moved, and a small rain of concrete and rock fell off of his back, making those too close jump back. He couldn't understand them. He wasn't sure what had happened, except there was a small rat woman beating as hard as she could on his knee, shouting the same word over and over again.

Snuffles.

What in the hell was a Snuffles?

Whatever it was, she seemed to be crying about it. That probably wasn't a good thing, the starmaker realized. But he still couldn't think of why it meant she wanted to hit on him. Not that he could feel it, of course, but still--

Then he was surrounded by men in heavy black clothes, pointing tiny little devices up at him. They spoke, but again he couldn't understand them. He hadn't had time to recall his languages, he was far too young. He stared at them blankly and they hit him with little pellets from the pointy little devices.

They stung. He let out a sound, trying to get them to stop, and raised a hand to block it, but they started hitting him more. It hurt! And like the child he was, he slapped out at the ones hurting him.

They went flying, slamming into yet more noisy creatures.

More people came like the ones he sent flying. More and more, until he was overwhelmed. He didn't understand it when they clamped large, strange bands around his wrists, didn't understand it when they prodded him with sharp pains into a massive box.

And didn't understand it when they shot him back into space, either.

Gabby

She had been tossed into the adoption circuit. It was actually a relief at first. Her first mother, Janet, had been a super b***h with a thing for dressing like a teenager and listening to pop. Gabby hated pop music. It was like hell in a bottle. She now knew far too much about the lives of little bitches that all tried to be like a newer version of Madonna. Even Madonna was better than those copy cats.

But it grew old. She leaned back on the park bench, wondering if any of the family she was staying with now had even noticed she was gone. Probably not. They had a habit of bringing in excess kids for the cash the government offered them to take care of them. They were basically quick cash that required feeding.

Maybe, she thought with a snort, the kids could be considered a form of life stock, except farmers probably treated their cows better than the sons of bitches that were taking care of her now.

She tapped out a cigarette from the box she had stolen off of her "father's" dresser and lit up, taking a long drag off of it, much like a man starving. It was getting too cold for her tastes, even though it was late summer. Technically Fall hadn't even started yet. It would be time for her to move to another family soon. Once the parentals heard about how she had stolen their special gold card, the one given by the government, and bought herself a guitar, they'd pack her up and send her off--

She stopped, catching sight of a strange pair jogging down the track towards her. One looked familiar, and she stopped, trying to jog the memories her previous life had left her. A dragon... not that he turned into the mythical creature of anything, but-- not a carn, her brain supplied. Carn dragons never went out in lizard form. No, by the markings on his cheeks and the shortness it had to be an Ancient dragon.

Trippppyyyyyy. What the hell was one of those doing on Gaia? There were what, three of those in existence? Or something like that. She took another drag off of her smoke and watched as the dragon and the taller, blue haired man pulled over, heading to the grassy area across from her.

She watched silently as they started fighting, wondering if the blue boy had stolen something from the dragon. Fights weren't this weird looking, though, not in her experience. They made it more like one of those cheesy Chinese movies, or the ones with Jackie Chan in them. Lots of noise and blocking and fancy moves with feet. It wasn't like the fights she had gotten into.

But it was more entertainment than she had expected to get when she ran away from home for a bit. She watched at the edge of the bench, forgetting that she was smoking until ash dropped onto her knee and made her curse loudly, trying to wipe it off. If the guitar hadn't been bad enough to get her capped, burning a hole in her jeans definitely would be!

She looked up as the sun was blocked, staring blindly up at the dragon in front of her. "Um... hi?" she asked.

"Yo," he said.

"I didn't mean to ah... interrupt," she said.

"You're a really interesting kid, aren't you?" he said instead, studying her a little too closely for her tastes.

"You're a *****, aren't you?" she shot right back. "Trying to pick me up or something? Pervert."

He snorted, shaking his head with reluctant amusement. "You really should stop smoking. Those lungs weren't made for that."

And he walked away before she could figure out what that statement meant. It irritated her, and when she caught sight of the blue haired one watching her, she flipped him off and walked away.

Weird people came in all shapes, it seemed.

"So," Antony said, lifting his pop off the table. He was ignoring the dirty look shot at him from across the table. He had never seen this kid in his life, but the kid seemed to hate him. It did seem to happen often, now that he thought about it. "A toast," he said. "To old friends and new."

"Dude. There's only three of us here," the kid, Dante, said dryly. "That's like one of those toasts you make at a gigantic party. You should be wearing a tux and banging the house owner's wife behind his back--"

"Dante," Shade said.

The boy looked down. "Whatever," he muttered, reluctantly reaching for his glass. "He's probably gay anyway. More likely he'd have been banging the house owner--"

"And you invited this to our Christmas Eve dinner?" Antony asked his father, not missing the look of hurt that crossed Dante's face at that.

"I thought he'd be able to control himself," Shade said with a hint of amusement that Antony alone caught. He gave his father a dirty look, knowing that the older man was enjoying this.

"I am not gay," Antony said. "But personally I think that sexual preferences are not to be discusses at at the table. Especially a table in public." That was the only dressing down he gave the boy. The place was practically empty, save for the mobster looking fellows in the corner, and a loving old couple two tables away. They couldn't hear Dante's comments, unless their hearing aids were a lot more powerful than they seemed. He doubted that by how loud the woman was speaking.

"You're a p***k," the kid muttered, crossing his arms over his bony chest. His arms were bony, too, lacking the muscle definition that Antony had already gotten by his age. Although Antony had been quite skinny, then, as well. Some would say he still was.

"And you are a crass, rude, and quite judgmental little punk," Antony said, his eyes catching on the stack of menus. They weren't straight. He put his drink down and straightened them before turning his attention back to Dante.

The boy had been spluttering for a few minutes by this time. "I am the LEAST judgmental person EVER!" he burst out. "I was a LESBIAN just a--just a--"

Antony raised an eyebrow. "You realize, you're not old enough to have hit puberty, and secondly, you are a boy."

"I--I--it's complicated."

"I'm sure it is," Antony said. This was Gaia, after all. "But just being a lesbian, regardless of your gender, doesn't mean you can't be judgmental. You just judged me, didn't you? You hardly know me, so you shouldn't make assumptions like you have."

He picked up his glass again. "As I was saying--"

"To family," Shade said before he could finish, "both old and new."

"WHAT?" both Antony and Dante bellowed in shock.

"Family," Shade repeated. "You two will be sharing a room for a bit, so I expect you to work out your differences quickly. Otherwise you'll both suffer."

"You CAN'T do that! I have--"

"Nothing, you admitted it earlier, remember? And as an Ancient Dragon, you need someone to teach you what you need to know. Besides, you and Antony here seem to get on like a house on fire!" Shade said cheerfully. "Now where's that waitress? I'm starving."

Lights
Players: Ice Queen, Trinityblue
-----------------
"This feels suspiciously like a date," Dante muttered, sitting across from his new "brother" in a sprawl at the tiny table. He had begun to realize that Antony never sat anything less than properly. Or in a way that looked cool and collected. Even the guy's sprawling looked as if it had come off the cover of a GQ magazine. It was sickening.

"Well, pardon me if my dates tend to be much prettier than you are," Antony said, sipping his coffee. "Father had to do something and I couldn't leave you home alone with Duchess." It wasn't because the Ancient tormented the snake, it was because the snake terrified the Ancient. He didn't mention that.

"You are twice as creepy as I thought you were," Dante muttered, shuddering slightly at the reminder. He had been a mouse girl for too long not to have an aversion to snakes.

Before Antony could reply, the bell over the door rang and a very familiar face walked in. "Rory!" he said, smiling brilliantly as he stood. "It's been a while!"

"Antony! Didn't expect to see you here!" she replied with a grin. Chris couldn't get mad, he picked out the place, after all. Then she caught sight of the mini-Shade looking person. The red markings, age, and hair style tipped her that it wasn't actually Shade.

And the not-Shade was staring at her with his jaw hanging open. Antony reached over and closed it for him without a word. He smiled slightly as Chris came in behind Rory. "Chris, nice seeing you, as well."

Chris started to turn around and leave, not even noticing the boy sitting across from Antony. Antony was problem enough.

Rory grabbed his shoulder so he couldn't walk away. "Hot coco and cookies," she told him almost bossily. Why Chris hated him so, she would never know. Antony was just fine! "Who's with you?" she asked Antony.

"This is--" Antony started out, only to groan as he noticed the glower on Dante's face, directed at Chris. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you," he told his new brother. "Yes, she is far too hot for an ugly guy like that, but we don't bring that up if we want to live."

"You just brought it up," Chris drawled.

Rory choked on a laugh, having to look away for a moment. "Thank you for the compliment anyway, Antony," she told him happily, sure that Chris wouldn't kill them. That would ruin the holiday. Apparently she wasn't bothered by him saying such.

So they were a couple, Dante thought, looking away. Yeah, it figured.

"This is my new little brother," Antony told the two. "His name is Dante, he's an Ancient Dragon, like Father, at least... he looks like one," he said, frowning slightly. "We're not really sure what he is, to be honest. And he's not talking."

"He may not know," Rory said with a shrug. At least the boy wasn't going to push the issue of her being with Chris. At least some people understood that one! Unlike the guy standing next to her. "Did you come to see the lights, or just get some drinks?"

"We're waiting for Father to finish something," Antony said. "He had to go off planet for a bit. Would you care to join us? We can get a bigger table."

Chris groaned inwardly, knowing he was trapped. "I'll go get the food," he told Rory reluctantly.
"Then that would be a yes," Rory said. It was Chris who decided, but then, she would have wanted too anyway. Until coco and cookies were done, anyway.

"Dante," Antony said, seeing as Dante hadn't moved. "At least say hello."

"'lo," Dante muttered, still not looking at Rory. This was supposed to have been what he got. But no. She had a proper mate. It made him sick to his stomach. She was so damn beautiful, too, and--

"So how have your holidays been?" Antony asked Rory, figuring that was all he was going to get out of his brother.
"Great, actually! And Rayne's been enjoying herself too," she answered, even if he didn't ask about her. She also looked for a bigger table, finding one off to the side. "Wanna move so there'll be room for us all?" she asked, pointing to the table in question.

"That sounds fine," Antony said, picking up his coffee and plate and starting to move. Dante just sat there, still stuck in thought until a black tail bopped him on the head.

"Comin?" Christian asked as he headed for the table.

"Why should I?" Dante asked.

"Because you don't seem to like Antony either. It makes it a fair game."

"So! How have you holiday's been? And when did Dante join your family?" she asked, having no clue what Dante was even thinking about, let alone that Chris and he had a common ground.

"That's an interesting story," Antony said, relaxing in his seat. Yes, it was still GQ looking, but it was also the first time Dante had seen him look so comfortable. He had been silently arguing with their dad since Dante showed up. Only now did Dante realize it. "Father was volunteering to ring the bell for Salvation Army outside one of the shops in town. And all of a sudden Dante fell to the ground right in front of him, barefoot and clutching an orange envelope."

"So you just adopted him," Chris said. "Not even knowing where he came from, or what shop, huh? Sounds like Mr. Shade." He handed Rory her coco and a large cookie, then took a sip of his gigantic big gulp sized mug of coco, one he had had to pay extra for.

"Thank you," Rory beamed at Chris, taking her cookie and coco. The cookie was set on the table for a moment while she held the mug. "Is your dad trying to find out what shop?" Knowing him, he probably wasn't. But that was fine, because Mr Shade and Antony would take good care of him, anyway.

"Really, I thought you knew my father better than that," Antony drawled. "Ever since the rift open over Halloween he's been looking for the reason. And he thinks Dante is that reason."

"What?" Dante asked, jerking and looking at Antony in shock.

"It's a long story," Chris said. "But if he's like your dad, that makes sense, I guess. It's better than the other theory I had."

She gave him a sheepish grin. "Hey, I was curious, and I didn't figure he was doing that either. So he thinks Dante's the reason for the rift? I'm just glad it got fixed. Last thing I want is things I can't see - even things I can - going after Rayne."

Then she turned to Chris. "What was your theory?"

"That someone really wanted to piss me off," Chris said.

"Crude, yet simple," Antony said. "Very much what I expected."

"I thought we wanted to stay alive," Dante muttered with a dark glare at his brother. This was how the guy got his kicks?? The shameless grin on Antony's face almost shocked him.

"Someone has to give him a hard time," Antony said.

"Or no one else really will. People are scared too for some reason," Rory said with a shrug, not getting that logic herself. Sure Chris was big and strong and could crush an SUV, but... he wasn't -that- scary!

Ranye's reaction to him didn't count. She was timid anyway.
"Not that he hasn't knocked me out a few times," Antony admitted.

"I'm betting you asked for it," Dante said, wondering why he felt more comfortable seeing this part of his new brother. It was... humanizing. If not dangerously stupid from an intelligent guy.

"Shut it," Chris muttered, irritated that Rory wasn't taking his side. He took another drink of his coco, looking at Dante fora long moment. "You look half starved. Have you fed this kid?" he demanded of Antony.

"No, I'm hoping he starves," Antony drawled.

"Antony! Now that's mean!" she replied, then handed over her cookie to the boy. Hopefully Chris wouldn't take offense to that, since he bought the cookie.. She's make it up to him later. "Here, eat, we can't have you starving," she told him, even if Antony was teasing.

"He doesn't starve me," Dante said around a huge mouthful of cookie, "is j'st no one can cook in da fam'ly."

"Which is quite true," Antony said. "He hasn't learned to survive on sandwiches and fast food."

"No one should," Chris muttered.

"Your dad needs to get a girl, or at least a roommate who can cook," Rory added, shaking her head. She and her mom could at least cook! Rayne's cooking skills were yet to be seen, but they were going to get her cooking as well so she could survive on her own, too.

Antony went silent for a long moment. "Father's not going to find a girlfriend any time soon, I'm afraid."

"He's gay?" Dante asked.

"No, he's in love with a woman named Ice," Antony said. "I'm sure you'll meet her sooner or later. At the moment, they're not... that close."

"Oh, ouch," Rory winced. "Sorry about that one." Then she took a sip of her drink, going to switch the subject and looking for something to talk about that would do the trick. "Hey, do you have any idea how we can send something to Ash and Seren? They gave me some awesome gifts, and I want to give them something too, but they move around so much."

"You could ask Father," Antony said. "He might be able to get something to them. But, seeing as we're interrupting your date, and I've finished my coffee, I think Dante and I will go to the game center down the street."

"The what?" Dante asked, almost choking on his last bite of cookie.

"If you're complaining we can always go home and make friends with Duchess."

"Game Center!" Dante said, jumping to his feet and racing for the door.

Rory shook her head again, waving them off. "You, uh, don't mind my giving away the cookie, do you?" she asked Chris. They weren't people to show off the new bracelet too, though. Her mom was and that would be the first thing she'd do when home.

"Nah, we'll buy you another one before we leave," he said, frowning slightly. "I feel sorry for the kid, really. Getting stuck with a p***k like Antony as a brother can't be fun."

"I think Antony's nice. I mean, when we were little, he did teach us self-defense and stuff. And control for when I started to run fast. So, I don't see the problem," she replied seriously.

"Yeah, I guess," Chris said as he stood and headed for the counter to buy her another cookie. At least they were alone again!

Finally.