abraxaslogs | [closed] jukebox hero

[wanda's attempts to track down nero's uncle is not entirely coincidence. her walking into his domain is hardly that, too. she's been thinking about the conversation she had with nero about his family, about how he can't ever seem to say what he wants to say to his uncle. despite her losses, wanda knows she was privileged in having such a loving family for as long as she did.

no— she's not here to tell dante what to do regarding his nephew, but she'd at least like to understand his side of the story.

she is working her way over the trash bins, and — general trash on the floor, when the invitation to seat anywhere is called out from the loft. is there anywhere to sit on? wanda thinks she'd rather stay standing.

glancing about, she gets the general idea of the place. 'devil may cry', like nero's van, a family business of sorts. hunting demons, right? hm. it's easy enough to gather dante's superficial thoughts.]

You're a paranormal mercenary, aren't you?

['devil hunter'.

is she trying to sound like she's got a job for him? maybe.]

Have you ever heard of vukodlaks?

[ Now that's enough to make him pause. Not that he's made a point of hiding his usual line of work, but he hasn't made it a point to share it either. Thankfully there hasn't been much call for it (and most of his efforts have been working towards spreading the Good Word of Pizza.)

She's one of Nero's friends in farmville. Is she here on his behalf? Nero wouldn't actually send her his way unless there was something he was genuinely worried about.

It's a little concerning, but Dante does an excellent job of hiding it as he makes his way towards the stairs down to the main floor. ]

Ah, so you know the Ghostbusters.

[ He can claim that franchise if one else has too.

Dante holds out the second taquito as he descends the steps. It is hot even if it has questionable origins and a flavor of "this may not be real food". ]

The name doesn't ring a bell. Why don't you fill me in on it?

It's really a crime that there are people here who don't know the Ghostbusters.

[one of those fun 'american movies' she and her family would watch. she glances up at him, coming down the stairs, really just seeming to enjoy his taquito.

she tries to ignore the general mess of the place and his nonchalance about it. his attention, at least, seems to be grabbed.]

—vukodlaks are the protagonists of some stories in my country. [and, by her accent, he could probably put a finger on the general direction of the map. unless he's not great at geography.] If a person is murdered with a strong sense of regret, they will come back to life as a bloated corpse. Blood around its mouth, long fingernails, red skin, the whole nine yards. It will kill all of its surviving family first before moving on to other victims.

A stake from a specific tree is the only thing that can kill it. According to legend, anyway.

[she raises an eyebrow to look at him.]

[ She's familiar, then. Guess he can't claim the trademark but it does mean that his sense of humor will land (haha...yeah right), which is what matters.

His own inexplicably American accent beguiles his understanding of geography--he's pegging her a little east of where he grew up. When he comes to stop at the bottom of the stairs, he takes a bite of his taquito while she continues. Absolutely the kind of conversation to have over dinner. ]

It's a little Nosferatu, but I'll bite.

[ Pre-dating him and Dractula both, really. That's definitely some old world vampire lore being put to the test.

Dante offers the other taquito. She's a guest. Will she take it? ]

So what are you looking for, an exterminator or a botanist?

[nosferatu—bite— nice. wanda grins a ittle at that, and that has done enough to tickle her mood for her to grab at the offered taquito. she doesn't take a bite from it, though, even if she thinks this is the most amicable thing she could do under the circumstances.

being a guest and all.]

Neither. Just curious on your familiarity with the matter.

[if he was that real deal. though unfamiliar with vukdolaks specifically, it could just mean that he didn't know the name, isn't exactly the scholarly type, or just hadn't encountered them yet. he seems unfazed by the topic, though, which gives wanda the certainty that he is one of those famed hunters, like nero.

look, she's even going to take a seat one on of the chairs by the office table. she conjures a (clean) plate and sets the taquito down on it. give her a moment, okay?]

Nero mentioned you have a brother. [in no uncertain terms—he's nero's uncle, thus there must be a brother in the picture.] I had a brother myself. Twins, in fact. [dante having a twin brother is not a fact she knows, though.] He died almost a decade ago.

[maybe he will react to her rather blunt swerving into a new topic of discussion. hopefully favorably.]

[ A clean plate in his place--No, that's fine. Honestly all plates start off clean until the fun happens.

Just curious? An interview, is it? For what? Or... ]

Oh, a test?

[ Dante takes another bite of his own taquito as he rounds his desk. It's not the messiest piece of furniture in the area with a large plush leather-backed chair that's seen better days. But it's worn in all the right places and Dante did his best to recreate every perfect imperfection. ]

I'll have you know I was proudly middle-of-the-road in primary school.

[ No star scholar here. That was always going to be Ver--

He pauses.

Ah. Nero talking about Vergil? Now that's way more curious. Dante plops down in his chair, ready to hear what disparaging remarks Nero may have made when instead Wanda offers a comparison he hadn't expected. There isn't a lot that phases Dante or catches him off guard, but he does blink then.

No jokes on this one. She delivers it easily, but the cut of losing your twin is all too real. Dante purses his lips for a second before he reclines a bit more in his chair. ]

Ah...never easy to lose family.

[ Probably the most serious he's sounded since they met months ago. ]

I'm sorry to hear that. Being a twin's a little different.

[there's a cut-through tone that is familiar to her because she has taken it, in the same way that dante, too, takes now. the talk about losing family, of what it means to be a twin and no longer consider yourself one, for your other half is lost forever.

she squints her eyes at him for a moment, then traces her gaze down onto her hands at her lap.]

It sounds to me like you know what that's like.

[sure, she is digging a little, but she opened up with her own vulnerability first. it's an equal exchange, of sorts.]

[closed] jukebox hero

this is so greasy

but in a fun way right

let's hope so

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