A Chance Encounter

[One Mean Ghost]

​

There was, without a doubt, a million things Dante would rather be doing right now.

The crescent moon was still rising to take its place in the sky, the clubs were just starting to really get into full swing, and the city's night life was starting to, well, come alive. So why, then, did Dante find himself driving to some Gods-Forsaken lot on the worst side of town?

It was all a matter of Chance.

No, not the abstract concept, it was someone named Chance. For whatever reason, Chance had called him just an hour prior saying he had something urgent to tell Dante. Were it anyone else, Dante would have just blown it off and gone out to party. He and Chance had been friends for a long time though, a really long time. So Chance tended to have a bit more sway with him than most would.

Even still, if it wasn't for the fact that Dante had known chance for almost a century now, he would be more inclined to track down his next meal than come out. He could already feel the hunger gnawing at his insides as the craving for blood started to build inside of him. Whatever the hell Chance had to tell him, it had better be really fucking important for Dante to go through all this trouble.

As he neared the destination, it was obvious that the buildings in this particular part of New Eden had fallen to disrepair. Several buildings were clearly condemned while more still were hardly any better off.

New Eden. What a joke of a name that was. The founders had hoped this city, founded upon the greatest technology of the day, would be a beacon to the world and become a paradise. Too bad such grandiose ideas seldom ever panned out.

Contrary to the name, New Eden was a hive of decadence and sin. Basically, it was as if someone just gave a fresh name and a coat of paint to any normal big city. The bigger the city, the more places for less than savory individuals to breed, and New Eden was no different. Sure, there were the upscale parts of town that seemed to live up to the name. That's where you'd get the tourists and the upper class. Then there was the middle class outside of that, which was decent, depending on where you went, and then there was the slums, where Dante now found himself for some ungodly fucking reason.

At last, he came to the empty lot. Slowing his motorcycle down to a stop, he stood and swung his leg off the crimson and black custom machine that served as his preferred mode of transport.

He cast his eyes around the area, looking for any sign of his friend, but he found none. Thrusting his hands irritably into his pockets, he started into the empty lot.

"I swear to fucking hell, Chance, if this is another one of your fuck-mothering pranks I'll shove your head so far up your ass...." He muttered to himself. For Chance's sake, he hoped this wasn't just some game...

If it was, there would be hell to pay for it...

Spoiler: His Bike(Miscolored)

 

[Fable]

Verity had been staring blankly out of the car window the entire ride. She had no idea where they were going or what they were doing. The buildings had changed from the large majestic houses to towering skyscrapers, only for the scenery to eventually fade away to more derelict buildings. Here there were less lights and less cars the deeper they into the area, passing by warehouses with empty lots. Chance drove the car into one of these empty lots, stopping the car and both of them stepping out.

He looked around anxiously while Verity leaned against the car casually. "What are we doing here?" she asked, once again for probably the thirtieth time. Yet again Chance simply brushed off her question. They stayed here like this for about fifteen minutes before Chance sighed and approached her, "I've got to feed, just wait here. I swear it'll be quick, just a few minutes and I'll be right back. Do not go wandering off, understand?" Verity nodded, though she didn't like the idea of being left alone in the middle of nowhere, but she didn't express this concern to Chance. He got back into the car and drove off, back the way they had come. She wasn't sure where he was going to find out here, it seemed rather dead and she hadn't spotted any people in the area.

Verity glanced around, now left alone in a poorly lit lot surrounded in broken fences and abandoned structures. Rather than keep standing in the middle of the place, she moved to an old shack looking building, leaning on it with her left shoulder. She didn't want to sit down on the ground in case she had to run. There were wailing sirens somewhere in the distance, too far off and seemed like they were heading away from where she was. Then there was another sound growing closer, causing her to try and hide in the shadows of the shack as she watched a motorcycle pull into the lot. A stranger who had no business being here, at least she thought until she heard him mention Chance's name.

She hesitantly took a step forward, trying to get a better look at this person, but unluckily for her she happened to step on a pile of broken glass that crunched under the weight of her step, announcing her presence. Her eyes widened and she just turned to run. Verity had no idea where she was, where Chance was, who the hell this guy was, so all she could do was flee and hope somehow she'd get away. Due to being unfamiliar with the terrain and the area, she ended up probably finding the one section of the perimeter fence that wasn't damaged, forcing her to try and scale it.

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

Dante's head immediately turned towards the sound of crunched glass. Given the fleeing individual's height, it sure as hell wasn't Chance. A soft chuckle escaped Dante's lips as he started after the figure. Since Chance wasn't here yet, it seemed a waste to pass up on the opportunity to feed when it had so eagerly presented itself before him...

There was no rush in his stride. As he rounded the shack, he saw the girl attempting to scale the fence and escape. Silly girl, if she meant to climb it like that there was no way she'd ever hope to escape. He just shook his head with a wry grin on his features. With seemingly little effort, he leaped from his position to land almost delicately on the top of the fence just as the girl reached it.

"Well now... What have we here?" Dante mused, stooping down to pick the young woman up by the front of her shirt with just one hand. "Aren't you just a poor unfortunate soul in the wrong place at the right time..." He remarked, dragging a finger of his free hand across her cheek to brush a strand of hair out of her face. She was lovely enough. Were he not so famished he may have taken a bit more time with this one. However, his stomach was in need of sustenance, and, to his knowledge, she was the only source thereof for quite a distance.

"I hope you don't take this personally, but you see a certain asshole made me skip my dinner, so I suppose you'll have to do.." He chuckled quietly, using his free hand to lift her chin so he could lean towards her exposed neck. As his mouth opened, his fangs elongated as he prepared to sink them into the tasty morsel he had captured.

He'd worry about Chance once he'd had his fill....

 

[Fable]

Verity gasped as she looked up to find the person she was fleeing from was standing on top of the fence. He grabbed the front of her hoodie and lifted her up bringing her face to face with him. She grasped as his wrists, trying to pull herself from from his grip, glaring at him as he called her an unfortunate soul who was at the wrong place. She gave him a death glare when he dragged his finger across her cheek. She renewed her efforts to get free, trying to get her feet against the fence so she could try and push herself away, hopefully throwing him off with her. He went to move her chin to the side, clearly intent on feeding from her. She closed her eyes tightly and dug her nails into his wrist as hard as she could.

"Dante, don't!" Chance shouted out, practically jumping out of the car and ripping Verity away from her assailant. He grabbed her so that she wouldn't fall onto the ground, setting up her so that she could stand. While she didn't like Chance most days, she felt relief he'd returned. It was then that the car has slowed to a stop after rolling into a fence, causing Chance to groan unhappily. He'd been so intent on getting Verity away he'd forgotten to bother to put the car into park.

"Seems you found the place, and met Verity, though I have to say that has to be one of your worst introductions," he said moving to clap Dante on his shoulder with a grin. "I know I sort of left out the detail of her being here, but she's sort of why I asked you to meet me here. I need a favor, Dante. A huge favor, you gotta keep an eye on the girl for me."

Verity crossed her arms over her chest defensively and was tempting to elbow Chance hard in the ribs, but she refrained from being violent. "You're going to dump on some guy that just tried to feed from me?" Her tone made it clear she was not interested or happy with that idea. Chance just laughed as if everything was fine. Verity 'hmphed' and looked away from the both of them, fuming.

"And before you start asking me questions about why, I can't tell ya. I just need some time to make more permanent arrangements for her. It shouldn't take me too long to do that," Chance said, hoping Dante wouldn't turn him down.

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

"Dante, don't!"

Dante's fangs stopped, just barely touching her skin as his eyes raised. He watched as Chance approached and rather rudely snatched his dinner right out of his hands. Nearly ripped the woman's shirt in the process, given Dante's iron grip on the fabric... His eyes narrowed as he watched Chance, waiting silently for an explanation.

"Seems you found the place, and met Verity, though I have to say that has to be one of your worst introductions,"

Dante's eye twitched. Chance had said nothing about bringing someone else to this meeting. Already he was starting to absolutely dread where this was going. Chance was being exceptionally friendly, and that meant he was about to ask for a favor....

"I know I sort of left out the detail of her being here, but she's sort of why I asked you to meet me here."

No fucking shit. That was kindof an important piece of information Chance should have mentioned on the fuck-mothering phone! For fuck's sake, it was times like this that Dante wondered if his friend had two brain cells to rub together in that vacant lot he called a skull. No, that wasn't entirely fair. Chance was a clever son of a bitch when he wanted to be, but he also had a tendency to leave out details.

"I need a favor, Dante. A huge favor"

Yep, here it comes. Fucking dammit. Dante still owed him from something a few decades ago, so whatever it was, saying no wouldn't be an option.

"you gotta keep an eye on the girl for me."

On second thought, 'no' was sounding like a pretty fucking good option. Chance really expected him to play babysitter for this girl that couldn't even begin to defend herself?! Did Chance forget he was talking to Dante de la Cruz?! Babysitting wasn't something he did. He did his own thing, and that thing did not involve babysitting!

"You're going to dump on some guy that just tried to feed from me?"

And this girl had attitude... Granted, she was rightfully skeptical, but fuck did she not realize how much this whole favor would be imposing on him?! Why the holy hell did Dante need to watch this girl? Why the fuck didn't Chance do it his own damn self? Crossing his arms irritably over his chest, Dante opened his mouth to voice some of his questions when Chance intercepted him.

"And before you start asking me questions about why, I can't tell ya. I just need some time to make more permanent arrangements for her. It shouldn't take me too long to do that,"

Fuck. My. Life....

Dante rubbed his temples irritably, slowly going over everything in his mind. "So lemme get this straight.... You called me out here.... before I had an opportunity to get food, to bring this girl, who you conveniently forgot to mention out here.... Then you left her here where I could think she was a snack... and now you expect me to babysit this girl who can't even defend herself on a basic level? And I'm not to know why because you conveniently can't tell me?" The irritation was thick in his voice the whole time he spoke.

"So fucking help me Chance... if this is another one of your games....." Dante muttered, unfortunately unable to ignore the fact he still owed Chance a favor. He heaved a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "Exactly how long am I supposed to keep this girl from dying?" Dante asked, getting to the point. Dante knew Chance would immediately bring up that longstanding favor Dante owed him if he refused, and frankly, he didn't want to dredge up that particular memory right now....

Although Dante was acting.... well... particularly snippy at the moment, that was due in large part to the hunger that still gnawed at his stomach. Dante was always grouchy when he was hungry. Despite appearances, he and Chance actually were rather good friends, even if their friendship often resulted in Dante getting dragged into Chance's hairbrained schemes....

 

[Fable]

Chance's smile didn't fade as Dante went through the trouble of basically rehashing what he had just said and requested of him. "I didn't 'conveniently forget' I purposefully didn't mention her. Something else, I can't explain. Let me just put it this way, the less you know the better. I thought you were going to be late so I went to go grab a bite. I never said you shouldn't feed before you arrived, figured you'd have some common sense on that." Chance's friendly demeanor didn't shift even as he jabbed at Dante for not feeding before arriving.

"But yes, I need someone to watch out for Verity, for the obvious reason which you stated; she can't defend herself," this is where Chance got serious, "It's not a game. I just need you to keep an eye on her for a month. Only one month and I'll come back for her. I know I am asking a lot, but you're really the only guy I trust with this."

Verity bit into her lower lip to keep herself from snapping, being passed around like a burdensome object was getting to her. "It's not like I'm keen on the idea of being stuck with you either you know," she grumbled in regards to Dante. Chance held up his hand and Verity opened her mouth to protest for a moment before her mouth snapped shut and she frowned.

"One month, no questions, oh and... don't let yourself or anyone feed from her. It'll make us completely even, and then some, so I'll actually owe for this. I sort of need an answer right now," she said rather anxiously, pulling a phone from his pocket and looking at the time. "If I don't leave now, you're looking at just more time looking after her."

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

"It's not a game. I just need you to keep an eye on her for a month. Only one month and I'll come back for her. I know I am asking a lot, but you're really the only guy I trust with this."

Dante's arms uncrossed as Chance started to get uncharacteristically serious. Now that the usual banter was over, Chance's shift in demeanor made it abundantly clear that this, as Chance claimed, wasn't a game. Still though, a full month he'd be expected to keep this girl alive who had no conceivable ability to defend herself, given that pathetic attempt at fending him off hadn't even really fazed him. As such, he didn't even glance at her when she grumbled her protests at the whole thing.

"One month, no questions, oh and... don't let yourself or anyone feed from her. It'll make us completely even, and then some, so I'll actually owe for this."

Damn.. Chance wasn't fucking around... Now, these days, most men go back on their word without so much as a second thought. Dante and Chance, though, hailed from a time when a man's word meant something. For them to be in a "favor-debt" to each other was a serious business, as evident by Dante breaking from his usual routine to immediately come to this meeting. For Chance to not only call in the favor he was owed, but to put himself in debt with this one request.... That meant this was, at least to Chance, a matter of equivalent importance to a matter of life and death.

Dante's gaze softened as he looked at his longtime friend, wondering just what he had gotten himself into. No questions asked, and he needed to last a full month?...

"I don't know what the hell you've gotten yourself into, Chance...." Dante shook his head as he stepped towards his friend. "But you better be careful." He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "You've got a month. Just don't go dying on me. You know how much I hate attending funerals." Dante chuckled as he glanced at his friend with a bit of their traditional morbid humor. Even still, Dante had a terrible feeling that his friend was in over his head. Chance had already told him how to help though.

Walking past Chance, he approached the girl. "Looks like I'm stuck with you. Let's get going. I don't particularly like this side of town and I need to get something to eat" Dante remarked simply. So many thoughts were nagging at his head. As much as he wanted to know what, precisely, Chance had gotten himself into, he had agreed not to ask questions. Chance knew what he was doing, so Dante had to trust in his judgement.

Grabbing the girl by the wrist, he started towards his bike parked by the curb. "Is Verity your actual name? I don't need details beyond a yes or a no." He murmured, his tone far more serious than it had been while he was with Chance. Given he was meant to keep her safe, he had a feeling there would be people looking for her. If Verity was her actual name, she'd need an alias, unless Verity was the alias Chance had given her.

Still though, he wondered what it was Chance had gotten himself into...

 

[Fable]

"Believe me when I say, I am way over my head here," Chance said with a nervous laugh. "One month and I'll be back for her, and you really think I'm going to die so easily? But hey, if I do happen to die, at least make it a fun funeral for me, with an awesome eulogy about how wonderful I am." He grinned at Dante, an emotion that didn't show in his eyes, rather there was a worry there than laughter. He gave Verity a pat on the head before walking away with a small wave and getting in his car to leave.

Verity stared after Chance's retreating form before her attention was brought back to Dante as he spoke. It was clear there was a mutual dislike of each other with the way he spoke about being 'stuck' with her. She was equally 'stuck' with him as well. If she had a choice, she would have demanded Chance to find someone else for this. "Verity is my name, and it is what I go by. How Chance is a friend with a jerk like you is beyond me." She walked away from Dante and moved towards the motorcycle he had arrived on, "Can we just get out of here? You can find someone else to munch on." She paused as she got a close look at the motorcycle and groaned unhappily, this was going to be an uncomfortable ride.

"You've got to be kidding me," she sighed out loud. "This night is just getting better and better," she commented to herself sarcastically.

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

"How Chance is a friend with a jerk like you is beyond me."

"Well this jerk is going to be keeping your ass alive for the next month." Dante retorted before she continued her bitching. It was like she didn't realize just how deep in shit she was about now. He sat himself on the motorcycle, giving her a rather rough yank by the wrist so she sat in his lap. His motorcycle wasn't meant for two people, but they could make due like this.

"From now on, your name is Hikari de la Cruz. You're the most recent inductee into the de la Cruz family. That's what you're going to tell anyone that asks your name" Dante said flatly. "I don't know what kind of shit Chance has gotten himself into, but I know him well enough to know that look on his face. Whatever the fuck you dragged him into.... It better be worth me possibly losing my best friend....." That last part was almost lost as the motorcycle roared to life. Dante had known Chance long enough that the two could read each other like a book. Chance wasn't just in over his head, he was drowning.

Dante's grip on the handles tightened as he started down the road. The worst part was, there wasn't anything he could do about it but trust in Chance's judgement on this one. Chance was always the brains, Dante had always been the muscle. That was how the two of them worked. Whatever was going on, he knew Chance had thought it out carefully. Leaving Verity in Dante's care had to have been the best plan Chance had.

Revving the engine, he picked up speed down the road towards the more populated parts of town without any more words towards his new charge. He was concerned for his friend, and the worst part was, all he had were questions he couldn't ask. One month. He had to keep this brat alive for a full fucking month.

Given how on edge Chance was, it was not going to be a simple task, and he had no idea what the threat was. If anyone else had asked, he'd have just left the girl there and washed his hands of this whole fustercluck. Oh well, for now, he needed to find someone to feed on. He couldn't very well leave the girl alone for too long, so he slid around a corner towards the bars. It was still pretty early, but it was about the right time for the lightweights to come stumbling out. He'd just grab a quick one before taking the girl home.

It would be so much easier if he could just take a bit from the girl to sate his hunger, but apparently that wasn't allowed....

 

[Fable]

Verity was pretty confident in her assumption that she was going to come to severely hate this Dante person. He yanked on her wrist causing her to flop down and sit on his lap and she gave him an angry glare, "You could have just asked you know." She listened to him rant at her, giving her some horrible fake name, along with blaming her for the current predicament. "I didn't drag him into anything, he did this all on his own. I'm along for this ride as much as you are, I didn't ask him to do any of this. You could have just said no, you weren't forced to get involved. He's the one planning out everything so that even I don't know what is going on. So, how about you just shut up and drive?"

She looked away from him and focused on the scenery as it passed them once more, though time she didn't bother with paying attention. She just spaced out and internally tried to figure out why Chance would trust a guy like this. He clearly had an issue with having to watch her for a month, and if Chance should somehow die in whatever he was doing, more than likely she'd be blamed, though it was indirectly her fault. She sat like this for a long moment before speaking again, "Also, that is a terrible fake name. I mean, even Thea is better than that. I'm not a pet to bed named, so if I must have a fake name, I'd go with Thea."

The rest of the ride she remained silent, at least until Dante decided to make a stop at a bar. "Why are we stopping here? Don't tell me you're... yeah you probably are going to eat someone." When he stopped and parked, she wasted no time scrambling off from his lap. "Wouldn't you get drunk feeding from the people at a bar? I'll just wait here then," she sighed, leaning against the motorcycle and hoping this was going to be quick. The chances of her dying from Dante getting drunk and driving were slim, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt horribly if it did happen. She also really didn't want to watch him feed from someone, she'd never done that herself. It had always been blood bags, not people for her dietary needs. With Chance no longer looking after her, she worried she'd have to actually feed from a live person.

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

He's the one planning out everything so that even I don't know what is going on.

Great. So even if he did ask, she wouldn't have any fucking clue. Just fucking perfect. That and she didn't know when to shut the fuck up. She was so damn mouthy he was tempted to toss her off the bike during one of the sharper turns. If it weren't for Chance, he probably would have. He was in some deep shit, and even the person he was in deep shit for didn't have a fucking clue what was going on. Just what was Chance doing?!

"Also, that is a terrible fake name. I mean, even Thea is better than that. I'm not a pet to bed named, so if I must have a fake name, I'd go with Thea."

"Fine! You want to be Thea, fine, it's Thea." Dante snapped. Did she not comprehend why he was changing the name? The point was to keep anyone he was supposed to be protecting her from from finding out where she was. Of course, Dante had no clue who might come after her, so that made things all the more difficult. "The point is, until I at least have some idea what is going on, I need to be cautious. Problem is Chance was always the one good at thinking ten steps ahead, not me" Dante muttered irritably.

As Dante stopped at a bar, she sure as shit got up in a hurry. Not that he frankly gave a shit...

"Wouldn't you get drunk feeding from the people at a bar?"

Did she seriously just ask that? "Only if I drained someone that was completely shitfaced. Alcohol is diluted in blood." He explained, assuming she just normally picked targets from better spots than this particular dive. "And since I don't plan on draining anyone, I doubt I'll even get a good buzz...." Dante muttered, watching as a particularly tipsy bar fly came stumbling out with her heels held in her hands.

What came next was obviously the result of plenty of practice.

He came up next to her just as she passed an alley. She seemed to stumble and he appeared to try and catch her, only to stumble into the alley with her. The second they were in the shadows, the woman was up against the wall and his fangs were in her neck. In all of this, unless someone was watching closely, they'd have not seen him actually trip her so she'd stumble perfectly.

A few moments later, Dante reemerged, supporting the woman to set her on a nearby bench. He glanced back at Verity to be sure she was still there before he rummaged through the woman's purse. Picking up her cell phone, he hit a few buttons before putting it back where he found it.

"We're done here." Dante remarked wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve. He sat back on the bike, glancing up at her. "Let's go. Sooner we're off the streets, the better."

 

[Fable]

Verity wasn't the slightest bit surprised to hear that Chance was the smarter of the pair of friends. Chance always has a plan, a spiderweb of them for every scenario, but this one seemed to come out of nowhere, like the last option he had left. She honestly didn't get why he even bothered with her in the first place, and was even going so far as to hide her away under one of his friends. Dante wasn't the only one who was frustrated by a lack of answers to questions. Chance had promised he'd help her, but she hadn't expected things to get so crazy so quickly.

"I've not been a vampire for very long, so I only know based on what I've seen myself," she said under her breath as Dante got up and went to go find his prey. She didn't want to watch. She'd seen enough of vampires feeding to last her a lifetime, though did vampires even have lifetimes? It didn't matter, she just wasn't interested to see him go about feeding at all. She listened to the music that leaked from the building, the chattering of the patrons, and desperately trying to not be bothered by the stench that wafted outside when the bar doors opened.

When Dante returned and sat back down on the bike, she stood up and awkwardly sat back down on his lap. She mentally agreed that the sooner they were no longer driving the better, it was not exactly comfortable for her to be sitting like this. "So, are you going to smuggle me into a hotel room or something? And before you start going over your plan of tossing me into your household, have you considered that going that route might be a bad idea? You'd be dragging your house into this mess, putting your own at risk over a stranger. Just a suggestion." She didn't expect any consideration towards what she said, but she'd personally rather not drag more people into this if it could be helped. Chance had even made her promise to keep her mouth shut about the little information she did have.

"How long have you been a vampire?" she asked after a long pause, trying to fill in the awkward silence of driving with a stranger who she was currently having to sit on. "Chance never told me his age, he'd only reply with 'a long time' and leave it at that."

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

"So, are you going to smuggle me into a hotel room or something? And before you start going over your plan of tossing me into your household, have you considered that going that route might be a bad idea? You'd be dragging your house into this mess, putting your own at risk over a stranger. Just a suggestion."

"Hotel security is garbage. Trying to keep you safe there would be a nightmare. As for my household, don't worry about it. Morgan would love something like this to liven things up. She's been bored to death since the old head of the house got killed a few decades ago. Draven might be a bitch about it, but he can suck it up." Dante remarked casually as they turned another corner.

He had to laugh when she asked his age. "A long fucking time... Honestly, after the first fifty or so years it gets a bit annoying to keep track. Chance is about my age, and I'm 137, if that gives you any indicator." He remarked as they accelerated down the road. "Honestly, he probably didn't give you a straight answer just because the fucker forgot." He snickered at the thought. All at once, he slid around another corner and turned into a long, winding driveway leading up to a dark, gothic mansion. It seemed almost out of place in the more modern city, however there were buildings like this everywhere that were given status as practically historic monuments.

Making his way around to the back of the mansion, it was revealed to have a garage in the back, likely a recent add on, given the older architecture of the building. Dante gave her a moment to hop off before wheeling his bike into the garage and closing it behind him.

"Oh, and fair warning, Draven likes to try and scare new people. Don't let him get to you or he'll never leave you alone" Dante warned as he cast her a glance, resting his hand on the backdoor. He pushed the door open, revealing nothing but darkness as he disappeared inside.

Spoiler: de la Cruz Mansion

 

[Fable]

Her lips pursed slightly as he shot down her idea for a hotel. It wasn't that he didn't have a point, but like hell she was going to admit that. Verity also thought he would have been all for dumping her at a hotel room rather than take her to wherever they were currently going. She didn't ask who the people he named were, chances are she'd get an introduction when they met. Hopefully whatever relation they had to Dante didn't mean they had the same jerkface personality traits.

"You don't look a day over 60," she joked with a bland voice. "I doubt he forgot his own age, seems highly unlikely for him. Though I barely know him compared to you." When they turned the corner and went up and long drive way, she looked at the large mansion and narrowed her eyes. She was going to be staying here? Honestly, the place stuck out like a sore thumb with its design, as if screaming 'vampires live here' or at least people who could be called 'blue bloods.' When he stopped the motorcycle, Veriy wasted no time in removing herself from Dante's person, hesitantly following after him into the garage.

"Now I have to worry about a guy trying to scare me? This night keeps getting better," she sighed, moving to stand in the doorway Dante had gone through. "Do you guys at least have electricity here? Or do you have to go around and light candles?" It wasn't like she couldn't see in the dark, but stepping into a darkened house gave her the creeps, like she was intruding. The furniture inside was much different from the outside of the mansion, it was modern interior design with elements that matched the older architecture. There were old painted portraits and items that were probably older than Dante if she had to take a guess.

"Is everyone else out tonight or something," she inquired, looking around curiously as she stepped further inside, closing the door as quietly behind her as she could. She felt severely out of place.

Spoiler: I can spoil too!

]

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

About the time she finished her sentence about electricity, Dante flipped a switch and a soft light illuminated the main room. "We're not savages... Of course we have electricity." Dante rolled his eyes. As for the others... I highly doubt they've gone anywhere. Morgan probably has her nose buried in one of her trashy romance novels about now.. As for Draven-"

As she closed the door, she'd come face to face with a particularly attractive young man. Judging by his features, he was most definitely related to Dante by more than name. A smirk spread across his lips as he advanced towards her. "Hey kid.... wanna see a dead body?" He murmured, dragging his tongue slowly across his lips.

With no warning a blood red blade ran straight through the person's chest and he fell back against the wall. "What.... the hell..... Dante?....." He slumped down the wall slowly.

"What have I told you about trying to scare guests, Draven?" Dante narrowed his eyes at his brother. Draven, though, didn't answer, his eyes staring vacantly forward even as Dante drew the blade out of the man's chest.

"Sorry about him." Dante shook his head as he looked at Verity for a moment. "He's got this nasty habit of trying to scare people... But don't let him fool you. He's not dead. And if he keeps trying to pretend he is he's going to find his cojones coming out his mouth" Dante added the last part rather loudly.

"I'M UP! I'm up! Please spare them!" Draven pleaded, suddenly standing and strangely missing the hole that should be in his chest. His clothes were still bloody, but other than that he had no visible sign of his injuries.

"Draven's healing factor is significant. So if you feel like stabbing someone, or just what a fleshy punching bag, just find him. Or lure him out with some weeb shit. We've yet to find a way to actually kill him, so you're welcome to stab, bludgeon, or otherwise maim him however you want" Dante remarked as the crimson blade in his hand seemed to get sucked into a small cut on his hand. Dante, as was now likely obvious to her, was quite skilled in manipulating his blood into a weapon....

"I'm still your brother Dante!" Draven protested, even though he was quite obviously hiding behind Verity at this point to keep from getting shanked a second time.

"Oh, if you haven't figured it out by now, that's my biological brother, Draven. Draven, this is Thea. She's going to be a part of the family now." Dante explained as if this sort of thing was a common appearance.

Draven's eyes suddenly lit up. "You mean?.... I FINALLY HAVE A SISTER?!" Draven suddenly wrapped Thea up in a hug. It was quickly evident that her being here wasn't going to be much of a problem in terms of being accepted....

Spoiler: Draven de la Cruz

 

[Fable]

"You really can't take a joke," she muttered as he commented back about not being savages. Seems Chance was also the one of the pair that actually seemed to have a sense of humor. As she door closed, she jumped back as she came face to face with a random guy, who smirked at her asking if she wanted to see a dead body. What the fuck?! Before she even moved to try to slap the guy away, a red blade impaled him through his chest, causing her to nearly scream from witnessing what she thought was a guy being killed.

"D-Draven? You just killed him?" she was frozen in place out of fear. What the hell was going on right now?! Dante was saying he wasn't actually dead, he looked pretty damn dead to her! The moment Dante threatened Draven's manhood though, he jerked to life. She stepped back, trying to get away from the bloody Draven who had just been stabbed by something Dante had done. Now she was being told she could pretty much try to beat him up and use him as a punching bag. "Don't you dare try and use me as a shield!" she nearly shouted at Draven, trying to not raise her voice.

This guy was bis biological brother? Sure, the physical resemblance was there, but there was definitely a difference in personality, not that Draven was any better than Dante in her eyes. When Dante announced she was going to be part of the family, Draven's reaction sent a chill down her spine when he called her 'sister.' "Let me go ya damn weirdo," she said as she tried to get out of Draven's grasp. "If I asked for your help in prying him of, would you?" she asked Dante as she struggled to free herself from Draven. "You're getting me bloody and these are the only clothes I have! Do you realize how hard it is to get blood out of clothes?

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

Dante couldn't help a laugh as he watched Verity try and fail to extract herself from Draven's grasp. Honestly, it was hilarious how quickly she'd gone from a look of terror to just being annoyed at getting blood on her clothes. Frankly it was adorable. "Eh, honestly getting blood out of clothes is something we're good at" Dante remarked as he took his time walking over.

Draven, of course, kept Verity safely between him and his brother. "Since you asked nice, I'll extract you this time" Dante chuckled, walking them both back into the wall as Draven tried to maintain his shield. Casually, he reached down and broke Draven's wrists away from her, literally, before pulling her to his chest and backing up. "Honestly Draven, you can be so clingy sometimes..." Dante shook his head.

It was a bit concerning though. If she couldn't fend off Draven on her own.... Yeah, she was about as helpless as a newborn..

"It's not my fault! I've never had a sister before!" Draven protested with a pout on his lip. Honestly it was hard to believe they were siblings. Dante was so... and Draven was so... Honestly, hardly anyone believed they were actually siblings without seeing the DNA tests...

"Well if you don't calm down you'll scare her off" Dante retorted.

"What's this I hear about a new addition to the family?" A sultry voice spoke as a woman sauntered into the room. She was easily a good foot shorter than Dante, with bright golden eyes that seemed to stare right through you. She approached Dante as he still kept Verity against his chest. "Let me have a look at her." She commanded as Dante released her.

She walked right up to Verity, staring her right in the eyes before examining the rest of her. In short order, Morgan's eyes settled on the girl's chest and a smile graced her features. "oh she's simply darling!" Morgan declared as she clapped her hands together. "Thea, was it? I'm Morgan de la Cruz, Matriarch of this abode. I'm Dante and Draven's vampire mother" She introduced herself with a polite curtsy.

Draven snickered. "She just likes Thea because she's also got small-" Draven stopped himself midsentence. Morgan was staring directly at him and it was obvious by the terrible and ominous aura pouring off of her now that if he finished the sentence she would make Draven wish he could die.

Dante made sure to take a healthy step away from his foolish brother, just in case he decided to finish his thought.

Spoiler: Morgan de la Cruz

Spoiler: Draven de la Cruz

 

[Fable]

Verity was too busy trying to get free of Draven to notice Dante laughing at the scene. She also didn't care if they think they could get the blood out of her clothes, this was still all she had! Verity wanted a pry bar right now, just so she could either disengage Draven from her person or to beat him with it. Draven dragged her along as Dante approached, until he could go no further due to a wall. He always kept her between himself and Dante as a means of protection. Dante reached down and with a sickening crack sound, literally broke Draven's wrist and pulled her out of the bear hug she'd been caught in. It took her a moment to realize she went from being hugged by Draven to being pulled against Dante. Why was everyone so damn grabby?!

A third person appeared, and since Dante had only mentioned one woman by name, she assumed this was Morgan. Verity regarded the woman nervously, if she was anything like Draven she was about ready to run out of the house. Morgan came close and asked to look at her, golden eyes pausing on her chest for an uncomfortable period of time before smiling. What was that about? Verity crossed her arms over her chest nervously with a laugh, "Pleasure meeting you." If this place was safe with these three, maybe Chance had really been desperate for help.

Morgan's demeanor changed when Draven started making a comment about something small. Verity connected the comment to Morgan openly staring at her chest and her cheeks flushed from a combination of anger and embarrassment. Now Draven not only had a death glare from Morgan, but Verity as well. Verity was done with this, she ripped herself free and away from Dante and stormed over to Draven, grabbing his shirt collar and forcing him to lean over to her eye level. She didn't say a word, she just stared him down for a long moment before kneeing him in the groin.

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

"oooooo...." Dante winced a little as he watched Draven get his nuts crushed by a rather violent knee. Maybe Verity wasn't quite as helpless as she appeared, once she was sufficiently pissed off. Draven squeaked in response, his voice suddenly shooting up a couple octaves as his eyes crossed. He slowly fell to the ground in the fetal position, whimpering in his raised voice as he squirmed in agony.

Morgan covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Oh.... I like this one...." She mused with a smile as she watched Verity in action. "Now, dear, We'll need to get you out of those bloody clothes. I have some you can wear." Morgan offered. Fortunately for Verity, Morgan was close enough to her in stature so that sharing clothes was an option.

Dante just chuckled to himself. At least she was already fitting in, and she'd already learned that Draven needed to have his ass kicked once in awhile otherwise he'd never learn. Judging by how she handled herself so far, she'd fit in just fine. That is, assuming Draven didn't drive her insane....

"Thanks Morgan. She'll need some clothing options until we can buy her some. We'll put her in the room next to mine. That'll keep Draven from being more of a dipshit than usual" Dante remarked, knowing Draven would likely try something later otherwise. One kick to the groin wasn't enough to permanently scare him off, unfortunately.

Morgan nodded. "I'll go see about some outfits" she smiled sweetly, even as she pulled back her foot and kicked, sending Draven screeching as he got launched down a corridor with a resounding series of thuds as he bounced along. "If Dante gives you any trouble, you come tell me."She added to Verity before she walked off in the direction she had kicked Draven. Judging by the scurrying sound, Dante's brother was quite actively avoiding their vampire mother at the moment in perhaps the wisest move of his thus far tonight.

Just like that, the two of them were along once more.

Spoiler: Morgan de la Cruz

Spoiler: Draven de la Cruz

 

[Fable]

Verity glared at the downed Draven, at least he could feel pain from that attack. Maybe he would learn to keep away from her from this, though she had a feeling it wasn't going to be that easy. Morgan seemed to enjoy Draven's punishment, even going as far as to say she liked Verity. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing at this point since she'd only met everyone here. Verity thought it was probably best to avoid getting on the woman's bad side though since the look she had given Draven was probably nothing compared to her own glare. At the mention of clothing from Morga, she looked down at her ruined outfit and sighed.

"T-Thanks," she said in reply to Morgan offering to let her borrow some clothes. She wasn't sure what to expect, but even just a t-shirt and pants would work. She wasn't in a position to be picky about what she wore. When Dante mentioned buying her clothes, Verity held up her hands in protest, "No, it's fine. You don't need to buy me anything, I'm fine with just-" She stopped mid-sentence as she remember she was supposed to be lying about her purpose here. She wasn't Verity here, she was Thea and being brought in as a new family member. She felt somewhat guilty about lying, but she didn't have a choice.

"Next to your room?" she questioned, trying to change the subject because of her near slip-up. "Well, if it'll keep Draven at a safe distance, that's fine I guess." Morgan smiled as she kicked Draven viciously down a corridor, telling her that if Dante gave her trouble to come to her. This was the strangest introduction she's ever witnessed, but she couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the oddity of it. This was such a weird family. "Must be fun," she said to herself, "Are they always like that? Or is this just a special occasion? Oh, and is there a place I can shower? I don't want to smear blood on Morgan's clothes. Ah, I've been living in hotels too long, so I'm probably going to have to ask for toiletries as well it seems."

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

Either Dante didn't notice her near slip, or he simply was much better at playing a part than she was, since his expression didn't change in the slightest. He just crossed his arms, deftly sidestepping his brother as he was kicked past him down the corridor. He just shook his head. By now, he was used to his family's antics.

"Are they always like that? Or is this just a special occasion?"

"Oh, this is mild for them. Usually there's a lot more blood when Draven tries to poke fun at Morgan" Dante remarked turning back towards Verity. He listened as she asked about a bathroom and toiletries. "Well, you and I will be sharing a bathroom. Only the Master bedroom has a private connected bathroom, and I don't much care for dying trying to pry that room from Morgan." Dante chuckled, motioning for her to follow him down an adjacent corridor.

At the end of the hall there were two more doors, spaced pretty far out. "Mine's this one, yours is the one at the end." Dante informed her, opening his own door to lead her inside. On the wall facing her room, there was a single door. "The rooms are connected by that door, and they share the bathroom back there" Dante nodded towards the back of the room. The bathroom was obviously huge, with a jacuzzi tub and a glass shower in addition to other amenities. It was rather luxurious, but it clearly could be reached by both of their rooms.

On the upside, it was evident that for anyone to get to her, they'd have to go through Dante. That included Draven...

Spoiler: His room

Spoiler: Morgan de la Cruz

Spoiler: Draven de la Cruz

 

[Fable]

So, Morgan and Draven were worse then this? Verity wondered if she was going to survive this month here just based on that statement from Dante. If she did anything to upset either of those two, she might not survive the consequences of that. She would just have to keep as low of a profile as possible. "Sharing? Just lovely," she said sarcastically in regards to having to share a bathroom with Dante. Having to share a bathroom in the hotels with Chance was annoying enough. Chance spent more time in the bathroom than she did, as if they were going to go out and do anything.

She silently followed after Dante as he led her to his room; at least it wasn't messy. "Does the shared door lock?" she asked, since she would have preferred being able to pretend like she had some security from the inhabitants of this house. Even with a locked door, it wouldn't be enough to stop anyone if they really wanted into the room. She peeked into the bathroom, which was much larger than anything she'd seen in her life, that she could remember. She frowned for a moment before sighing.

"Mind if I borrow something from you, at least until Morgan brings me something? Dried blood is annoying to wash off," she just wanted to be clean right now. She needed to focus on one problem at a time like Chance had suggested, things in her control. Worrying about things out of her control or stressing about the what-ifs, he said he would take care of them, some promise, because now he had made her someone else's problem.

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

"Yeah, the door locks, but only from my side. Honestly I never really lock it though, since anyone could go through the bathroom just as easily." Dante remarked. He'd always wondered himself why they didn't just seal up the doorway, since its use was kinda moot, but eh, it wasn't a big enough problem to warrant concern.

"Mind if I borrow something from you, at least until Morgan brings me something? Dried blood is annoying to wash off,"

"oh, sure" Dante remarked, almost forgetting that Draven had gotten his blood all over her. He walked over to the closet, opening the door and stepping inside. He was, of course, significantly bigger than her, so anything he had would be huge on her... For now, the best option he really had available was some sweatpants with a drawstring she could tighten and a t-shirt.

"It's not much, but it should at least last until Morgan has figured out what to get you" Dante explained as he offered the items to her. Of course, it's not like he had any time to prepare for something like this, so he was making due with what he had. "Feel free to use whatever you find in there. Probably not your usual fragrance, but it'll last you until we can go shopping" Dante remarked with a chuckle as he headed back to the bed to sit down. "If you need anything, just holler. Towels are right by the shower." he added over his shoulder before sitting down and clicking on the TV on the wall..

For now, he'd wait for her to shower, then they could figure out what to do from here. Chance sure as hell had been vague. He just need to watch her for a month. So did that mean they just pretended like everything was normal until then?...

Spoiler: His room

Spoiler: Morgan de la Cruz

Spoiler: Draven de la Cruz

 

[Fable]

Verity didn't like the fact that the lock to the door was on Dante's side, but she said nothing. She didn't really have a right to protest. Besides, she could set something up so that if he tried to go inside while she was sleeping it'd make a noise and wake her. She didn't really trust any of them, she didn't know anything about them. Dante was only doing this as a favor, so while she trusted he'd keep his word for the month, that didn't mean she trusted him beyond that.

She took the sweatpants and t-shirt, sure they'd be big on her, but she didn't care, anything was better than her current attire. Hopefully Morgan would be here soon with something she'd be able to wear without being swallowed by it. "Y-You're going to take me shopping? Is that a good idea? Chance just grabbed clothes when I needed them, I never got to pick anything out. Kind of hard to do laundry when you're hotel jumping. I don't even have anything to pay you with. Unless I get some sort of tab that Chance is going to pay?" She wasn't really serious about the tab, she just wasn't sure how to react to being told she'd get to possibly go shopping, even if it was a horrible idea, it was exciting.

"Ah, I doubt I'll need anything. Thanks for letting me borrow these," she said going into the bathroom, closing the bathroom door behind her quickly and locking both doors. She let out a sigh and glanced around the bathroom. She set the clothes down on the counter and went to the shower, fiddling with it to try and figure it out and get the temperature right. She wasted no time, stripping and jumping into the shower to scrub off the dried blood from Draven's manhandling. She got out and changed into the sweatpants and t-shirt before folding up her dirty clothes. She opened the door that connected to Dante's room and peeked out first before stepping out, "What should I do with these? I really don't want to throw them away."

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

"Chance and I aren't the same person. He's not a fighter like I am. For him, the safest place for you was out of sight. For me, the safest place you can be is stuck to my hip." Dante remarked when she commented on Chance's shopping habits on her behalf. "As for pay, don't worry about it." He added when she tried to mention a tab. He'd never been one of those money hungry fools. It was just paper, so far as he was concerned.

He just watched tv while he waited for her to shower. Same old boring news. Nothing new, nothing changing. Even still, he was shocked at how quick she showered. "Oh, just toss those in the hamper. We'll get them washed next time we do the laundry" Dante remarked with a shrug of his shoulders. Judging by how she acted, she hadn't gotten out much since Chance picked her up.

He meant what he said though. For Chance, it would have been smartest to keep her in the hotel. With Dante though, he was a fighter. The safest place she could be was next to him, where he could protect her. The whole 'out of sight, out of mind' tactic never really sat well with Dante.

"We'll just wait until Morgan gets some clothes for you, then we can go get your supplies." Dante remarked. "Any idea what kind of clothes you want? Because I'll be up front with you, I don't know the first fucking thing about buying clothes for girls...."

Spoiler: His room

Spoiler: Morgan de la Cruz

Spoiler: Draven de la Cruz