Dante Giovanni
Weapon
Demon Rapier
Among thorns grow roses.
Posts: 122
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Post by Dante Giovanni on Jul 19, 2013 20:38:03 GMT -5
Given how frantic his schedule could be at times, Dante made the most of the brief intervals of free time that occasionally blew his way. Weekends were best, he’d found. His father would be working extra jobs, his mother would be visiting his aunts a few blocks over, and his sisters were always out. That meant that once the Giovanni family had returned from morning Mass, Dante was usually out of the house and running for the higher buildings in Death City’s center. This particular afternoon was no different, the blond having thrown off his formalwear and replaced it with a more casual getup better suited to scaling buildings and running along fire escapes. Could he practice parkour in the suburbs? Technically, but Dante liked to think he knew better. He’d rather take a short walk to the inner workings of Death City than be caught perching on the window sill of one of his neighbors. Better to wait and be somewhere more suitable for practice than to accidentally botch a jump and end up crashing through the fence by someone else’s yard. It would certainly spare his mother a fainting spell, that was for sure. What’s more, Dante had been a bit out of practice as of late which meant that the more room he had to run and get back into shape, the better. The back alleys were his favorite starting points given that most people tended to stare and point and occasionally call the police when random blond teenagers started scaling windows and doors on the main streets. Granted nobody seemed to mind too much when he’d perched up on street lamps, but then he guessed so long as he didn’t break them there really wasn’t much of an issue. Still, his best chance to get up to the rooftops where he wanted to be required a good starting place. What better place to start than the fire escapes? Ducking into one of the back streets that he knew a bit better than the rest; Dante went from a walk to a run with ease as soon as he was out of sight. Glancing around quickly and being sure to avoid running headfirst into any trash cans, the blond raced towards the first fire escape low enough and then pushed off the ground once he was near enough. His hands gripped the siding firmly as he hauled himself up. He could have just climbed the steps but no, that would have been way too easy. Taking care not to slip as he climbed higher and higher, Dante eventually vaulted over the metal rails and stepped onto the rooftop. Once he was back on his feet, Dante wandered to the edge and looked out. The view wasn’t quite as great as it was from up atop the Shibusen steps, but it would do. The blond took a moment holding his arms out to either side of him and closing his eyes, letting the wind greet him so many stories up. Being still wasn’t something Dante was good at, though, and so only moments later he abruptly turned and took off running. The grin on his face read mischief even if it was only obtained from the adrenaline seeping into his veins. Dashing along, Dante picked up speed and flipped over a small ventilation outlet that rose up out of the rooftop. Pausing only a moment to regain his footing, the blond kept moving. Only a few minutes and he was flying, jumping over the gap of the alleyway he’d started in to the next roof over. Landing with both feet firmly beneath him, the shock made his knees knock together but only for an instant. Dante reached the opposite side of the roof and then skidded to a halt, wobbling a bit when the soles of his shoes hit the indent. Leaning over, the blond merely wanted to be sure the building had windows. It did, and they had sills just perfect to hang from. Taking a deep breath, Dante crouched and then tumbled over the side. His hands grasped the top of the roof, feet planted firmly to the building’s outer wall. Looking down made his heart race and brought the giddiest grin with it, although he could still have been higher. Still airing on the side of caution, Dante only dropped when he felt he’d judged the distance from the roof to the first window accurately. He had for the most part, landing first with his feet before grabbing the top part of the window’s edge. From here, the blond glanced around. Spying another fire escape, he wondered briefly if he could make the jump. Shrugging, the grin on his face grew. Eh, why not? Bracing himself briefly, Dante pushed off the window still and extended his arms towards the metal railing. The distance wouldn’t prove to be the issue. The Sicilian managed to grab a hold of the side rails welded to the steps. Aaand then his hands slipped completely. Panic only hit him briefly once Dante realized he hadn’t really been that high up. Falling two stories wasn’t too bad; after all he’d fallen from a bell tower once and been fine. Then again there had also been a line of bushes to break his fall in that case. Still, the landing could have been better. Flailing in the most ungraceful manner possible, Dante landing flat on his back. The impact winded him, leaving his gasping as pain ebbed through him. Well, that sucked. Lying motionless for a moment, the blond slowly sat up. He couldn’t keep from wincing as he brought a hand to the back of his head. He wasn’t bleeding and so far nothing seemed broken. He just ached from what would no doubt turn into bruises and a mildly wounded sense of pride.
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Irene Dixon
Weapon
Demon Corseque
Wake me up. I'm living a nightmare.
Posts: 108
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Post by Irene Dixon on Sept 17, 2013 11:50:25 GMT -5
Mission. [n] An important task or duty that is assigned, allotted, or self-imposed. [n] An important goal or purpose that is accompanied by strong conviction; a calling or vocation. [n] A sending or being sent for some duty or purpose.
This particular morning Irene woke up with a few of her own missions to complete. Today she would get stronger and work her hardest at getting even closer to her goals. She also planned on tracking down a specific person. Dante Giovanni. NOT Class. Weapon of meister Victoria Pelham, the rumored girlfriend/whore/harem girl(?) of Irene’s own partner, Levi Kastein. In the back of her mind, Irene still was amazed by the idea that the world was so small. Talking to just a few people could get you information on almost anyone. A few quick questions to her old friends about a rumor… Irene would not take her Meister for the devoted boyfriend type, yet word was going around the school that there was a girl “dating” him.
Curiosity got her mind rolling. Levi was not one she knew well, but she felt that she could fairly accurately predict his actions, at least in a broad sense. This girlfriend nonsense threw her through a loop. It was in her mind that it could be total nonsense, that some braindead girl decided to spread the rumor herself. But as she tried to find the root of this rumor, it seemed proven that witnesses had seen him with a girl on multiple occasions. Logic concludes multiple things in this instance. 1. She needed to figure out why this was beneficial to Levi. NEEDED. 2. She couldn’t ask Levi. He was too full of himself for her to egg on his ego by talking about him. 3. She would not talk to Victoria. Irene knew enough about her own gender and age group that you don’t suspiciously ask about reasons people date if you’re not fond of the relationship, especially to the girl’s face. 4. The next best source was Victoria’s best friend, or in this case, her partner.
It seemed to work in her favor. He was male, so less likely to lash out protectively. Maybe she could actually figure out a little more about her partner by talking to the girl’s weapon. They had an ounce of common ground… weapons… maybe that could help her?
All of this was running through her mind as she trained early that morning. Waking up before light even broke the earth’s surface, the girl donned a pair of denim shorts that looked like they had better days, leather boots that stretched up to just below her knees and secured by three ‘leg belts’ above the ankle, upper calf, and the sole of her foot, and lastly were the layered blood red and black tanktops with signature leather straps on her right bicep. Quickly she got ready and was out the door, beginning her day with a run to school, complete with staircase run. She began her day with this run and continued to train well into the morning. Partial transformation practice for speed and ease, running and sprints, fighting with dummies. Mixing it up to keep her mind and body working with something different.
When she finally decided to postpone any more work, the girl left the academy at a much lighter pace than what she had entered it. She felt tired, but good. Now it was time for her second mission, the one she had on her mind all day. To search for the young Giovanni.
First step was to find his residence. Apparently the family lived in Death City, which originally had struck a bit of a chord with the female weapon. He had his family here with him and a partner. Even if the partner was mixed up with her own nut partner… Trying to shake the thoughts from her head, Irene began stretching her limbs as she walked, making her way into the residence area of Death City.
The walk was relaxing for both her mind and body. Focusing on just finding the boy was simple, which brought her mind rest for now. Within the residential district now, Irene was keeping an eye out for anything that hinted Giovanni. A vague idea of where the residence was remained in her mind, but that always didn’t prove correct or specific. Her eyes keeping a look out for anything that may be of interest to her, she could have sworn she saw something for a split second from the corner of her eye. The upper corner that is…
Looking up, she scanned the… rooftops? At first she saw nothing and she was going to shrug it off as a bird or some other uninteresting movement. But then she saw something again. Farther ahead of her, still on the rooftops. Was someone running up there? Or possibly an animal? Slight curiosity sparked itself in the young woman. Her pace quickening only slightly, she wanted to keep the thing on the roof in her general sights. As long as she could keep somewhat track of it, maybe she could figure out what it was.
That task was made easier for her by the chain of events that followed. Her vision keeping right on with the moving figure as it emerged from the rooftops and then ducked out of her sights again, there was a slight period of time that she couldn’t see it and she almost gave up on following it. That is until she reached the alleyway under where she had last seen the figure. A light ‘thump’ sounded as she was just about to pass. Her gaze moving downwards from the rooftops to her own level, she saw the source of the noise. Or what she assumed to be the source.
A boy fell? Though this wasn’t unheard of in Death City, for some reason Irene still found it a bit strange that people ran atop buildings like they owned them. Slowing her pace to her normal walk, she approached the boy with mild interest, though none of that showed explicitly in her expression. By this time he was already sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. Most likely checking himself for any injury. From her own judgment, he looked fine. Nothing was jutting at odd angles, no blood could be seen.
”I assume you are fine?
Her words were simple and plain, no real concern easily found in her words. It sounded like a judgment she had made herself and was basically telling him he was okay. Which… it basically was, though she believed he already knew that. In her own way, she was also trying to open up communication so that he knew she was there and possibly she could figure out who he was.
Hands in her pockets, the girl stopped about a foot or so away from the male, her weight shifting to the right of her body as she looked down at the boy. Silence remained her friend as she waited for any sort of response and also started to take in the look of the boy before her. Athletic. Young. Vaguely familiar face. Most likely student at school.
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Dante Giovanni
Weapon
Demon Rapier
Among thorns grow roses.
Posts: 122
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Post by Dante Giovanni on Sept 22, 2013 17:32:38 GMT -5
Dante could already feel his shoulders and back creaking. Oh yeah, he’d be sore tomorrow for sure. That fact that everything already had a dull sting lingering in his skin drove that point home quite nicely. The good part was that nothing seemed broken and he could still see straight. He wasn’t bleeding and he didn’t feel any cracks of shifts in the back of his head. The blond considered that lucky and also fortuitous since that he meant he would be able to stand rather than needing to call his sisters or parents or worse, an ambulance.
As he began to sit up, he heard someone speaking from behind him, a girl from the sound of it. Rather than sit up entirely, Dante instead tilted his head back. While upside down, it was still immediately obvious that he apparently had a witness to his less than graceful fall, or at least to him lying mildly winded flat on his back. Dante gave her a slight smile,
“I think so.”
Facing front, Dante slowly rolled up into a sitting position. His back protested and his shoulders were not at all happy with him but he managed. Tilting his head left and then right, he waited. No dizziness yet. From there he slowly stood up, wincing a bit putting weight back on his feet. His right ankle stung a bit more than expected but it was nothing he couldn’t handle or hadn’t experienced before. Blinking, he still wasn’t dizzy. The world wasn’t leaning sideways and there were no random dots of color littering his vision. Nodding more to himself than the stranger who’d found him, he sighed and appeared relieved,
“Yeah, looks like I’m fine.”
To be fair this girl hadn’t sounded inherently concerned over him. Her words had been more of a statement than anything else. Now that he was upright, Dante could get a better look at her. He’d taken a slight step back in rising what with how she’d been so close. Not quite looming but still near. The blond felt like he recognized her from somewhere but couldn’t quite place her face. Her voice didn’t ring any bells, but he’d definitely seen her somewhere. Dante’s conclusion was that maybe she went to Shibusen. She looked the type, although a tad more serious than the people he could name off the top of his head.
A might embarrassed that he’d been seen screwing up, Dante shoved his hands in his pockets and adopted a rather bashful expression, speaking softly,
“So uh…exactly how much of my not so successful landing did you see?”
He wasn’t exactly worried over it. It was more of a way to judge just how ashamed he should look. If she’d seen the whole thing he would attempt not to cringe, but if she’d only seen him land he could possibly play it off like he wasn’t actually a massive dork. Dante had his cool moments, but this was definitely not one of them. It was a wonder he managed to maintain eye contact. He tried to look on the Brightside. This at least wasn’t anywhere near as bad as when he’d met Tori by accidentally breaking into her house and getting stuck in the gear room. Plus that hadn’t been entirely his fault since who the hell lived in clock towers. The door had also been unlocked, but the blond would look for any excuse not to feel guilty about that exchange. At least he’d met Tori and earned a Meister out of the whole situation. He wondered if he would leave this exchange with similar luck or he was just screwed for the entire day.
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Irene Dixon
Weapon
Demon Corseque
Wake me up. I'm living a nightmare.
Posts: 108
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Post by Irene Dixon on Sept 23, 2013 16:42:47 GMT -5
Irene’s eyes remained on the male as he seemed to be checking his body still. He had heard her voice. He didn’t jump or seem surprised in any immediate reaction, he merely altered his movements to get her in his sights. He was looking at her from an ‘upside down’ position… sort of. His face was upside down, but he was still kind of sitting. It took a good bit of effort for her not to shift her facial expression from the normal blank one. It was… odd. Odd of him to turn like that, at least in her mind. A smile crossed the male’s face, looking mostly gentle, a bit of a playful look seemed set in his character, and did she detect a hint of bashfulness?
Some of her thoughts were immediate judgments yet to be proven, she didn’t know who he was and if she were reading too deeply into things or misinterpreting. Careful of everyone. He answered her then, words in response to hers. Though… she already knew he was okay, but it seemed he wasn’t quite sure of it until that moment. Better safe than sorry she guessed. Not shifting her weight from her one side, she seemed relaxed while she continued to observe him and his movements. She started to reevaluate her thought of him being bashful, his movements seeming clean and uncaring, like a normal reaction. There were a few moments where she wasn’t sure whether or not he was totally fine. Irene couldn’t place if it was pain in his eyes or just testing. Each new movement seemed a bit slow for someone who had been running across rooftops. It wasn’t something she needed to know however, so she let it go.
While the male probably did it of his own habit, Irene was thankful that him standing had also gotten him to get a bit farther away. While he was on the ground, it seemed natural to be closer because their faces were so far apart still. But when he stood, she felt more in his space and him in hers. Face proximity altered her perception more, and she was glad for the space, even if unintentional.
The relief came as a slight surprise to her. He reiterated that he was fine. Testing huh? At least he seemed thorough, did that mean that he was constantly in these situations?
”It almost seems like you have a checklist to make sure you’re fine. Fall a lot?”
The words were not meant to be judgmental or harsh, mostly curious on her part and partially her not wanting to remain silent. If he was a student with her he probably did train relentlessly (if he was worth anything) and did injure himself now and then. Going over his body and making sure he was fine was nothing to scoff at. Being aware of yourself was a skill much needed.
It seemed to be his turn to take her in now. She had plenty of time to make decisions about who she believed he was, but he had still been checking himself. Now his attention was on her. Then his expression totally changed. The shyness she thought she had seen traces of before now hit her in full force. The male instantly withdrew, his hands going to his pockets, his eyes almost seemingly avoiding, and his face holding embarrassment of some sort?
The female’s eyes had widened slightly from the surprise of his sudden change, but she soon settled back into her normal, blank expression. His voice did nothing to hide his emotions either, slight hesitation and a softer tone. If she was a person of a different mindset, she might have thought he was sweet. He was questioning her on what she saw? It was a bit amusing, was he embarrassed that she might have seen him screw up? Everyone did that. He just had to be careful that it didn’t result in a worse outcome than a few bumps and bruises.
”I saw you on the ground. I heard the sound of your body hitting the ground. I’m confident it was you I saw running above the normal level of the city. Most of what I know happening is conclusions, not visual memory.”
Holding back the slight urge to smile in a reassuring manner, she watched the male. Did it bother him because he fell or that someone saw him fall? In her own mind, she understood frustration at failing, but he didn’t seem concerned with his mistake until he realized she had been present. That she didn’t quite understand from her own perspective. Screw everyone else, it was up to her to succeed or fail, a witness didn’t alter the outcome.
”Don’t seem worried about a mistake. They happen. Be glad how it ended was harmless and did not hold dire consequences. Learn from what you do.”
The female paused, doing an obvious once over his form again. Then she continued speaking.
”I’m decently certain you’re a student at Shibusen. If you’re worth anything, you train. Why do you train? To get better. No one has reached perfection, that’s why we should always work hard. If you’re embarrassed that you fell, get over it and do better. If you’re embarrassed because you think I may have seen you fall, stop being an idiot. Who you are trying to be shouldn’t depend on my eyes, it should depend on your reactions to what happens.”
It was a lot more than she usually said, but she wanted to see what he would say. She wanted to know more about this male. Part of her thought he might be able to help her find this Dante Giovanni, part of her was curious about why he seemed so bashful in the first place. As she ended her short speech, her face seemed to soften. She didn’t smile, nothing really altered in the expression as a whole, but her face seemed less calculating and more understanding.
She wasn’t trying to lecture, she just wanted him to see that what people saw wasn’t always the most important.
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Dante Giovanni
Weapon
Demon Rapier
Among thorns grow roses.
Posts: 122
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Post by Dante Giovanni on Oct 24, 2013 13:36:26 GMT -5
Dante gave a shrug at the falling question. It took him a moment to think of an answer that actually fit since he felt as though he were stuck somewhere in the middle. He didn’t fall a lot per se, or at least not anymore, but it was always an occupational hazard with parkour, and it did happen every so often. Eyes glances up and around the surrounding windows and rooftops more out of prolonged though than anything else, he found the words he was looking for,
“A lot may be pushing it, but it happens. When I was just starting out I obviously fell a lot more, so I guess checking to make sure I hadn’t broken or twisted anything sort of stuck with me.”
Mainly after the bell tower fall, but he didn’t feel the need to elaborate, particularly to a stranger. Talking too much could sometimes put people off, so Dante did try to rein it in. He also imagined it was better to actually know a person before blurting out awkward incidents that nearly got him killed as a child, but then that list was at least a mile long and seemingly still growing. It was a wonder he managed to stay out of the hospital given his tendencies, not that it caused his parents to worry any less.
Dante brought his eyes back to the stranger’s when she spoke again, showing that she did indeed have his undivided attention even if he did appear somewhat scatterbrained. The initial sting he’d felt in his ankle had dulled considerably in a short amount of time. Maybe he hadn’t hurt it as bad as he thought, not that he wouldn’t take it easy for a few days regardless. Better safe than sorry. Hearing that she hadn’t actually seen him fall was somewhat of a relief but she had a point in that it was pretty easy to draw that conclusion from how she’d found him lying flat out earlier. Dante nodded along to what she said more to himself than to the stranger, a slight grin tugging at his lips. So long as she hadn’t seen the entirely pathetic tumble he’d taken, he could live with himself.
The next bit of dialogue he heard from her caught him slightly by surprise. Her demeanor fit them, to be fair, but he still really hadn’t expected it. Dante was more used to being scolded or told he was going to get himself killed running along buildings. While he would never necessarily disagree and appear remorseful, he guessed she’d picked up on that and was attempting to make him feel less awkward about screwing up. New, but appreciated. Dante let himself grin just a bit more and stood a bit straight,
“Wise words.”
More a comment than a response, but it was all he could really think of. Besides, he figured it would be a given that he would learn from the situation since that was what anyone with half a brain and a bit of common sense would think to do. He could work on his grip, maybe take into consideration just how to do that. The whole not worrying part would be slightly more difficult, but maybe he could get over feeling embarrassed with time. He couldn’t know, at least not yet. Seeing her eyes glance over him, Dante suspected she was fixing to say something and waited.
If she could figure out that he was a student at Shibusen, Dante suspected that it was more than likely that this stranger attended there as well. Somehow it seemed to suit her. The way she held herself and the way she spoke definitely had cued him into the fact that she wasn’t just your everyday person you would run into on the street. She had more purpose to her than that, if that made any sense at all, and it showed as she continued speaking. Dante’s grin didn’t falter, after all she was right, and he did agree with what she was saying. Still, he did need to think for a moment before responding, looking more pensive and his expression oddly softening,
“I’ll definitely be taking that to heart. I am at Shibusen, but I’m in the NOT class, so I know I have a long way to go before I’m anywhere near the level of greatness I’m aiming for. I want to be better, for myself and for my Meister, but I know I’m not there yet, but I also know I’ll get there one day. As for the whole managing not to be embarrassed thing…”
He paused, shrugged, and then gave the stranger gentle smile and wink,
“I guess I’ll just have to work on that too!”
He had a long way to go, but Dante knew he and Tori were going to be one of the best teams out there one day. That was their job after all! They would even make One Star soon with only one more NOT mission left, which he felt sure they would pass with flying colors. Just thinking about it made him jittery, but the Sicilian already appeared more relaxed. His shoulder lowered and he now stood straight, smile still hanging a bit lopsided on his lips as he spoke again as well,
“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you’re a student at Shibusen as well if you could pick me out that easily, plus you sound like you definitely know what you’re talking about in terms of how to better yourself.”
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Irene Dixon
Weapon
Demon Corseque
Wake me up. I'm living a nightmare.
Posts: 108
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Post by Irene Dixon on Oct 25, 2013 19:46:19 GMT -5
The young male proved interesting to watch. His reactions were far from held back, he seemed to let his thoughts and feelings show. Whether or not that was intentional, Irene hadn’t quite figured that one out yet. However, when she commented on him possibly falling often, he somewhat shrugged her off. To her, that just strengthened her belief that he had. It was good he checked up on himself, kept going even through tripping up.
His verbal response came soon after his body language. He confirmed that at one time he had fallen a lot. Like any growing skill, he got better as he did it. She was glad that people still knew how to push through mistakes. Thankfully, the school was full of people devoted to a cause and making themselves better. So many different kinds of people… This boy, her, Levi, the Giovanni and his meister… All someone created from other paths in life. Every place was like that, but Shibusen connected them all.
Yet, they were still all separated as much as they wished. Irene felt better relying on herself instead of another, even if Levi was a strong male. But… she tried her best to let these thoughts melt away for now as she talked to the male. His eyes were directly focused on her, it seemed only natural to want to focus on him as well. If she was going to be his center of attention, she would return that favor. Afterall, after she was speaking so much, he deserved the same respect. To add onto that, he commented on her words being wise. Inwardly, she smiled. No outward appearance changed, but that pleased her a bit. It was mostly by what she lived by, but the fact that he accepted it almost readily was… nice somehow. She didn’t know exactly how to place it. It wasn’t a pride that she felt, maybe a vague sense of someone accepting her?
The male also had this smile on his face. A sort of pleasureful grin. It made him appear so happy, even if he was stuck in an alley talking to her. It now seemed his turn to speak. After her short lecture of words, the young male took his time in replying in his own way. To this, she listened. Calmly as she always had, her expression being less hard than normal, that same softness remaining.
He was revealing more of himself, telling her about him. Though she didn’t quite expect it, that didn’t mean she didn’t want to know. Irene enjoyed knowing more about people. A lot of the fun was in reading about them from how they acted, but being told didn’t really let her down at all. The reverse was the harder part. It wasn’t often that she enjoyed sharing a lot of specifics about herself. Basics were fine, things that were generally known or easy to find out. But much of her was for her to know.
He was indeed a Shibusen student, her guess correct. She wasn’t sure if she was surprised or not that he was in the NOT class. Innocence seemed to come from him, that smile and some sort of boyish charm about him. But, him jumping around the rooftops told of great talent. He would definitely be someone that opponents should watch out for. What made him even more of a threat was that he realized he had a way to go. WIth that, he would try harder to get better. That was a great attitude.
What occurred next took her off guard. A pause in his speech, he instantly shrugged, his grin shifted to a slightly different kind of smile, and he winked. The wink was what caught her most. Irene’s eyes widened slightly for a split second, her head cocking ever so slightly to the side. Why wink? Was it from the joy that accompanied the last statement? Like an instant change from sheepish to joy? He’d work on it, and he’d enjoy it? Irene was having a bit of trouble grasping how this male worked.
However, she hadn’t lost the bit about him having a meister. That meant he was a weapon. This joyous weapon seemed to only be gearing himself up further. Whatever his thoughts may be, they did not drag him down at all. Watching him, his standing position shifted, he still looked straight at her, and his face still held this innocent and happy smile. He was cute.
Having stayed silent still to this point, she continued listening as he began to speak again. Indirectly, he was asking if she too were a Shibusen student. In most instances, she would dance around the question by commenting on some other part of what he said. But… he was a student as she was, so he could easily either find her later or find out from someone else. There was no harm in telling someone she was a student if they were supposedly on the same ‘side.’
She took her hands from her pockets, her posture straightening as she did so and she balanced her weight evenly on both feet. Letting her left hand fall easily to her side, she kept her right hand up about chest level. Holding it about five inches from her own body, a flash of light enveloped her hand for a moment, then was gone. Revealing a strip of mental along her knuckles. She didn’t grin, merely kept her eyes on the boy.
”We share a few commonalities it seems. I am a student at Shibusen and I am also a weapon.”
The words were simple and to the point. Another flash of light shortly followed her words and the metal band was gone. Lowering her hand to her side, she gave a faint shrug and averted her gaze from the male for the first time in a while. Looking towards the rooftops from where he had fell, she debated her next move. She didn’t particularly hate this boy’s company, but she was on a mission to find the Giovanni boy. It made more sense to her to dismiss herself than to stick around.
She turned her body slightly towards the entrance of the alley from whence she came. However, she spoke as well. Dipping a bit into both worlds, of staying and leaving.
”I know what I want. I want to get better and I won’t let anyone hold me back. I don’t want you to let anyone hold you back either.”
The last statement was a bit odd for her to say. She hadn’t meant it quite as personally as it had sounded. She didn’t want anyone to give up or let others deter them from their goals. It seemed weak to her… This kid should be no different. He should fight. And she was glad that he seemed he would.
”It was nice to meet you. I have a mission for myself today that a need to accomplish.”
Her eyes softened a bit, almost as if she were smiling. Almost. A slight nod of her head, the girl turned farther to begin her departure. Lifting a hand up in a slight wave, Irene headed towards the main street.
”I have a Giovanni to find.”
Words clear, she didn’t quite care if he heard or not. It wasn’t like Dante’s existence was a secret. For a moment, Irene regretted not getting the boy’s name. But then again, it could be easy enough to get from around the school.
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Dante Giovanni
Weapon
Demon Rapier
Among thorns grow roses.
Posts: 122
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Post by Dante Giovanni on Oct 25, 2013 21:00:04 GMT -5
Ah, he’d been right! Not that he had particularly been expecting to be wrong, but there was always the off chance he’d run into a relative of a student rather than an actual one. It didn’t surprise him, though, after all this was Death City. Every other person he ran into was usual a student at the school, not that he was complaining. People were his thing, even if he had the tendency to be a bit shy to start out with. Given the subject matter of the ongoing conversation he made a mental note to maybe work on that too. It was fine to be cautious, he wasn’t an idiot in that respect at least, but not everyone was out to get him either.
Dante watched as the stranger altered the way she stood and appeared far more interested than he had a moment ago at the flash of light. From just a metal strip long her knuckles, he couldn’t really tell what exactly her Weapon form was, but he now knew that she at least was yet another person as Shibusen whose partial form was cooler than his. Another thing he really needed to work on, especially since it forming out of his right forearm when he happened to be left handed just made him wholly uncoordinated with it. Maybe running into the girl wasn’t so much chance as it was the universe’s way of telling him to get his ass in gear.
Her words confirmed her actions, and Dante nodded along to them vaguely to show he was still paying attention more than anything else. The stranger deactivated her partial, and while he was tempted, Dante decided against activating his. Call it a hunch, but she seemed as though she had more pressing matters to attend to. He followed her gaze back up to the rooftops, though he stared for longer than she did, the grin on his face growing and a glint appearing in his eye. He’d be back up soon enough, and he’d do better the next time around. Seeing her shift from the corner of his eye, Dante turned his eyes back on the stranger as she made to face the entrance of the alleyway but not yet going.
The words she spoke were more of the same, but Dante appreciated them still nonetheless. It was a good mindset she had, though he could foresee himself having issues getting to that point, if ever. It may be possible, but he knew he cared maybe a bit too much in some circumstances. It came too easily and was something honestly built into him. It would take him a while to shake loose.
At that, it seemed the chance meeting had ended as she turned to exit the alleyway. Dante gave a wave to her while she was still in sight, stepping back and nearer to the fire escape. Even with his ankle aching a bit, he should be able to still practice a few basic maneuvers. Hearing she was on a sort of personal errand, he nodded after her even though she wouldn’t see the gesture,
“It’s been a pleasure, signorina. I wish you the best of luck.”
It seemed appropriate. Turning fully towards the fire escape, Dante first testing his ankle to be sure it wouldn’t decide to be truly injured before crouching a bit and leaping upwards, grabbing a hold of the lowest railing. Upon hearing her finally parting words, he paused in hauling himself any higher, letting himself hang. Wait, Giovanni? Dante leaned his head back so he could see past his arm, calling out after her,
“Signorina, wait! If you’re looking for a Giovanni, I happen to be one!”
Darting his eyes back to the hold he had on the fire escape, he adjusted how he was positioned and twisted. Confident he wouldn’t fall, Dante let one of his hands drop and allowed himself to hang from one arm,
“My name’s Dante. I don’t know which Giovanni you’re looking for, but if it isn’t me then I should at least be able to help you find most of the others.”
He may have guessed the girl was really looking for one of his sisters, but then she seemed a tad too serious to be Felicia’s friend. The same went for Guiliana, plus the youngest sister was a good two, maybe three grades below them, so it was doubtful that was who she was looking for. Still, it wasn’t like he and his sister were the only Giovannis at Shibusen, in fact there were several if one took into account his cousins, but he wouldn’t know until she told him.
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Irene Dixon
Weapon
Demon Corseque
Wake me up. I'm living a nightmare.
Posts: 108
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Post by Irene Dixon on Oct 26, 2013 14:58:41 GMT -5
She felt like an idiot.
Walking away, she heard him respond to her. Letting her go on towards her goals, like she had expected he would. There was no reason for them to continually keep up a conversation. They didn’t know one another. Her exit wasn’t meant to be irritating and he wasn’t being rude in letting her continue on. He even went as far to tell her it was a pleasure to meet her and that he wished her luck.
What was irritating was that she had missed so much. How could she have let those clues go? A weapon who had a meister, he may have had a bit of an accent… Why couldn’t she have just asked? Or even had a slight thought that it was remotely possible this was the male she was looking for? Her carelessness was beyond irritating.
Walking away from him, she heard the slight give of what she assumed was a fire escape. Not loud to be a trash can lid, but definitely metallic. When she turned he had just stated his first name. Her expression had turned back to it’s more expressionless and hard state, maybe a bit of anger in her eyes and a tightness around the corner of her lips. But… as soon as Irene’s eyes laid on the boy, she couldn’t help but relax a bit. How he was just hanging there… It was amusing, she had to give him that. It had passed through her mind that he was cute before, but with him hanging there and calling her back to help, she couldn’t help but dwell on the boys looks another time.
He was about her age. Not too tall and he seemed thin. Maybe average in that aspect as well… but the way he moved gave off the appearance of thin to her. Jeans and a darker red and black covered his body. Layers. The realization that their styles at this particular time were similar just hit her. Her own denim shorts on, black and red layers… It was odd, at least in her own eyes. Even odder that she had missed this detail as well.
He had just finished talking as her thoughts made a full circle back to keeping her attention on what he was actually saying. He could help her find them… Obviously he could help, if she would have just opened her mouth. Though. If he wouldn’t have been a Giovanni, she would have been just letting her own thoughts wash out to a stranger that need not know.
Having turned back to the male, Irene made her way back towards him. Eyes focused on the boy hanging from the fire escape from one arm, she shoved her own hands back in her pockets. She was still angered with her inability to notice who he was, but also put at ease by this guy’s nature.
”Weapon of Victoria Pelham, Dante Giovanni?”
She was just making sure, but she was mostly certain this was who she was looking for. Irene kept a bit of distance from him this time. Though he stated he didn’t fall often, there was no way she was going to step under him or anywhere close and get dropped on.
”Irene Dixon. Weapon of Levi Kastein.”
Her expression shifted for just a moment, her thoughts moving to her meister. He was an ass… It bothered her, even if he was strong in his own abilities. The fact that she was trusting herself to him and he was trusting him to her was still knew to her. In fact, they hadn’t exactly decided they were staying a team. Trying it out and what not. As a weapon, she wouldn’t let him down. As a meister, he wouldn’t let her down. Irene was pretty sure of that. As people… they probably let one another down. For his Highness, she was little more than the dirt he walked on. For her, he was an arrogant, pompous, jerk. But… she had chosen this in more than one way. She had offers before to be someone’s weapon again… Maybe partnering with Levi was easiest.
This snapped her back to reality. Back to Dante before her. She was here to learn about his and her meister. Irene had not only walked towards him, but favored the wall of the building that held the fire escape. Leaning her body against it, her shoulder touched first followed by light contact with her side. She left her hands in her pockets as she prepared to talk to the male.
”I actually wanted to talk about our meisters… if you’re not opposed?”
Though it might not exactly be the most subtle way to go about things, she knew a little more about this Dante now. She had already spoken with him, got a feel for his personality. He seemed to want to help and please other people. He also agreed with her every time she had spoken so far. Irene weighed that it bode well for her.
”I just heard through the grapevine that they were together… I didn’t know if that was true or not. I guess that was my first question.”
She paused, thinking on whether she should expand upon that or not. It might be weird to him if she was approaching him and not the couple. But to her… it made sense. It could make sense to him too right?
”I didn’t want to ask them… Girls can be odd about certain subjects. And he’s… well… Got too much of him on his mind as it is.”
Following Dante with her eyes, she wasn’t going to lose sight of him. Unless.. well… he really didn’t want to have this conversation and tried to escape to the rooftops. There was no way she’d catch up to him then… She wasn’t fast or agile. He definitely had the upper hand in avoidance.
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Dante Giovanni
Weapon
Demon Rapier
Among thorns grow roses.
Posts: 122
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Post by Dante Giovanni on Dec 28, 2013 15:43:15 GMT -5
Dante watched as she turned to look at him again, noting how she seemed to be reassessing him almost. Strange. He wondered if maybe he’d pissed her off, or maybe it wasn’t her but someone she knew that had an issue with him. Nothing stuck out to him in his mind so he doubted that was the case. Granted he could always be wrong. He just hoped he wasn’t. He’d hate to wind up in a fight with someone so pretty, plus from her demeanor alone he was sure that she would kick his ass.
The blond let himself drop from the fire escape as she reached him, questioning further who he was. Again it had him wondering. If he hadn’t ticked her off then maybe Tori had. He could see it, after all his Meister was quite…well, spirited was putting it lightly. She was very adamant after all, and proud. Dante saw them as good traits, especially since he tended to lack both at times, however he had to wonder if it wouldn’t do her some good to take a chill pill every once in a while. Keeping a light grin on his face, he nodded,
“I don’t know any other Dante Giovannis running around Death City to my knowledge, and Tori is definitely my Meister last I checked.”
What she said next clarified a lot, at least for Dante, if of course he was on the right track. Ah, so she’s Levi’s Weapon. I see. Maybe it wasn’t anything so terrible as a grudge after all. He really did need to lose that Catholic conscience of his, all it did was make him worry and feel like he was constantly about to do something wrong. Rather than that, maybe she was just curious. He couldn’t imagine Levi talking about Tori often; it just didn’t seem to suit him. Mentioning maybe. Yeah, that sounded about right. Then again he’d also only met him once thus far, so he doubted he could pass any sort of judgment on the prince accurately.
Even so, from what he’d seen and heard from Irene so far, he could see how she would fit with Levi as partner. He’d only just met her and he could adjust what he thought later on if she proved otherwise, but so far she seemed far more serious than the prince, and definitely colder, but then that was likely a side effect of appearing so stern. The blond could see that working well. Levi seemed like the sort of person that was determined but also more grounded, someone to rein him in, if only a little, but then he could also be wrong.
Their Meisters? Dante cocked his head to the side, still keeping the grin he wore though looking a tad skeptical as to where she was going with this. But the blond was curious. Had something happened? He let his shoulders shrug a bit, leaning with more of his weight to the right so his ankle didn’t feel quite so odd,
“Sure. What’s there to talk about?”
A good number of possibilities were running through his mind, most of them bad, but then again that was just him worrying too much again. When she did ask, the amusement on his face showed. His grin grew and that blond just barely bit at his lower lip to resist the urge to chuckle. It wasn’t at what she’d asked so much as the thought of it. The idea of Tori and Levi dating was still odd to him, mainly because it seemed so entirely unlikely that he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it still. The more he thought about it he could start to see the sense in it, but he still couldn’t quite grasp it. Realizing she may take offence and think he was laughing at her rather than the question, Dante tried to clarify,
“Sorry, I’m just still getting used to the idea of them is all. Which I guess is an answer in and of itself but yes, they’re together. Somehow.”
The blond couldn’t help but snicker at her comment on Levi. He couldn’t agree more, not that he would say so out loud. Irene was his partner, after all, so she had to at least be attached to him somewhat…right? Regardless, he didn’t want to risk potential insult. Once again, though, he could see why she would ask him, and said as much,
“I definitely understand why you wouldn’t want to ask them. I’ve got two younger sisters; I’ve learned through trial and error that usually it’s better to ask a third party or just wait to be told. Plus Tori can be…”
What was the word he was looking for? She wasn’t quite over the top enough to be crazy but definitely far from understated. Rolling phrases around and around in his head for a minute, his eyes drifted to the sky, hanging there before dropping back to gaze at Irene as he found a word he found fitting,
“She can be a little intense sometimes.”
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Irene Dixon
Weapon
Demon Corseque
Wake me up. I'm living a nightmare.
Posts: 108
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Post by Irene Dixon on Jan 19, 2014 14:32:11 GMT -5
Dante had dropped himself to the ground once again, a good sign for Irene. Her mind relaxed at the thought that he wasn’t immediately planning to run or avoid talking to her, and the chances of him dropping on top of her also instantly diminished. He seemed to be listening as she spoke, even paying attention to her reevaluating him. Though he seemed observant, Irene could only guess at how well he process the information his eyes took in.
When the Giovanni finally spoke, he mostly confirmed what she had solidified in her mind. He was indeed the Dante Giovanni she was looking for, even if his answer was strangely put. Was it a sort of joke? Irene didn’t catch and sort of smirk or laughter… but the way he phrased his answer was just so odd. Not a simple yes or agreement, but that he was the only Dante Giovanni he knew of and Tori was his meister last he checked? Who said things that way? The bit of confusion and frustration she felt with his answer may have been seen in her eyes for a moment, but nothing monumentally noticeable. It wasn’t such a big deal and there was really no need for her to worry about it.
Especially no need to worry when there was something much more interesting. Her original mission, to find more information on Levi and Tori. In response to her questioning him, the male tilted his head. Irene assumed and hoped this was out of curiosity. He shifted his body position as well. A shrug sort of motion and balance shifting to one side of his body. Was he planning on staying or was he injured from the fall? Maybe both? Eyes scanning quickly over the male once more, Irene wanted to check for anything she could possibly notice injury wise. Nothing. Not to her attention anyway.
Returning her gaze back to the male’s face, he questioned what there was to talk about with the two meisters. That was her first hint that maybe the two weren’t a couple. Or he was avoiding. However, he seemed much too upbeat and…. quite undefensive to be avoiding a conversation about them. This all changed when the bright grin and basically amused expression took over Dante’s face. He looked like he might laugh. Now what joke did she miss? Though Irene didn’t normally laugh at the antics of others, she usually at least caught the joke. But… this Dante was quite a different person than her.
His next words cleared up the confusion. Tori and Levi were indeed ‘together.’ At least to some extent. This very thing amused the lad? People were funny. Somehow Levi and Tori had found happiness in the other, Dante was amused by it all, and she found herself in a similar disbelief but with an added thought that her partner must have some hidden agenda with this ‘coupling.’ Unless Tori somehow was part of royal blood, Irene had her doubts that Levi would actually remain interested long.
While Dante still seemed amused, Irene took more to a vague expression of a mixed doubt and mild irritation. There was so much she didn’t know about Levi. Finding out that he was seemingly ‘officially’ dating a girl (that Irene assumed he would believe was below him) only confused her idea of him more. She was more hoping that the rumors were false, or that there were other girls, or some sort of twist. Not that he was in a relationship. It didn’t make sense to her and only irritated her more that Levi was becoming more of a mystery.
Dante continued on, commenting about how he understood Irene’s want to talk to Dante instead of the pair. Irene found herself somewhat pleased that she hadn’t been seen totally crazy in the weapon’s eyes, then again… there was no real reason it should matter. She also noted the small laughter that came from him at her own comment about her meister. It hadn’t been meant as an insult. At least… she didn’t think so. Levi was, in fact, an arrogant and pompous man. He seemed to take pride in that and she wasn’t going to pretend to anyone else that she thought him other than such.
Once he spoke about his meister’s personality, Irene realized that the conversation had turned more towards her listening to him and dwelling on the words he spoke. Her mind had a way of working without stop and she had gotten into the habit of talking less. Finding out what she needed, she debated whether to linger longer in the company of the young Giovanni. He didn’t seem to know much about Levi and that’s more or less the reason she sought him out. Of course he would know more about this Tori… Would that help her to understand why Levi chose to let people believe they were dating?
Sadly, Irene really hadn’t lost her mild look of irritation since she had found the two were a couple. Though it was no fault of Dante’s, Irene realized this could put the young man off. ”Sorry Dante. I’ve become much more a thinker than a talker. I don’t mean to offend. You would certainly know if I had any sort of displeasure with you.” Though the woman didn’t smile, her expression certainly changed. The irritation vanished and she returned mostly to her blank self, yet retained the calmer and softer look she had acquired upon them almost parting ways. There was a mix behind her change in demeanor. First, she wanted to find out if he knew more about the relationship, Levi, or what he would tell her of his partner. Second, she somewhat disliked the idea of putting this kid on edge.
”You mentioned they were together, but added the word ‘somehow.’ Are they strange together? I’ve never actually met Victoria, but I find it hard to believe that Levi is branding himself to someone.”
Attempting to pick her words carefully, she didn’t want to offend him. Having decided to try for more information, she didn’t need him slamming his mouth shut because she spoke ill of his meister. What she really meant was, she thought Levi believed everyone else was his. But not that he was their’s on an equal level. Saying that to Dante could come out very wrong.
”Intense… Is a word that can describe many things. In some ways, we might all be intense in some sort of way.”
At first, she directed these spoken thoughts towards the idea that she wanted him to explain what he meant by Tori being intense. As she kept speaking, her thoughts trailed off and she let her sentence end with a sort of lingering. No longer did she need to know that meaning of intense that described Tori. Her thoughts had shifted to her intense meister… long ago… Extremely passionate about life… With these thoughts brought back Irene’s coldness. Any sort of welcomeness had left her expression. The next instant, her eyes focused clearly on Dante’s face, a bit of sadness in her voice as she asked a question that was extremely off topic from her mission.
”You’re very fond of your meister, aren’t you?”
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Dante Giovanni
Weapon
Demon Rapier
Among thorns grow roses.
Posts: 122
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Post by Dante Giovanni on Feb 9, 2014 14:30:58 GMT -5
Why was she apologizing? Dante didn’t really get it, and vague confusion did show on his features for a moment before they were replaced with the same leisurely smile he’d been wearing for most of their encounter. The blonde shrugged, “No offense taken.”
There really wasn’t any reason for him to be offended. Why, because she’d been silent while he was talking? Dante didn’t really understand what there was to be offended by that, but decided not to question it for the time being. He was only thankful that Irene didn’t seem to be as irritated as she had been before. Whether it was something he said or the facts about Tori and Levi in general that were the cause was a mystery to him. The former seemed more likely than the latter to him if only because he couldn’t imagine why Levi dating Tori would upset her. It was true that he’d only just met her, but Dante really couldn’t see Irene as the type to go for someone like Levi, so it couldn’t be a jealousy thing, at least in his mind. He reminded himself that he could always be wrong, though, and decided to speak carefully.
Were Tori and Levi strange? The first answer that came to his mind was absolutely, but Dante thought he should probably add more clarification as to why. The blonde glanced vaguely upwards again as he tried to think of the correct words, leaning a bit to one side. When he finally found them he still didn’t look quite sure of the phrasing, but decided it was as close as he was going to get, “I wouldn’t use the word strange so much as unlikely. Most of what I heard from her about Levi before they got together were complaints, so I can’t deny that I was a bit surprised when she told me…”
He let the sentence trail off, having another thought in his head but deciding to mull it over before actually saying it aloud. No, it was alright. It made sense as a follow-up, so he continued, “As much as she complained and still complains about him sometimes, I at least can tell that she really does care about him. I don’t think she realizes how much. Either way, I’m hoping that both of them are going into this planning to make an effort. I really don’t want to see this end badly.”
Dante lowered his gaze at the last words he spoke. He didn’t look quite down but he did look worried. It was simple for him in not only knowing Tori but having been around her that it was plainly obvious that she did not have anywhere near the experience he did with relationships, and he sincerely hoped that it wouldn’t be a factor that wound up screwing her over in the long run. He wanted her to be happy, and he didn’t want to get a phone call however far ahead in the future with an upset and heartbroken Meister of his on the other end.
Irene’s comment of intensity flew right over Dante’s head as he was lost in his own thoughts for a moment, but he did hear her next inquiry. Well wasn’t it obvious? His expression softened a bit and he nodded, honey colored eyes flitting up to meet her gaze again, “I am. I won’t deny it took a bit to find our balance after we first partnered, but Tori’s like a sister to me now. I mean I have two sisters already, but I guess what I mean is that she’s family to me. Even if we’re not related by blood, we’re related by bond. I can’t imagine living in a world without her.”
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Irene Dixon
Weapon
Demon Corseque
Wake me up. I'm living a nightmare.
Posts: 108
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Post by Irene Dixon on Feb 21, 2014 23:25:24 GMT -5
This boy was indeed a completely different creature. While Irene was hoping to not offend him because of her sour exterior, he seemed to have not grasped that she looked irritated in the least. Did she not appear as she thought? That would certainly be a surprise, seeing as she took great care in monitoring herself. But… there was a bit of concern with him shrugging it off so easily. Could this young man really be so forgiving? For now, she would let it go. He did, so there was no reason to linger. Giving a bit of a nod in response, it was a mixture of a sort of ‘thank you’ and acknowledgement that he had spoken.
Thankfully, he truly did seem to drop her apology and continue on with her question. Unseen relief washed over her, the woman glad that the male was so… helpful. His whole personality was easy for her to be around. This also made her mission all that less difficult. An approachable, friendly, and talkative male was not what she expected when she headed into the city today, but she found herself glad that Dante was who he was. She still had to form opinions on his meister and her own meister, however…
What he said did not make sense to her. Irene’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as her lips drew themselves into a tense straight line. Mostly, she was confused. Though the change in her facial expression could easily have been read as irritation as well. How did two people end up together when the closest person to the female party heard only negativity? Was this some sort of reverse psychology? Because… she really didn’t think that’s how it was supposed to work. Why would Dante care who Victoria was with? Unless it was a jealousy trap to catch Dante’s feelings? Make him feel like she needed saving from the cruel Levi? While that could make some sense, for some reason it felt wrong to Irene.
Shaking her head slightly, her gaze followed a similar path as Dante’s earlier look. Towards the sky, she tried to collect her thoughts while she listened to his next words. He seemed certain that Victoria cared for Levi…. But through complaining? Was this girl some kind of twisted nitwit? Or did Dante just have some observational issues? Irene didn’t know either of them well enough to make that sort of judgement call…
The last thing he said pulled at her heart a bit. He really did care for his meister… enough that he was troubled over this relationship causing her pain. Gaze instantly shifting to the weapon in front of her, she found he was no longer looking upwards or towards her. He was looking down. Her first urge was to reach out to him. A pat on the shoulder or something of the sort. But even she knew that it wasn’t needed nor something of her current nature. Her expression had lost its hardness that resulted from the confusion earlier. Her face had adopted the softer expression from before, not quite a smile but almost seeming like she wanted to be comforting.
”While I can’t say whether it will or will not end badly, I can say that life goes on. It has its ups and downs, but that doesn’t mean we can’t live, learn, and grow.”
Not the most comforting thing she ever said, but she still believed it to be true. Keeping her eyes on the boy, she hoped not to send him into negative emotion purposefully. It seemed so… wrong for his personality.
Just as Dante had let the intensity comment slide, Irene had almost completely forgotten about the word’s use as well. Her thoughts on her meister of old had produced the question and he was giving an answer. Even now she regretted speaking, for some reason she couldn’t hold herself back.. .maybe it was the surprise. She had been thinking of the girl so much lately…. It really needed to be put behind her. That’s when the boys gaze met with hers. He always looked warm and inviting. She… always felt cold. It never bothered her as much as it did right at that moment. The kid seeming so innocent and caring for his meister… looking straight at her. A sort of uncertainty and discomfort enveloped her, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Though it would be difficult for anyone to notice, she did indeed have a large shift in comfort with the lad.
His words followed, care for his meister obvious. It only caused Irene to cringe a bit further. Not from detest or anything of the sort, just… Jealousy maybe? Longing? A fickle feeling that she should discard. Once again, his last words caught her the most. He couldn’t imagine living without her… Gaze darting back and forth across his face, Irene almost wondered if that was some sort of cruel joke. For once… a long time ago… she felt like that. And here she was now, with a meister she didn’t know and merely had a connection of need with. She needed his power and ability.
Torn once again on what she should do, Irene found her mind in a small panic. She couldn’t find what she wanted to act on. Flee? Stay? Fleeing was easy, but she would find nothing more about Levi. Staying was difficult but may gain her insight. But what would she say? She had nothing good to say in response to the boy’s care for his meister. There was no reason to divulge any bitterness of her past and she didn’t want to ruin his mood by stating any more bitterness about her current arrangement. Nothing. She had nothing to say.
A bit of a sigh coming from her, her gaze first shifted down, settled for a moment, then she turned again and looked over her shoulder. Back towards the street where more people walked and went about their way. No way to tell who was cruel or kind of heart.
A faint smile passing across her lips, she looked back to Dante. It was hard to place what emotion was exactly on her face. The ghost of a smile was rare, whether Dante realized that or not, but the rest of her seemed almost… tired.
”I admire your care, Dante Giovanni. You have a wonderful way about you.”
The words were brief but extremely sincere. Irene knew little of what to say to him. Her smile vanishing from her face, she found her arms crossing loosely in front of her body. A shield. Shielding herself. Closing off and away. Gaze shifting towards the sky again, her mind swirled with various thoughts… relationships, Dante, Victoria, Levi, her old partner...
”I came to you to try and understand my meister. And I will leave you today being more confused than I have been in a long time.”
She spoke without returning her attention to him. Was this where she would end it? While she wished to stay and try to get more information out of him, she wondered if she could keep herself on track and focused. Also, even if she could, how could she turn the conversation back to Levi without seeming like she was digging for information? The matter seemed lost to her, and part of her was okay with this small defeat.
Blank expression and gaze meeting with the male’s face once again, she gave a bit of a nod as she started to turn away from him. ”I’m sure I will see you again. Probably sooner rather than later.” A short pause after the last word, she debated continuing with a small bit more. ”I look forward to your emergence out of the NOT class.” And she really did. She wanted him to have success, for some reason. That’s what the female left her words at. That was her goodbye as far as she was concerned. Turning slightly, she nodded again, this time heading out of the alley and being fully aware of who she was leaving behind.
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Dante Giovanni
Weapon
Demon Rapier
Among thorns grow roses.
Posts: 122
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Post by Dante Giovanni on May 3, 2014 21:29:25 GMT -5
Dante nodded along with Irene’s words. Nobody could predict how Tori and Levi dating would turn out. Dante liked to keep hope alive and look on the bright side. With any luck they would work and his worries over potential broken hearts would be nothing but a brief and unneeded detour in his thought process. “Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, as I like to say,” he replied gently. Not that he was one to talk; being the one who not a week ago had locked himself in his room with a pint of ice cream to cry into over a break up, but still. He was Tori’s Weapon, and he would always be there for her, but there were some things he would never be able to protect her from. Heartbreak was one of them. He knew very well himself that there wasn’t a shield in the world that could protect against that particular kind of pain.
Even though the subject matter had veered off towards the heavier side of life’s experiences, Dante kept a slight smile. There was no need to despair just yet, after all. It was all up in the air still, and his own assumptions meant very little to the hands of time and the strings of fate, he had a feeling. Noting Irene’s eyes, he wondered what she was looking for in his features and if she found it. He didn’t quite recognize the expression she wore, but then he’d only just met her. As her gaze shifted to the ground and then back towards the alley opening, Dante waited.
When the young woman looked at him again, there was the barest hint of a smile on her face. That alone was enough to make the corners of Dante’s mouth tug into more of a leisurely grin. It felt comforting to see her smile after her appearing so passively tense for most of their conversation. Her words caught him of guard, though, bringing a slight bit of color to his cheeks. A might flustered, Dante tucked his hands into his pockets and shuffled his feet a bit, “Oh, well um…thank you. I suppose.”
He wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to such a comment, but he took it as positive given her expression. Another thing that caught him off guard: the way her demeanor went instantly back to a more passive way of being, or at least that was how he’d read it at first. With how quick she changed, the way she stood, the way her smile faded, Dante kicked himself for not being more perceptive sooner. He kept the smile on, but he cocked his head slightly to one side, one question standing out in his mind as he behavior hit him. Who hurt you? But the blonde kept his mouth shut. No need to put off someone he just met, not to mention it wasn’t at all any of his business.
Confusion was…not what he had been expecting her to say. Granted if it was Levi that she’d been trying to understand, he couldn’t blame her. The Sicilian really didn’t understand the prince either, but then he’d only met him once. He adopted a rather sympathetic expression and nodded his head very slightly, “I wish you luck in understanding him. I really don’t either, but then I’ve only ever met him once.”
Dante returned the nod she gave him with a more jovial grin and a wink. It seemed she was done with him. It didn’t really bother him all that much, Irene seemed every bit a driven young woman far more focused than he could ever claim to be. Besides, he had practice to continue. Though she couldn’t see him, Dante removed his hands from his pockets, raising one to wave to her, “I look forward to our next meeting, Signorina Dixon. I wish you all the best.”
Irene taking her leave, Dante made his. Standing beneath the fire escape once more, her gazed up at it with an odd sense of renewed determination. Bending at the knee, he launched himself up and grabbed a hold of the metal easily before hauling himself up. A grin formed on his face as he climbed the spaces between the stories like a drawn out ladder. His blunder had certainly made for an interesting encounter.
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