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Chapter Text

Today was going to be a long day, he could just tell. The trials were soon, and Teia and Viago had put forward two candidates each.

Spite had been watching them closely, conferring with Teia and Viago to make sure they were the right fit for the crows. Once they passed the trials, the real test would begin.

Spite would gaze into their souls and take their measure.

He had no idea how Spite could tell a person's intentions from their scent, but he did, and his test never failed to separate the wheat from the chaff.

He glanced down at the four Crow pins prepared for them should they pass Spite's test and smiled. He had been reluctant to take the role of First Talon at first, but with Altara and Spite's Support, he had taken to the role well.

Caterina had not approved of how he ran things at first, but in the end, it didn't matter, she wanted him to be First Talon, so he took the mantle, and he ran the crows his way, not hers. She had relented eventually.

He sighs, he missed her, despite all the pain she had caused in the beginning, he missed the sound of her cane tapping on the tiles as she walked, her voice, even when she was upset with him. But she was gone, it was just Him and Illario now, the last of the Dellamorte Bloodline, at least until Amika had the baby.

Spite landed on the balcony, his wings furling behind him, then dissipating like smoke. He ducked under the curtain and smiled when his eyes landed on Lucanis.

"Lucanis." He purred, sauntering into his office. And leaning against his desk.

"Spite Mi amore, how are the fledglings coming along?" He asks, leaning back in his chair.

"Good, very good. Quick, Clever." He nods his head.

"Excellent." He smiles. "What are you wanting for dinner tonight?" He asks, changing the subject and threading his fingers together.

"Steak." Spite grins, an unsurprising answer.

"You can't just have steak for dinner." He chuckles.

"Can." He growls, "Would, if you let me." He pouts playfully.

The training grounds were busy, Altara was running a short lessen on throwing darts, long ranged weaponry was a must for a crow and she was one of the best, which made her the perfect teacher for this session.

She paced in front of the fledglings, waiting for the last of them to arrive before she did her demonstration.

Dante De Riva wasn't usually the last fledgling to show up for training, they understood the virtue of being early after all, timing could mean life or death, a lesson they knew well.

However, a stray cat they haven't seen before had caught their attention and they had spent a little bit more time then they should trying to pet it on there way to the training grounds.

They were a little embarrassed about it. They quickly took there place beside the other fledglings and stood straight, trying to catch their breath, they had ran for nearly two blocks straight to make it here.

"Good of you to show up Dante," Altara teases with a smirk, glancing up the mechanical clock on the wall, they were not that late, a few minutes at most.

"The trails are soon, so we will be working with throwing darts today." She says walking back and forth, gesticulating with her hands as she explained.

"Throwing darts are great for long range kills, whilst maintaining stealth, they are versatile tools, especially if you use poison." She lectures collecting some darts from table on the left.

"We will not be using poisons today for obvious reasons." She laughs, holding up three darts.

"It's is best to target the neck with darts. Like so." She lifts her arm and throws a dart at one of the targets hitting it dead centre in the neck. She turns to the fledglings watching there reactions for a moment.

"If you find yourself with an enemy that knows you are there, you can use your cloak to disguise the direction of the throw." She spins quickly, using her cloak to conceal the direction of her throw, there is a thunk as the dart hits the target knocking her previous dart to the floor.

"Take your darts and lets see how well you do with basic throws first." She smiles stepping back to watch.

The Fledglings move to the table collecting there darts, several targets where arranged in a row, one for each fledgling.

She watches with interest, she had a good feeling about Dante, they had done well in previous lessons, they seemed to adapt and pick up things faster then others.

The sound of darts hitting targets echoed in the hall as the fledglings practised.

Noticing a fledgling struggling she sighed, walking over to them.

"You need to balance it like this." She says taking the dart from them and showing them how to hold it correctly. "This way you have more control over its direction." She explains handing it back to them. "Try now." She orders.

They nod holding it just like she told them to, then threw it hitting the target in the chest, they cursed but at least they hit it this time.

She chuckled.

"Aim higher, you will get it eventually." They nod there head as Altara moves behind the other fledglings, watching with her hands behind her back.

She glanced up to the first Talons office balcony and smiled noticing Spite watching from above. she sensed he was reading the fledglings, watching them closely, part of his test.

Dante takes aim, Deep breath, hold, throw, exhale. The first shot landed to low, hitting the collarbone, which would have been fine if they hadn't been aiming for the neck. Magic was much more straightforward they muse, they let out a displeased noise and tried again.

Altara notices her hitting just off target as she makes her rounds and smiles, walking behind her.

"Not bad for a first throw." She comments her arms behind her back.

"I know you can do better than that." She encourages, noticing they were already holding the darts better than the other fledglings.

"Thank you! I forget that pesky thing called gravity. It's much easier with magic." They joke before taking aim again, they throw, this time hitting the neck, just a little bit left of centre.

She nods in agreement.

"Magic is always easier if you have it, but sometimes your opponent can counter your magic, or put you in a position where you cant use it, magic could also give away your position if used in the wrong situation. Never rely on one skill." Altara explains.

Suddenly there is excited chattering amongst the other fledglings, Dante hears footsteps behind her followed by the clearing of a throat.

"How are the fledglings getting along?" The first talon asks, his hands clasped behind his back as he joins Altara.

"Smells like sweat and frustration." Spite purrs behind him.

"They are doing ok, some better than others." She grins looking in Dante's direction.

"Good." He says before leaning closer to her.

"I'm heading home Mi amore, Spite wants steak for dinner, is that ok?" He says in a low voice to not distract the fledglings.

"That's fine, See you at home." She whispers back sneaking a kiss to his cheek. Then to Spites when he pouted playfully feeling left out.

He smiles noticing Dante watching them and nods.

"Keep up the good work." He comments before leaving the hall, Spite following after him like his ever present shadow.

"Of course." Dante nods back taking her last throw but it goes a little off target and they curse.

They couldn't help but be a bit flustered by the acknowledgement of the First Talon. All the other fledgling eyes seem to be turned on her now, she hates being the centre of attention.

"I don't hear dart throwing." Altara says, a warning in her voice noticing the other fledglings distraction.

"None of you will make it as a crows if you don't concentrate." She lectures walking down the line of fledglings, she glances at the clock and frowns.

It was late afternoon now, the sun was hanging low in the sky, the fledglings had been training for a few hours now, Altara had been running later sessions as the trails drew nearer as if every hour counted.

Viago notices Altara is still running a training session as he passes, he wanted to make sure his investments were paying off, he had noticed Dante's potential when they had first joined his house.

"I trust they are at least hitting the target." He sighs, noticing a few fledglings missing there mark before Altara corrected them.

"Of course they are, I'm offended." She pouts. "You asked me to train them, and I am." She crosses her arms and Viago sighs.

"Your training them late again." He comments, his blue eyes scanning the fledglings as they throw there darts, he tilts his head noticing Dante hitting there mark more often then not.

"At least my fledglings are doing well." He smirks.

"You wouldn't have put them forward if they were not." Altara smirks back.

Dante roll's her shoulders a bit, feeling how tense they were getting. She looked at the pockmarked target with a satisfied smile as they stretch.

"You have been teaching me well. I wouldn't be as far as I am today without it." she says, catching the tail end of their conversation.

"See." She grins at Viago and he rolls his eyes.

"If they fail the trails I will blame you personally." He smirks crossing his arms in amusement when she pouts again.

"Viago." She whines and he sighs.

"Remind me again why you are one of my favourites." He chuckles.

"Because I let you test poisons on me, because I made a poison more potent than any of yours." She grins proudly.

He Lets out a low laugh.

"Ah yes I remember now." He nods his head.

"I'm heading out if you see Teia let her know I'm looking for her." He says as he strolls out of the training hall.

Altara lets out a sigh of relief once he has gone, he was impatient this year, his ongoing bet with Tiea over how many fledglings of his would pass this year was making him a pain in the ass.

Dante takes a deep breath and smiles. "Is the poison thing a rite of passage in this house? Will I have to do that too?" There tone part curiosity, part amusement, part awe that anyone would let him get close with his poisons willingly.

"Letting him test his less lethal poisons on you maybe, but you don't have to specialise in it, if you don't want to at least. Though you will have to earn your wings first." She chuckles at her enthusiasm.

She glances at the clock again.

"Alright that's it for today, tomorrow we work on the obstacle course." She says, several fledglings let out an excited shout. "With live traps." She adds with a grin and they all groan.

The Fledglings put there darts on the table on there way out, while Altara starts packing away the targets, she grunts when one is stubborn and wont collapse.

Illario strolls past and pauses noticing Altara was still there.

"Have you seen my cousin, I have some intel he might find interesting." He asks sounding amused at her struggling with the target, and making no effort to help.

"Ask him at dinner." She grunts looking up in annoyance when he shrugs and walks off.

Dante glare's at the him as he walks off.

"He could at least have asked if he could help." They mutter. "Can I help?" the offer, kneeling next to her.

"Don't worry about him, he's just sulking because Amika isn't putting out." Altara jokes. "I mean she is heavily pregnant so I cant blame her." She laughs.

"Help would be appreciated." she finally says letting them help.

"It's nice to see though. Feels like a big family. " Dante says with a soft smile.

"Even with the rest of the fledglings it feels like..." They trail off. a bit lost in there thoughts, as I they try to help with the stubborn target. they tap a piece back into alignment.

"That's it." Altara grins as the target collapses down. "Help me move it over there with the others." She asks lifting it up.

Dante help's out, still thoughtful.

"You... You really think I'll pass the trails without problems?" They ask still a little unsure.

"We shall see if you can get through the obstacle course with live traps first." Altara grins, it was a test of agility and reflexes, it was a lot safer than when she trained as a crow.

Lucanis had changed a lot of things since becoming First Talon. but that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous, there was still a risk of injury should a fledgling not be paying attention.

"Well, no pressure then!" Dante jokes, looking around, everything now in its place .

"I suppose we'll see tomorrow." They let with a small sigh.

"Have a good evening." She says grabbing her things and heading out.

"See you tomorrow." Altara smiles packing away the last of the equipment with a sigh, she stretched and headed home, she was looking forward to Lucanis's cooking.

Treviso is quiet as she walks the streets, the market still busy like it always was, she notices a fledgling is looking around the market looking at the knives being sold, she notices they are one of house Cantori's candidates, they are tall with slicked back black hair, a scar on there lip and cold green eyes, the fledgling notices her and there lip curls in disgust as they walk away.

A few other fledglings had complained about him, he was always putting other fledglings down, setting them up to fail it had not escaped Tieas notice but she didn't seem to be doing anything to correct him like she knew something the other fledglings did not.

Dante takes a deep breath. They should probably head home and decompress before tomorrow's training, but that look pissed her off, she discreetly follow him.

The fledglings name was Pike, he was an asshole, everyone knew he was in the crows because he didn't want to inherit his dads job, he wanted to make a name for himself, be a legend like the Demon of Vyrantium.

He knew he wasn't as good a crow as some of the other fledglings so he made sure to trip them during agility training or put doubt in there heads with snide remarks.

Some fledglings had even dropped out of training completely, now that it was an option, because of him.

He was walking towards the canals to the drowned district, he looked like he was itching for a fight, there were rumours of a secret fight club in one of the abandoned buildings.

If Tiea knew of his activities she never said anything, Viago had smirked when someone had mentioned it before like he also knew something.

But both Talons were tight lipped

Dante kept an eye on him, trying to keep it as quiet as possible keeping an eye on there surroundings too, the last thing she needed was to get mugged.

As long as he was not hurting anyone, he was free to do as he wished. If it was punching a tree or someone else who was willing to be punched, then so be it.

He was following strange markings on the wall, but they where not crow marks which was odd, he disappeared down an alleyway, and she could hear shouting and cheering faintly.

They keep following and hide themselves in the crowd, watching what was going on.

The crowd cheers, two men where fighting, money was exchanging hands, it was bare fists, no weapons or at least it was, until one of the fighters drew a knife.

The crowd seemed to grow more excited, more bets being placed, Pike was watching the fight, but he didn't place any bets, the man that had drawn the knife grinned.

There was a man stood on a platform watching, He didn't look worried in the least about what was going on. as if weapons being used was a common accurance.

The fight ended pretty quickly with the man stabbing the other man in the neck, they gargled on there own blood and collapsed to the ground dead, the crowd cheered, bets where collected, the dead man was dragged away.

the man on the platform patted the other man on the back then yelled at Pike to clean up the arena.

Pike did not look happy about it but did as he was told whilst the man continued to congratulate the other man for a good kill.

She left quietly, mulling what she saw.

It was very late evening as she made her way back, even the market had gone quiet, the stars where shining, the moon high in the sky painting the city in silver hues. She notices a few crows coming down the zip lines towards the Diamond, probably returning from contracts.

Treviso had been transformed since the Antaam had been evicted from the city.

Most of the evidence of the Antaam occupation had been pulled down but the process was still ongoing, some Antaam banners where still up but they where defaced with graffiti, awaiting demolition.

She always loved sitting on the highest perch she could find and watching the stars. It Reminded her of her old family and how, no matter how separated we were, the sky stayed the same. Or so her father had said.

She was sad that she didn't have time for that tonight. she made her way back home, getting themselves ready for the next morning and its trials.

Sleep took some time to come to them, there mind still churning with what they had seen and what they could do about it.

but eventually they fell asleep.

The sun was not quite up yet but there was light on the horizon and bird song indicating it was nearly morning, crow training was early today so she would rise before dawn.

The obstacle course was hard on most days but today there would be more hazards, the most dangerous being the pendulum blades and pit falls, though the pit falls no longer had spikes at the bottom just a net.

The other fledglings where excited because Spite would be there, watching, waiting to catch them should they fall and miss the nets.

Some even fell on purpose so Spite would catch them but Altara had warned them if they did it to often she would tell Spite to let them fall to there deaths

This time Dante was at the training grounds early, a bit bleary eyed and yawning, but somehow awake and not distracted by cats this time. She was looking for Pike, waiting for him to come in.

"Early bird." Spite comments, walking up to her when he notices her, passing the time whilst Altara did final checks on the course.

He was watching Dante waiting for a response.

She looked up.

"Oh! Hello! Yes... I didn't want a repeat of yesterday and I was hoping to catch someone and have some time to talk to them before the start of our lesson." She explains.

She was a bit nervous, but he wasn't the only reason why. She took a deep breath, held it and exhaled.

Spite sniffed the air.

"Smells like salt and burnt wax, up to something." He says narrowing his eyes at her.

But there is a smirk tugging at his lips, the points of his teeth peeking and glinting in the light.

"Spite I need you." Altara calls from the other room distracting him.

He perks up hearing his name being called and glances at Dante in suspicion one more time before he walks over to see what Altara wanted.

For a moment she felt like she was pinned like a butterfly on a corkboard but they take it in there stride and take another deep breath And start to do warm ups.

The rest of the fledglings arrive soon after, gathering and waiting for Altara and Spite to finish what they were doing.

Pike was keeping to the back, his knuckles are bloody, and one of the other fledglings has a black eye, though she isn't sure if those two facts are related.

"Alright you lot, we will run the course three people at a time." Altara points at Pike, the one with the black eye and a young girl. "Group one." She orders, the one with the black eye goes to complain but shuts up when Altara shoots them a glare.

She points at Dante, an older women and a man. "Group two." She says walking back and forth until everyone was in a group.

Spite is watching Dante, Pike, a young women with blonde hair and a boy with piercing blue eyes closely. All of the candidates for the trails.

He is studying them all with interest. He notices Pike pushing the boy with a black eye and his eyes eyes narrow but he doesn't say anything, and only smirks.

"May I switch groups?" Dante asks. pointing between herself and the boy Pike was bullying. She watches Pike to see his reaction. He smirks but says nothing.

Altara opens her mouth to say something but Spite stops her and whispers in her ear, she nods her head.

"You." She points at the kid with the black eye. "Your in group two now." She turns to Dante. "Get moving, group one is up first." She orders.

Spite sniffs the air as Pike walks past and growls at him in warning, like he senses something. His eyes narrow at Dante for a moment before he lets her pass with a gruff laugh.

He mutters to Altara again, to low for Dante to hear, before following after group one, he comes to stop on a podium that overlooks the course, while Dante moves to the start.

"I'm starting the blades, Concentrate, follow the timings and you will get through." Altara explains her voice echoing slightly as she pulls a lever.

Huge sickle blades on chains begin to swing across a narrow walkway, followed by some tall posts moving back and forth after it, Dante would need to balance across the beam, dodge the blades, then hop from one post to the next to get past the first part of the course.

"I'm timing you so you better hurry." She laughs when nobody moves at first.

One, two. Back and forth. Dante steps on the walkway first and approaches it like a dance to keep the timings.

The girl with blonde hair joins her on the beam when she gets passed the first two blades, two more to go before the jump beams, a few steps behind her, Pike moves.

"Hurry up." He growls and the girl shrieks when he bumps into her deliberately, she loses her balance, and falls, its an awkward fall she was going to miss the net.

The balance beam was several feet in the air, if she hit the ground from this height she could break her neck.

In a flash of purple Spite flies up and catches her mid fall, he spins out of the way of the moving beams with agile grace and lands on the podium setting her on her feet, his wings disappearing.

"Again." He orders, she thanks him then nods, rushing to climb the ladder up to the start of the course.

Pike laughs, hopping past a blade easily, then nearly loses his balance, he manages to catch himself before he falls, and watches the blades swaying back and forth, waiting for the chance to get past the next one.

Spite is watching him with narrowed eyes like he is taking notes, he does not look happy with him, his gaze flicks to Dante for a moment before returning to Pike.

"Pike. You don't have to be like this, you know, I followed you last night and I know why you don't want to follow in your family's footsteps. but anger like that will destroy you. You need to talk to someone!" Dante tries to reason with him.

Talking was difficult whilst dodging blades but they persevered.

She hoped that she would get through to him, Though It was more likely to make him angrier. But it worth a shot at least.

Pike laughs. "Shut up, like you really care." He jumps past a blade getting closer to her. "Get moving, I need to be a crow so I can.." He trails off and shakes his head like he was about to let something slip. "Go faster." He growls angrily, why was this fledgling even bothering anyway.

Spite tilts his head like he can hear the conversation, Altara joins him on the platform and he leans down to whisper in her ear again.

She looks up at Dante and Pike for a moment before her gaze turns to the blonde girl, she was catching up.

"I do care. Like it or not." Dante tries again, her timing is a bit off and she almost took a misstep.

"Keep moving, why are you so slow." He growls.

"Less talking more doing please." Altara calls across the room.

"Talking, talking but not listening." Spite grumbles next to her in agreement.

"Do you mean Pike?" She asks, and he nods his head, she looks up again. "Pike never listens." She sighs, he was a pain in the ass.

Pike looses his patience and shoves past Dante when she finally passed the blades, he hops from one platform to the next until he reaches the end, he turns to her, smirks then climbs down acting like he was better then her, as Altara makes a note of his time.

She followed suit quickly, angry at herself for letting him push her around and disappointed that her words didn't reach him. She make's her way to the end and climbs down.

"Not bad, but you could have been faster." Altara says, Pike grunts in annoyance before moving to the next course. It was always like this, no matter what he did it was never good enough.

"Group two up you go." Altara orders before turning to Spite.

"Watch group two Marina is in that group I'll keep an eye on the other two." She says before following after them

He nods moving back to the observation platform.

The next course was several feet higher in the air. A long raised platform with hidden pitfalls, Dante would need to be aware of her surroundings and look for inconsistencies in the floor to avoid the pit falls.

As soon as she stepped on the platform a barrier drops behind her and begins to push forward. She would need to move fast to not be pushed into a pitfall or off the raised platform itself.

"Sometimes on a contract you need to think on your feet." Altara yells climbing up to a platform to observe.

"Better move fast unless you wanna fall." She laughs as the girl who fell earlier gasps and stumbled forward nearly falling into a pit but manages to avoid it.

Pike laughs at her before rushing ahead nearly falling several times before leaping over the last section to safety. He smirks again climbing down the other side.

Slightly different colour there, a little raised or lower edge here. This felt easier then the pendulums.

She leaps to the side as a pitfall opens then follows the lines between the tiles like they're tightropes. A hop here and a hop there and there. and she was on the other side. It helped that Pike already triggered several of the pitfalls.

Altara smiles making a note that instead of rushing, Dante thought it through, literally thinking on her feet.

whilst Pike just relied on luck, and while luck played a factor on contracts it was not something you should rely on.

Dante hears applause from the other course as Marina speeds across the blades and hops between platforms with the ease of an acrobat.

She tries to talk to Pike again, she had always been a little to stubborn to accept defeat.

"Has nobody ever ask you how you are, Is it so strange? I'm sure you can be better than the bully you are right now." She pleads.

"Stop bothering me, your a distraction." He gripes, why was this fledgling even talking to him, he wasn't here to make friends he just wanted to get away from that stupid fighting ring.

Altara joins them noticing Pike looking smug, she smirks. "Being the first to finish the course doesn't mean you did well." She scolds him and he crosses his arm and lets out a frustrated growl.

"You did well Dante, sometimes its better to let someone else set off the traps." She laughs and Pike glares at her.

"Time to move onto the last course." She says pointing to the highest platform.

The trapeze section was the hardest test of endurance and agility, there were several high walls with grapple holds. with Trapeze between them.

Dante would need to swing across to a grapple hold, and climb up to the next platform, each section taking her higher and higher, there was a rope at the end leading to a lower platform with a ladder that would take her back down to the ground at the end.

Illario walked past the obstacle courses heading for the First Talons office with several dossiers in his hands, he pauses and watches group three making there way across the swinging blades, he looks up at Spite and waves before heading to the far end of the hall.

Lucanis could see the entire hall from his balcony, he was watching the fledglings doing the courses when he spotted Illario, he waves him up before heading back into his office. as Illario climbs the steps.

Dante shakes her head and looks up to the last course. Endurance and agility. Not speed. she could do this. she could do it.

She climbs up toward the starting platform and the first trapeze.

The sound of feet moving on platforms and shouting from the fledglings bellow from the other courses got harder and harder to hear the higher she climbed.

Pike was right behind her climbing faster

"Come on, what's taking you so long, we have to do this for real in a week." He grunts in annoyance having to wait for her to climb higher.

The blonde girl climbs up behind him.

"Chill out Pike, this isn't the trails yet." She tries to be friendly despite him pushing her earlier, she knew about his dads fighting ring.

"Nobody asked you Lucia." He growls.

"This is why nobody likes you Pike." She snaps at him and he pauses mid climb to look down at her.

"I didn't come here to make friends, Stop trying." He growls before resuming climbing.

Spite flies up to the highest platform to observe the final part of the course, while Altara returns to the other courses to watch the other candidates. Spite could see further than a normal person so he was the best at observing the Trapeze.

The observation decks position, also meant he could catch anyone that fell faster.

"As much as 'you're not here to make friends', you realize you can't do everything alone, right? And there's missions where you will have to work with one of us?" Dante retorts with a bit of annoyance in her tone as she kept climbing and reached the first platform.

"I can just take solo contracts." He spits back. "What does it matter to you." He growls angrily. shoving her nearly off the platform before grabbing the trapeze and swinging up to one of the walls, he grabs hold and starts climbing up.

She follow suit wanting to beat him to the goal this time around maybe even wipe that smug look off his face whilst she was at it.

Pike was already at the 2nd trapeze and was flying across the hall to the next wall section, but in his haste to get to the end, he misses his grapple and falls.

Spite growls calculating his fall and leaps into the air his wings spread wide as he soars past Dante catching Pike by the leg and bringing him back to the first platform behind Lucia dumping him on the ground none to gently.

"No rushing." Spite warns him, and Marcus growls angrily.

"I don't need advise from you demon." He spits, and Spite bristles.

He growls low baring his teeth, his eyes flaring angrily, Pike backs off and lowers his head. Spite grunts before flying back to the observation platform.

Well... That helps, Dante slows down. Endurance and agility, not speed, or she would fall like he did. Still, she was sweating and that's not good for grip. Some of those hand holds looked so tiny, she would need all the grip she could get.

She somehow makes it up to the next platform and looks down for a split second and regrets it, before grabbing the trapeze bar.

Don't look down, never look down she reminds herself.

She notices Lucia taking the trapeze and swinging to the next platform bellow her with ease, she could tell this was her forte. Pike was just making his way up the platform she had just swung from, he caught up surprisingly quickly.

Spite smiles looking up at Dante, he liked her, liked that she was using her head. He glances at Pike and frowns.

He does not like him, he smells wrong. He narrows his eyes before his gaze falls to Lucia. she was smart, a shame she was not a candidate, perhaps next year he thinks.

"I am glad you where able to find out so much." Lucanis comments to Illario as they walk down the steps.

"I am glad your pleased, It should make things easier I hope." He pats Lucanis on the back before walking off, he had other duties he needed to attend to.

Lucanis makes his way over to Altara, joining her on the pit fall course observation deck. "Things are going well I see." He notes watching Marina flying past the pit fall traps without setting off a single one.

"Some more than others." She comment's glancing over to Spite who did not look happy.

He frowns sensing Spites anger directed at Pike through the bond.

"That's not going to do him any favours." He chuckles.

"That's his problem, not ours, he will find out soon enough." She says leaning her head on his shoulder affectionately.

He smiles at her.

"Not in front of the fledglings." He teases, only half joking it was not like people didn't know she was his wife. He glances up at Spite sending him his love through the bond.

Spite Glances down across the hall and smiles before returning his gaze to Dante.

It was always the last section that was the hardest. She rolled her shoulders a bit, trying to get the strain out of them. Lucia manages to climb up the platform joining her, Okay. This was it, the last one.

Lucia grins, glancing back at Pike who was just swinging across to climb up.

"We should probably get across before Mr popular joins us." She jokes. "You got this." She smiles at her in encouragement.

Spite watches them with a smile playing on his lips, he was not watching Pike anymore, he was no longer interested. He knew enough about him now.

Dante smiles back.

"Thanks. You're far better at this than I am, so the support means a lot. See you back down at the bottom, yeah?" She grins.

Grabbing the trapeze she makes her way towards the last platform. Maker, her arms are going to feel this for a couple of days at least.

She makes it across to the next grapple hold, and latches on and climbs up, the Trapeze falls backwoods and Lucia catches it just as Pike makes it to the top of the platform red in the face.

"See you at the bottom." Lucia smirks at him before swinging across and catching the grapples on the other side as Dante climbs higher.

Once at the top all she had to do was ring the bell and then slide down the rope and to the lower platform and take the ladder back down to ground level.

She notices the other candidates from group two and three are now climbing the first platform to do there run, She should probably hurry up.

She rings the bell as loud as she can just as Lucia reaches the top. She nods then slides down the rope with a little flourish and then down the ladder, barely gripping it at all.

Altara waits until Lucia and Pike join them before speaking. "Congratulations, that was a good run." She comments

Pike snorts and walks off, Lucia gives Dante a high five.

"Forget about Pike, he wont listen to reason." She sighs watching him walk away. "Did you hear about his dad?" She asks in conversation.

As she peaks Dante notices the First Talon talking to Altara, a moment later Spite joins them, they were watching the last of the fledglings run the trapeze, the younger fledglings where only allowed to run the first two courses, and where now running through sword drills with Illario.

"Yeah. I kind of feel sorry for him if it's that's his life is at home. " Dante shrugs.

Lucia nods.

"Some people don't want help, they just want to be miserable, and make everyone else miserable while there at it." She laughs, the guy with the black eye joins them and grins.

"Thanks for swapping with me." He says.

The others kept there distance from Pike who was leaning against a wall by himself looking pissed off as usual.

Lucanis, Altara and Spite finish conferring and climb down.

"You did good today, I hope this was a learning experience, tomorrow will be sword drills." Altara explains.

Dante could faintly hear Illario shouting out tips and tricks from the other room.

"Right the rest of you can go home for the day, gets some rest, Pike, Dante, Marina and Clive you stay behind." She orders.

Lucanis crosses his arms a serious look on his face. His lips where drawn a tight line like he was holding himself back.

Spite fidgeted impatiently waiting for the other fledglings to leave.

"Yeah... It would be nice if things were different." Dante replies. "You're welcome. You're good though, with your eye? Need me to punch him for you?" She jokes Before she straightens up and looks toward Altara hearing her name called.

The other fledglings begin filing out of the hall, the kid with the black eye shakes his head.

"Nah, he aint worth it, good luck." He says noticing the tense air and leaving, Lucia gives her a nod before doing the same.

Eventually its just the four of them alone with the First Talon and his left and right hands.

Lucanis narrows his eyes at the four fledglings and begins pacing.

"My spy master had some interesting things to tell me today." He begins to explain his voice deadly serious.

Spite moves behind them, Altara could feel his agitation coming of him in waves.

She glances at Dante and Marina and nods her head to the left, subtly indicating for them to move away from Clive the tall man with striking blue eyes. Pike picks up on it first and moves away.

"Clive!" He says suddenly and the man tenses. "Or should I call you Ventus." Lucanis chuckles drawing a dagger and holding it loosely at this side. "Care to explain why my Spymaster found you talking to known Venatori still hiding in the city." He asks taking a step closer.

The man curses and tries to attack him, only to gasp in pain as Spite grabs him from behind, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back, Dante hears the shoulder pop out of its socket and he cries out in pain.

Lucanis chuckles, swapping his blade between one hand and the other.

"You and I will be having a little chat, Spite if you please." He nods his head and Spite begins to drag the man away through a previously hidden door, with Lucanis following closely behind.

Altara turns to the three remaining fledglings.

"What you just witnessed didn't happen, am I understood." She says, deadly serious, her usual light hearted expression nowhere to be found.

The speed at which things were resolved shouldn't have startled Dante this much, but it always did. Practice and drills are one thing, seeing the First Talon and Spite in action was another thing entirely, the way they had acted in tandem, knowing exactly when to maneuver proved there experience.

She nods in reply and glances in Pikes direction for a second.

He looks at her in shock for a moment and visibly swallows before glancing at Altara who was watching him with narrowed eyes.

"Understood." He stutters.

"Good, training will be early again tomorrow, don't be late" She smiles Saccharine sweet.

"Now if you don't mind I have potions to prepare for our little traitor." She grins before exiting through the side door Lucanis and Spite had gone through.

The younger fledglings had just finished there sword drills and where leaving as they the three of them made there way into the room.

Illario was tidying away the equipment when he notices them filing out of the obstacle course room, he raises an eyebrow noticing Clive was not with them and smirks.

He could always trust his cousin to act quickly when it came to traitors. He couldn't wait to hear the gritty details over dinner at the villa later tonight.

He wondered how long it would be until Lera Valisti the Third Talon was called into the First Talons office to explain why one of there candidates was associating with Venatori, or what was left of them.

Were they trying to infiltrate the crows to get to Lucanis, revenge for foiling there plot to get Spite perhaps. there were far to many unanswered questions, but he would find out, he always did, that's why he was Spymaster.

Chapter Text

It was a sobering thought that someone infiltrated the crow ranks, if it hadn't been noticed, how much damage could they have caused, she wonders. A good reminder that, despite thinking the best of people, some people would always have nefarious intentions.

She headed toward the exit of the training grounds quietly.

It was early afternoon now, the streets were alive with activity, the smell of street vendor food wafted from the markets, with the sound of shouts from stall owners touting their wares, the sound of laughter and music from buskers hoping to earn a few extra coins echoing in the streets.

She notices a group of crows tearing down more evidence of the Antaam as she passes, a recovery effort, a symbol of Treviso shrugging off the pain of the occupation.

Marina grins as she catches up with her.

"That was crazy, right, the first Talon is so cool." She says excitedly, It was common knowledge amongst the other fledglings that Marina had a bit of a crush on the First Talon, Pike snorts from behind them, then walks off, heading for the drowned district, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

She takes in the sights and smells of the market. The sight of those banners being torn down makes her smile, the smell of food makes her stomach grumble, and she realises she is hungry.

"You know you don't have to go back yet, right? You can pretend we did some extra sparring lessons." She calls after him, but he ignores her and continues walking.

She turned to Marina.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool. It was so fast! You think we'll get that fast with enough practice?" She smiles.

Marina laughs. "We can certainly try." She glances around. "Wanna get some food, I'm craving churros." She grins.

"Churros sounds amazing." Fried dough, sugar and cinnamon was a comforting idea right now. "I haven't had them in a while," She sighs.

Marina grins. "Come on this way." She chuckles, dragging them towards the markets. "Hey, if we stay out late enough, maybe we can catch a glimpse of the Angel of Treviso." She laughs as they walk.

Rumours of a winged vigilante in the city had been circling for years, the papers were always claiming to have spotted them taking out Venatori hiding in the city, though nobody could ever offer any proof.

Dante let herself be dragged along the winding streets and stalls of the market, feeling happier than she had in a while.

"I know a great vantage point if you want. It's a bit of a climb, but after today that shouldn't be too hard." She laughs.

Marina nods.

"Sure, sounds like fun." She grinned, coming to a stop in front of a Churros stall, she ordered two and handed one to Dante before paying for them. "My treat." She laughs.

Marina was a ray of sunshine and a talented fledgling crow, everyone knew she would ace the trials, but passing the trials didn't mean you would earn your wings. It just earned a meeting with the First Talon.

Nobody really knew what it involved, only that once you entered the First Talons' office, you either walked out a crow having earned your wings or you left the crows for good.

Some Fledglings were granted a second chance, repeat a year to pass the trials and earn their wings, but it was a rare occurrence.

Dante smiles back.

"Next ones are going to be my treat after we pass the trails." She chuckles before taking a bite. She closes her eyes and enjoys the warm sugary dough.

"Thanks." She adds.

It was nice to share something like this, to feel carefree for a while. The calm before the storm, so to speak. She finishes the churro, licking sugar and cinnamon off her fingers.

"Ready to climb?" Marina nods, finishing off her Churro and dusting off the sugar from her leathers.

"Lead the way." She grins.

Dante climbs up to the rooftops all the way to the highest spot she knew.

The view is breathtaking from up here. It never gets old. The sun, still high up in the sky, made the rooftops and canals glitter like gold.

"We might have to wait a while until we see them. But this is my favourite spot in all of Treviso." She smiles.

Marina looks around.

"You can see the whole city from here." She said in awe. "This is a great spot." She sits down and looks at her. "How well do you think you're going to do in the trials? Are you confident?" She asks in conversation.

"And at night, you've got a perfect view of the stars." Dante muses before replying.

"I'm honestly still a bit nervous. Not so much for the trails, it's a big step. It's gonna change a lot of things whether we like it or not. But I think I'm ready, though. How about you?" She asks.

Marina Smiles. "I've always known I would be a crow." She Sighs.

"My mother was a crow, my dad too, it's a family thing." She grins. "I'm not worried about the trials, I'm more worried about the meeting with the First Talon. Nobody knows what's discussed in that office, but I've seen people leaving with tears in their eyes or even being dragged out." She says, leaning back on her hands.

"Yeah, that's... What happens if it's a family thing huh." She nods.

Marina smiles softly at her.

"Once you become a crow, they become your family, that's what my mum says." She tilts her head in thought.

"I think it's true, especially since Lucanis became First Talon, since Caterina passed away." She looks at her feet.

"Lucanis is a hero, you know, he saved Treviso from a blighted dragon once, not alone, of course, but I saw it with my own eyes." She grins. "I wanna be a crow like him, make him proud, you know." She blushes and looks up at the sky.

"You were that close? That thing was scary! And huge! Even from afar like I was..." She looks at Marina in awe.

"I want to make them proud too..." Dante isn't sure if she's talking about her own family or the Crows in general, but there's a bit of melancholy mixed with her smile. "He is a hero, though, isn't he. Maker, I don't even want to think what would have happened to Treviso otherwise..." She shivers.

Marina sighs.

"Minrathous got attacked too, the whole city was blighted by the dragon, I remember helping with relief efforts with my mum and dad. Lucanis insisted the crows help, after all, it could have easily been Treviso that got blighted." She watches the sun start to set and grins.

"We should keep our eyes peeled for the Angel of Treviso." She laughs, leaning forward and scanning the horizon.

Dante stays silent for a while, lost in thought.

She looks back at Marina and smiles. "We should." They start scanning the horizon as well.

A few hours pass, the sun sets completely, and the moon rises, the stars shining in the sky, that's when they spot movement, two cloaked figures hopping from rooftop to rooftop.

They must be crows, she thinks, the way they moved, they clearly knew the rooftops well, as they find a perch on one of the taller spires of the cathedral, they lean in close, almost intimately, and she wonders if they are simply lovers stealing a moment alone.

But then she hears shouting from the streets, followed by a scream, the figures tense, and to her astonishment, purple wings erupt from both their backs as they leap from the spire, diving down to street level. They hear the faint sound of a scuffle echoing in the night air, swords clashing, then silence.

After a few tense moment, they spot them again flying up, spiralling around each other, for a moment she thinks she hears laughter from them, she notices there cloaks look like they got caught in the scuffle, a split on apposing sides. as they come into land and there cloaks settle around them the wings dissipating like smoke.

Marina has a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.

"You saw that right, I didn't imagine that." She grins, shaking excitedly.

Dante's eyes are wide. Gobsmacked and still for a moment before she nods.

"You... You didn't imagine that at all. I saw it too." Marina looks back at her and grins.

"Who do you think they are?" She asks, watching them, as they move to a new perch.

They both freeze when it looks like they have been spotted. For a moment, neither of them moves as the cloaked figures scan the horizon in their direction, but then they turn around and continue on their way, and they both let out a collected breath.

Dante looks back at Marina and laughs, still in awe of seeing them in action.

"I... I'm not sure... I... I mean. " They laugh again. "It was so fast! Swoop in and swoop out just like... Just like this afternoon. You don't think...?" She trails off.

Marina looks at her and bursts out laughing a moment later.

"No way." She grins, patting her shoulder. "Come on, it's late, we should probably get some rest, tomorrow's the last day of our training, the day after we do the trails for real." She grins and begins climbing down.

"Race you down to the streets?" Dante laughs before climbing down as well.

"You're on." Marina grins, leaping down, grabbing onto things to slow her descent, reckless, she could get hurt, but she was competitive, and she was not going to let Dante beat her to the ground.

There were a few tumbles, a few missed grips and close calls, even if Marina did win in the end.

Dante was laughing. It has been far too long since she has had this much fun, she thinks to herself.

"Well... I bow to you! That was fun!" She says as Marina bows dramatically.

"See you at practice tomorrow." Marina waves before walking off towards the Cantori crow house.

Dante makes her way back home, smiling and looking up at the sky the whole time, watching the stars as they sparkled in the midnight blue.

The next day its like the previous day never happened, nobody mentions that Clive had disappeared. it was like they never existed.

Spite and Altara where waiting for everyone to file in, Dante notices Pike was scowling and is speaking to nobody, which in fairness wasn't unusual.

Spite looks more relaxed than usual as he adjusts the claw pin of his cloak, he keeps looking over at Pike with a frown, but when his eyes land on Dante and Marina he smiles showing a little to many teeth, it was not intentionally threatening but it felt like it.

"Alright those of you put forward to take the trails, this is your last day of training. Tomorrow we do the trails for real, this is your last chance to drop out." Altara says looking around the room her gaze landing on each candidate.

"If you don't think your ready to kill I suggest to back out now, you can always take it next year." She looks between Marina, Dante and Pike again as if waiting for one of them to raise there hand.

Dante stands proud, her shoulders squared and ready for training there was no way she was backing out now, this was last big step toward being a full fledged Crow. It was Time to leave self doubt and fear at the door.

Altara nods "Good then lets get to it." She points to the table set up with practice swords.

"Pair up and get practising." She orders.

nobody wanted to spar with Pike but that wasn't unusual either.

Spite picks up a sword and grins walking towards him. Pike looks up, eyes wide when Spite hands him a sword and nods his head to a clear spot in the hall.

Marina picks up a sword and Smiles at Dante. "Wanna spar?" She grins.

She watches Pike for a moment before nodding. "Sure." She picks a sword and test its weight in her palm.

then finds a spot and takes position. "Best of three?" She asks sounding amused.

Marina laughs.

"Your on." She readies herself, taking a fencing pose, one hand behind her back. She flicks her hair out of the way and grins. "Ready?" She asks in amusement, fencing style was her speciality.

Spite circles Pike and grins baring his teeth, Pike growls and lunges with his sword, but Spite dodges him easily, deflecting his sword, a second later the tip of his blade was under his chin.

"Anger, no control." He scolds before stepping back. "Again." He orders raising his sword.

Altara watches Spite train Pike and smiles fondly, Spite had come so far, she remembers him when he was but a voice in Lucanis's head, full of anger and frustration. Now he was calm, he had his moments of course, he could be quite frightening when he was angry but that was usually directed at there enemy's, especially Venatori.

Right now he was closer to how he was, she could feel his Spitefulness through the bond, he was not being kind, he was taunting Pike. She knew Spite had already made up his mind about him, and nothing was going to change it.

"Ready!" Dante nods a Hand behind her back. Again, she repeats her usual mantra, everything is the steps of a dance. Not necessarily hasty, but precise. A step forward, then a step back, waiting for the right opening.

Marina laughs tapping her sword against Dante's trying to goad her into an attack. "En garde." She giggles.

Altara watches and sighs.

"Stop playing Marina." She orders.

Marina clears her throat. "Sorry." She has a serious expression on her face now, she looks at Dante and then attacks her sword coming forward.

Spite chuckled huskily, Pike was getting nowhere fast, every attack Spite blocked, every time he thought he was winning he ended up on his back with Spite standing over him his sword at his throat.

Dante tries to parry but Marina is already to close. She quickly steps back and tries to feint left.

Marina doesn't take the bait and dodges around it then lunges touching her chest with the tip of the sword, she wins the first round, and grins offering a bow before returning to the en garde position.

"Damn you're great at this..." Dante laughs. she bows as well before taking the en garde position again.

This time she waists no time, and attacks, trying to catch Marina on the back foot.

Marina hops back and nearly trips on her cloak giving Dante the opening she needed, Marina gasps wishing she had taken off her cloak, a valuable lesson, always secure your cloak properly, you never know when you will be in a scuffle and need to move fast without tripping.

Dante lunges forward and pokes her in the chest with the tip of her sword. then laughs, but doesn't let her guard down.

Marina nods her head in respect.

"Not bad." She grins.

Pike was growling angrily, the sound of a sword falling to the floor echoes in the hall.

"Why do I have to train with this freak." He shouts. "Its a demon, an abomination." He spits pointing at Spite angrily.

For a moment there is a look of hurt on Spites face then it quickly changes to a low growl, his eyes flash, a purple aura floating around him followed by the scent of Ozone in the air.

"That's enough!" Altara shouts across the hall as she marched over to Pike. "Get out, your lucky I don't ban you from the trails " she snapped angrily, her red eyes narrowed in rage.

Pike had the decency to look a little ashamed and bows his head leaving the hall without another word.

"The rest of you back to drills." She growled, placing a hand on Spites back, and rubbing it soothingly and whispering something in his ear, placing a kiss on his cheek.

He nodded to her and marched upstairs to Lucanis's office.

Dante looks up, Lucanis is at his balcony overlooking the hall, he returns inside his door slamming, he had obviously seen what had transpired.

She gets the feeling even if Pike passes the trails it will be a miracle if he walked out of the First Talon office a crow.

She can't help but feel concerned. Not only by the crackle of Fade energy but Pike, was he really this out of control, did he really want to be a crow.

There's no reason why the feeling should feel heavy in her chest but it does. It was Pikes choice of course, to act this way, it was an bad choice but still.

Marina takes a second point without much effort. Dante was far to distracted, She shakes her head, and tries concentrating again.

The hall falls back into the rhythm of training, the sound of swords clashing echoing in the large space. Marina raises her sword. "Your pretty good at this to you know." She grins.

Altara was pacing back and forth now, not really paying attention to the fledglings anymore, she keeps glancing up at Lucanis's office, like she wants to check on Spite, like she was hurt by Pikes words to.

There had always been a strange bond between her, Lucanis and Spite, they could feel each other's emotions, sometimes communicating without saying a word.

"Not as good as you though. You probably had lessons all your life, didn't you?" Dante replied, taking a deep breath.

She took position again, but her heart wasn't really in it anymore. Still, she tried to focus, it was practice for tomorrow, they needed to be ready.

"Come on, one more round." Marina offers encouragement. holding her sword in front of her.

Altara let out a sigh of irritation, pacing back and forth, she was getting more and more anxious.

"Finish your sparring matches and clean up, I want trails candidates here bright an early tomorrow morning.

The rest of you, practice what you have learned, no more lessons until after the trails." She then strides off towards the stairs leading to Lucanis's office.

You hear a roar from upstairs, Spite was not happy. It almost sounded like he was in pain. Altara breaks into a run and disappears into the office the door slamming behind her.

"One more round." Dante echo's back quietly. She needed to Focus. It was none of her business. she tries another feint.

The rest of the fledglings stop what there doing glancing between themselves before putting away there swords.

"Good luck for tomorrow." A young girl says to Marina, she glances at Dante.

"You to I guess." She grins, they were a crow from, Marinas house and not a De Riva, they smile before running off, the rest of the fledglings file out of the hall leaving the two of them alone.

The door to Lucanis office opens and Dante glances up to see Lucanis walking down the steps holding Spites hand, his face like thunder, Spite notices her and says something to low for her to hear and Lucanis lets go of his hand. They descend the stairs, Altara's hand on the small of Spites back.

There was something about the three of them that seemed more intimate, like she was catching a glimpse of the three of them sans titles, not the First Talon with his Left and Right hands but Lucanis with his Husband and Wife.

it was no secret they were a Ménage à trois but it was not something they usually broadcasted.

"Maybe we should go too..." Dante says quietly. she starts to put away her sword and some spare pieces of equipment that was left lying around. they felt like we should not be here right now.

Marina glances at the three of them as they get closer, she looks like she wants to say something but freezes as they get closer, she lowers her head as they pass, Lucanis says nothing, he doesn't even look either of them, his eyes are cold, like he was focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.

Spite lifts his head and offers a shy smile at them both, he sniffs the air and nods to himself as if confirming something.

Altara lets Lucanis and Spite go a little ahead before she turns to them.

"If you see Pike, let him know he needs to be here early tomorrow for the trails and if he ever speaks to Spite like that again, I will kill him." Her red eyes flash angrily. Before she jogs to catch up with her husbands.

Altara was usually kind and patient, it was not often she showed signs of anger.

To see her like that stirs up Dante's own anger toward the whole situation, toward just how much Pike was a fucking idiot.

"I'll make sure he knows." She says softly.

They wait until the three crows walk out before making her way out herself. She looks at Marina.

"You don't have to follow if you don't want to. I'll just go give him the message... For all the good that it will do... He probably shouldn't even show up." she sighs.

Marina frowns.

"I'm not letting you go alone, if your going where I think your going." she says in concern.

"It's up to you really. I'd just rather be the one in trouble if things go down. I'm the one who tried to talk sense into him in the first place." She says before walking out.

Marina jogs after her with a grin.

The streets were quiet, as she neared the drowned district, retracing her steps from the other night, following the marks on the walls that lead down to an alleyway and the fight ring. She hears shouting but not of a crowd cheering for a fight.

She recognises one of the voices, The man from before, the one bossing Pike around, followed by someone groaning in pain, was that Pike?

Her heart is hammering in her chest, memories of her own family and what happened to them floating back at the forefront of there mind.

As she draws closer she hears Pike coughing.

"You fucking crows are all the same." The man says, circling him. Pike spits blood. "Guess I got sloppy." He smirks earning him a slap.

Pike was acting differently like this was part of his plan. Marina looks back at her and nods her head to the rafters above. before climbing up to get a better look.

Dante notices there's a circle drawn in blood in the far corner of the room and theirs a corpse with its throat slit as she creeps closer, whoever killed him must have used there blood to draw the circle.

A ritual? What was going on? She carefully moves around so they can get a better look at the circle whilst also keeping an eye on Pike. Whatever was going on it wasn't good.

The man leans closer to Pike "Your going to help me summon a demon." He grinned pulling a dagger from his belt and pressing it to his cheek.

Marina climbs closer, drawing a dagger. She nods her head to Dante signalling she was ready. if They didn't stop this man he was going to kill Pike. it was clear now this man was more than a ring master. If he was attempting blood magic he was probably Venatori.

Pike was too close to him to attempt magic without hurting him. She drew her own dagger, nodded to Marina and pounced on the back of the man, trying to make him stumble back away from Pike with all her weight.

The man stumbles trying to get out of there grapple, Marina drops down from the rafters behind Pike untying him as fast as she could.

"Kill him, he's Venatori." He grunts to her. he had a gash on his neck. the man starting chanting and blood begins to bubble up from the corpse on the floor and from Pike, he gasps in pain..

It's was like trying to ride a bucking horse, except this horse was far angrier, She tries to hold on with one arm around his neck and stab him in the chest with the other, but she couldn't, not without falling off him.

"Some crow you are." He taunts using his own blood, the circle starts to glow, if they didn't stop him soon they would have a demon on there hands.

"Erase the-" She tries to explain to Marina only to be slammed into a wall losing her grip on her dagger. it clangs on the floor, echoing in the room. as he moves away from her It gives her just enough space.

The smell of ozone fills the makeshift arena as lightning fills the space between them

He gasps his body going rigid for a moment, Marina circles around him while he was distracted using her foot to destroy the circle.

her dagger was out of reach. she looks at Pike, a bit panicked, while Marina is destroying the circle. If the man turns around, he would notice.

Instead he lunges at Dante, his dagger raised high, he pauses then changes course lunging for Marina instead, she gasps slipping on the blood, he was going to kill her.

Pikes cut looks worse then she thought as he swayed on his feet, leaning against a wall holding his side, she realised the cut on his face wasn't the only injury he had.

More ozone fills the air this time ice. She makes a mad dash for her dagger, grabs it and throw it, aiming for the guy's throat and hoping that Marina would get out of the way as quickly as she does when fencing.

Marina slips again but manages to get out of the way in time, the dagger finds its mark and he falls to the floor, gargling on his own blood for a moment before going still, Marina let's out a sigh of relief and rushes to Pike, tearing his shirt and padding the wound.

"Do you know any healing spells?" She asks now that the danger had passed.

"How did you know I would be here." Pike grunts.

Dante was shaking with adrenaline.

"I don't know any healing. Marina, you're in better shape you should go get help." She says stepping closer.

"We Followed you a few days back. Call it a hunch or me being nosy but guess we just saved your life." She winces trying to get her breath back.

"Thanks." He says with a nod of respect. "I should be ok, can you get me to the Diamond, Marina?" She nods, helping him up, he leans against her.

"What about you, Dante You should come to, We can let Heir know, she can send someone to deal with all this." She says gesturing to the dead Venatori and the ruined sigils on the floor.

"I'll follow. Hopefully he didn't bust a rib slamming me into the wall like that. Also, Pike, we're here because we were supposed to tell you to be there early tomorrow for the trials and I knew where you would be. I'm still pissed off by what you did earlier today and I still want to punch you for being a fucking idiot." She winces again.

He laughs "Sure I get that, thanks anyway." He says before letting Marina guide him from the room, Dante following closely behind.

The way back to the Diamond was slow. "What if I decided not to come your way? What if I thought your bully ways was a fucking lost cause? You would have been dead." She sighs .

"I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow, but you might still be in trouble, You know you can fucking get out of your family stuff if you get your head out your ass." She rants angrily and Pike says nothing letting her speak.

"You say you don't need friends that you can just take solo contracts. But I can tell you now that wouldn't have gone the way it did without Marina backing me up. I fucking hope you apologize to Spite tomorrow." She warns him.

He nods his head but says nothing as Marina helps him along, luckily there was a side entrance to the Diamond, there was no way he was climbing. as they enter the Diamond, Heir notices them immediately and rushes to help Pike sit down.

"What happened?" She asks calling a healer over.

"Venatori in the drowned district." Marina explains.

"What!? did you kill them?" She turns to Dante.

"We did. It was a team effort. " She sits down with wince.

"I think I bruised a rib or two though. The guy was planning... Actually, had started a blood ritual. Wanted to get a demon through. I know it was a stupid move but we had to do something..." She turns to Pike. "You gonna be ok?" She doesn't mention that Pike was probably going to be the blood sacrifice.

Heir raises an eyebrow.

"Not bad for fledglings." She chuckles, and Pike grunts.

"I'll be fine, though the trails tomorrow are going to interesting." He tries to joke and winces.

"Look." He glances up at Dante. "Thanks for the help." He looks away as if it pained him to say those words.

Heir nods.

"You and Marina get some rest, You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow. I'll inform the First Talon about what has happened." Pike gets up. "I can still do the trails." He insists getting up, the healer had done a pretty decent job.

Heir smiles. "Perhaps we will make a crow of you yet." She chuckles and he nods his head before heading to one of the inn rooms for the night.

"It's certainly going to be interesting tomorrow..." Dante says still reeling from fight.

She smiles as Pike looks away.

"You know I'm never letting you live this one down." She chuckles.

Her own injuries hurt a lot less after the healer had a looked at her.

"Thanks. " She says to heir as she watches Pike go, before turning around and heading out without another word.

Altara was waiting her arms crossed behind her back, Viago was with her which was unusual.

"Good your all here, If you would like to follow us." Altara smiles heading towards the stairs and the First Talons Office.

This was probably about last night Dante thinks, as Marina and Pike look amongst themselves before following.

Viago says nothing walking beside Altara without a word, his expression unreadable as always.

That was either a really good, or really bad sign. She glances at Pike and Marina with the worried expression before glancing at Viago once more, trying to discern anything from his expression but it was no good.

He doesn't even look at her, his face expressionless, it was impossible to judge what he was thinking

The First Talons office is neat and tidy almost clinical everything in its place in perfect order. Lucanis is sat behind the desk, Spite at his side like a sentinel his glowing eyes watching.

Viago closes the door behind them and moves to stand with Altara.

Marina and Marcus stand straight hands clasped in front of them at attention.

"Spite, If you would." Lucanis orders.

Spite walks around the desk towards Dante, stopping in front of her, he leans close, sniffing the air around her his eyes flaring as he looks into her eyes. he says nothing for a moment

"Smells like sweat, steel and blood." He tilts his head for a moment before returning to Lucanis side.

Lucanis smirks, this was his favourite part. "Pike, How did they do?" He asks sounding amused.

Pike clears his throat. "They followed me without my noticing them, thought on there feet, assessed the threat with minimal help and eliminated the target without harming ally's.." He says his tone clear and precise, nothing like the man she had trained with all week.

"Marina?" He asks turning his attention to her.

She smirked "They work well in a team whilst still thinking for themselves, I recommend them." She nods.

"Excellent." He stands up picking up something from the desk and walking over to her standing in front of them. looking at her for the first time since she entered his office. he removes her claw pin on the lapel of her leathers and replaces it with a silver pin that looked like wings.

"You have passed your trail, Welcome to the crows Dante De Riva." He smiles stepping back.

Chapter Text

Dante remains silent, her gaze on Pike and Marina, a questioning look on her face, before her gaze lands on the First Talon.

"Thank you." She smiles, still stunned by the turn of events, to realise that since she had started training for the trials, she had in fact already begun them.

"Earned wings, good crow." Spite purrs. "Still has heart." He grins before looking at Pike. "Less mean next time." He grunts, still a little upset at him for calling him an abomination.

Pike lets out a bark of laughter.

"Sorry, Spite." He grins before turning to Lucanis. "Is that all you need from me, First Talon?" He asks, standing at attention once more.

"Yes, thank you for helping. Make sure to give Tiea my regards." He chuckles, leaning back against the desk. As he leaves, closing the door behind him.

Lucanis clears his throat. "I knew you would do well." He comments.

"Enjoy this moment while you can, once you leave this room, you will not speak of this. As far as the other fledglings are concerned, you ran the obstacles course and proved your mettle in the trails." Viago says before turning to Lucanis.

"I have matters to attend I will speak with you tomorrow." He bows before leaving.

Spite moved to Lucanis's side, and Dante couldn't help but notice the pair's cloaks were damaged at the bottom on opposite sides. When Lucanis notices her looking, he pulls his cloak behind him, hiding the damage.

"You have been awfully quiet, Altara." Lucanis comments, and she smiles.

"I think Dante's actions last night speak for themselves." She smiles proudly and walks up to her, patting her shoulder. "I'm proud of you." She grins.

Marina smiles. "Sorry for pulling the wool over your eyes, by the way." She grins. "Welcome to the crows." She bows to Lucanis. "I shall take my leave as well." Lucanis nods, and she leaves.

Dante can't help but laugh.

"Do you do this to all the fledglings? I swear, I was about ready to punch Pike over what he did yesterday!" She rubs the wing pin, still not quite believing all that had happened.

Lucanis chuckles.

"I'm afraid I can neither confirm nor deny." He stands up from leaning against the desk and walks around his desk to sit down in the high-backed chair.

"Spite sees great potential in you. I trust you won't disappoint us." He says, lacing his fingers together.

Spite's eyes never leave Dante, as if he were waiting for something.

"Shall we get you your new armour?" Altara grins, gesturing to the door.

"Speak of this to no one." Lucanis reminds her before returning his attention to the stack of contracts on his desk awaiting his review.

"Come on." Altara laughs, opening the door and stepping outside.

"I won't disappoint you." Dante bows again, still grinning. "My lips are sealed." She says before following Altara out of the First Talons' office.

"So how's it feel being a full crow?" Altara asks in conversation as Dante follows her down the stairs.

"Feels like having found family again. But it also feels like a big responsibility somehow." She sighs.

"That's how I felt at first. You're a representative of House De Riva now, and Viago demands perfection" She chuckles as they both leave the training halls and head through the Diamond towards the quartermaster.

"So, crow robes or leathers?" She asks, "You're a mage, right?" She comments, raising an eyebrow.

"I am, but I still prefer leathers over robes. less risk tripping over the hem in the middle of a fight." She pauses. "You think the leathers can be customised a bit?" She asks curiously.

Altara laughs, looking down at her armour, then back at her. Her armour was a different colour than normal. "Of course you can." She leans on the counter, getting the clerk's attention by tapping her knuckles on the wood.

"I would prefer no sleeve on my right side? It's a bit of a weak point, but it will impede my spell casting a bit less than full leather," Dante explains.

The quartermaster walks over and nods their head. "Any preference on colour?" They asked, their arms crossed in front of them, eyeing her up and down. It wasn't flirtation at all, it was more like he was taking her measure or rather her measurements. Dante could tell they had probably done this for years and could judge someone's measurements just by looking at them.

"I'm partial to forest green or copper tones, but if it's too much trouble, I'm not picky." She laughs.

The quartermaster nods.

"I can do dark green, will that do?" They ask to take some notes on a piece of parchment with a quill.

"Definitely! Thank you!" She smiles.

The quartermaster nods and turns to Altara. "Give me an hour to make the modifications." She nods, and the man disappears behind a curtain to do his work.

"Right, well, I have a few errands to run, so I need to head off Once you get your armour from the quartermaster, have a chat with them about weapons, they can do upgrades or they can craft you something custom if you prefer." She explains, pushing off from the counter and turning to leave.

"Lucanis has a lot of contracts on his desk, so Viago will most likely be calling on you soon. Make sure you're ready." She grins before walking away with a wave.

Lucanis had been going through contracts for a few hours now trying to find something suitably challenging for Dante, three had caught his eye so far.

One in Antiva City, one just outside the capital City and one in Minrathous, all were worthy of the crows and they were offering generous compensation one even had conditionals for extra.

He rubbed his beard in thought when there was a knock at the door, he glanced up and frowns at the interruption to his thoughts.

"Come in." He calls.

"Lucanis." Viago greets him, as he steps into his office and closes the door behind him.

"I was wondering when you might stop by." Lucanis smirks leaning back in his seat, Viago could be quite Predictable when it came to Contract negotiations.

"I was wondering if you had Contracts for my new crow yet." Viago smirks knowing full well what Lucanis was thinking.

Lucanis makes a sound of acknowledgement and nods.

"I have three actually, I think its only fair your new crow gets to choose there first contract don't you?" He chuckles.

He adjusts his stack of papers and pulling out the three he had been looking at earlier.

"Bring them to my office, I'm curious which one they will pick." He was very curious indeed, how would they handle there first contract? he wondered.

"Very well." Viago bows and turns to the door to leave.

"I shall be back in a moment." He leaves closing the door behind him and nearly walks into Spite on his way out.

"Poisoner." Spite greets him stepping out of his way as he made his way up the stairs carrying a coffee for Lucanis.

Dante was in the training grounds, practising drills with her spell sword and orb trying to get used to her new armour. Drills were relaxing in a way, it helped her keep focus, keep her sharp.

Cast, disengage, lunge, stab. a mantra, a set of moves to keep you moving to keep you alive.

She Notices Viago approaching sheaths her dagger before standing straight as if awaiting orders.

"Ah good there you are. I think its time you had your first contract don't you?" He smirks crossing his arms, he was glad they where practising and not loafing around like some new crows did.

Passing the trails didn't mean you knew everything. It was always good to hone your skills when you had the time. there was always opportunity's to hone your craft, to improve to become the best.

She nods, a small smile on her lips. "I wasn't expecting a Contract so soon. though I appreciate you putting such confidence in me." She says with a grin.

"The First Talon has taken a liking to you, do not forget you are a De Riva, how you handle your first contract will reflect back on me and my house, Do not disappoint me." He warns, there was an air of pride in his tone despite his stony demeanour.

He gestures to the stairs and turns to leave, watching her expectantly.

"You are fortunate, most crows do not get to pick there contracts, Lucanis has three for you to choose from, do not get cocky, pick the one you know you can complete to the letter." He explains as they walk.

As they enters the office, Lucanis is looking between three rolls of parchment, Spite at his side as always, his glowing eyes light up when he notices Dante a sly grin spreading on his lips.

"Smells like determination." He chuckles huskily.

Lucanis glances up from what he was doing and chuckles, no wonder Spite liked her.

"Good your here." He arranges the contracts on his desk and gestures for her to take a look.

"Come look at these." He says. "Read them carefully and make your choice, we can discuss transport after." He leans back and watches her closely

She looks at the three contracts, taking everything into consideration, the conditions, the method, calculating how they would execute each kill, taking there measure.

She would be on her own for this contract, the first one was always solo, she would only have her own skills to rely on, in a way your first contract was a trail in itself, another test.

The Lord Dorin  contract was a big one. 14,000 Andris with the possibility of another 1,000 Andris for doing a little extra, it was a lot of money, but the public aspect of the conditional would be tricky to manage.

Romin Saad would probably be the easiest, it wasn't showy like the Dorin contract. but matters of heart, of revenge tended to get messy real quick.

Which left the last one, the Alentis Contract. One less slave trader in the world sounded good to her and even though it was the one that paid the least, it was also the one that had the potential to do the most good.

She pushed that one forward, She might be a crow, she might kill for money, but being able to help free slaves and get paid to do it, that was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Lucanis smiled, pleased with her choice. He thinks back to the wig maker for a moment, and the slaves he had freed, he knew he had been right about her.

"You are certain?" He asks.

Spite smiles feeling Lucanis's emotions.

"Good." He whispers.

"I am certain. It will be a challenge, but I think my first contract should be don't you." She grins.

Lucanis nods in a agreement. "Very well. This contract is in Minrathous, I shall get you a writ of travel to use the Eluvian's." He pulls out a document and quickly signs it before handing it to her.

"Give this to Bellara at the Veil jumper camp once you step through the Eluvian." He explains before standing.

"You will have one week to compete your contract, if you do not return within that time your payment is forfeit." He warns Crossing his arms regarding her with a piercing stare.

"Make sure you have your affairs in order before you leave." He says then turns his back heading out to the Balcony leaning on the railing signalling the meeting was over.

"Remember, our house reputation is on the line." Viago warns opening the door.

"A crow always completes there contract, I trust you will return on time." He says standing in the doorway and tilting his head expectantly.

Spite joins Lucanis on the balcony, his hand brushing his as he nudges him with his shoulder making him laugh.

Bellara lutare, she couldn't help but feel a little giddy at the idea of meeting another member of the Veilgaurd.

"I will not disappoint you." She says before stepping through the door to leave.

She turns to Viago again. "I will make sure your trust in me is not misplaced." She adds before looking back toward the balcony and the First Talon.

"They're not what the stories made them to be..." she muses out loud before walking down the stairs.

"Good, Report to me when you return." Viago calls after her.

She smiles but says nothing continuing on her way.

She notices fledglings filing into the hall for training, and spots Altara stood with Illario, both holding swords, perhaps they where going to do a demonstration.

Altara waves. "Good luck, not that you need it." She grins as she passess.

"Have fun." Illario adds before turning to Altara and saying something that made her laugh.

On her way through the training halls heading for the diamond to prepare for her contract, She notices a crow with red hair in a tidy in a bun, pale skin with a smattering of freckles on her face holding a swollen belly, a sapphire engagement ring on her finger, she is watching Illario with a smile.

Dante smile's, that must be Amika. It was nice to see families growing rather than be torn apart for a change.

She looks for Marina and Pike out of curiosity, wondering if they would be around.

She spots Pike playing cards a table with chance and heir. and across the way Marina is talking to the quartermaster buying supplies probably for a contract.

She waves at Pike before heading to the quartermaster, needing to buy supplies herself. Pike salutes with a grin, then curses when he looses his hand and Chance laughs taking his money.

Marina collects her potions and throwing darts, pays then nods in respect before walking off heading for the Eluvian chamber.

The quartermaster, looks up and smiles. "Hello again, first contract huh? need supplies?" They ask leaning on the counter casually.

"Yeh I'm a little nervous if im honest. I'm going to need potions for sure, unless Marina has bought you out." She jokes.

"Thank you for your work on my leathers by the way. I've been practicing this morning and there absolutely perfect. Nothing pinches or feels awkward or anything." She grins.

"Don't worry I got plenty of potions, I keep us well stocked." He reassures her with a smirk, of course the leathers were perfect.

"your welcome kid, just remember to oil it every now and then, to keep it supple." He grins.

"I'm eager to get on the road." She says, this was her chance to proove herself not just to Viago, but to the First Talon as well.

The quartermaster laughs. "That's the spirit, so what will it be, potions? or maybe poisons you De Rivas love that stuff right." He jokes.

"Health potions please. though If you have any interesting poisons I wont say no." She laughs.

"How many health potions you want? Most crows go for two but I got plenty. As for poisons your in luck I got a vial of kiss of death an altara special, the most lethal poison house De Riva has. You should have seen Viago's face when she first showed it off." He laughs so hard he has to wipe tears from his eyes.

"Never seen him look so proud and so pissed off at the same time." He grins.

"Two health potions please. proud? That's saying a lot, he's usually so stoic..." She nods. "I'll take a vial of that to please." She says pulling out her new coin purse.

"He's always like that with Altara, he acts more like her father than her mentor. He raised her if you didnt know." He comments as he pulls out 2 health potions placing them on the table.

Next he sets a vial of softly glowing green liquid that seems to shift to yellow as the liquid moves before settling back to green.

Then another vial of blue liquid with an iridescent sheen.

"Here you are two health potion, and one kiss of death." He grins.

"Careful with this poison, it so much as touches your skin your in trouble, its fast acting, the blue vial is the antidote you will only have seconds to imbibe it and it won't be pleasant when you do." He warns being deadly serious.

"That will be 10 andris." He grins holding out his hand.

She hands him the money and carefully pockets the vials. Potions in one pouch, the poison and antidote in another.

"Thank you!" She smiles.

She takes a mentle inventory, make sure she isn't forgetting anything. Weapons, rations, leather oil and weapons care kit.

She touches her sunburst pendant under her shirt, the only keepsake she has from her family and then touches the wing pin, takes a

deep breath to steady herself.

She was as ready as she could be. Hopefully the neighbours won't forget to feed the feral cats whilst she was gone. She makes her way to the Eluvian.

The Eluvian room was heavily guarded, two crows wielding Spears stand on either side of the door, they tense as she approaches.

They Cross there spears, blocking her path. "You got a writ of passage?" the one on the left asks, there voice rough, they sounded tired, perhaps even hungover.

"I do." She shows them the writ. "Rough night?" She jokes hoping to ease the tense atmosphere.

The crow grunts in response, clearly not in the mood for humour.

"Something like that." He sighs, before moving his spear, the other guard following suit without a word.

"Don't forget to meet the envoy for an escort, crossroads are easy to get lost in." they warn as they open the door.

The room is sparsely decorated. Crow reliefs on the walls, with a raised podium on which stands a giant mirror, its surface shifting and reflecting light at odd angles, she could almost make out what lay on the other side as the glass shifted and rippled like water.

Crossing through the Eluvian for the first time felt strange, a shock to the system like going into freezing rain, the magic making her skin prickle. The smell of ozone became sharp, like after a lightning strike.

The feeling persists until she reaches the other side. She looks around for the envoy as soon as her head stops spinning.

The veil jumper camp was small, fortified with tall walls, there was a large tent with people moving around cataloguing things, organising strange artefacts into containers.

There were several other tents, some for purposes unknown, others seemed to be sleeping tents.

There was a medical tent on the far side of the camp along with two golden sentinels guarding an archway leading to the docks and crossroads beyond.

on the near side by the Eluvian she had just stepped through was a table with documents carefully aranged on one side with a large high backed chair with an awning stretched overhead casting shade on a elven women.

She had bright eyes, dark brown hair up in a messy bun with gold pins, a loose white tunic shirt and breaches with a patchwork overcoat with more pouches than looked practical.

The dark lines of her Vallaslin curling from her forehead like vines, she looked like she had not slept, dark circles under her eyes, there were dark veins curling down her neck like spiderwebs, not quite the blight but close, was she sick?

This had to be Ballara Lutare the veil jumpers envoy, if the stories were true she was the one that controlled the blight, turned it against a god and helped saved the world.

She was writing something down on a scroll with a quill, her handwriting neat yet somehow disorganised, a note book and scattered papers and documents around her desk a juxtaposition to the rest of the documents in neat piles on the other side, her papers must be in some kind of order, but if they were, it was only one she understood.

"Uh? oh, Hello? Good...Morning? Uh..." She smiles brightly, Dante found herself a bit starstruck this was Ballara, a hero and she was just a lowly crow.

"Hi." Dante squeaks holding out the writ. "I was told I was to meet you, to uh travel through the crossroads?" She says shyly.

Well this felt awkward. she chuckles nervously god she was being an idiot.

"I'm sorry. it's my First time coming through the uh mirror and..." She trails off.

Ballara looks confused for a moment like Dante had interrupted her racing thoughts then she smiles and stands nearly knocking over her chair in her haste to take the writ from her.

"Hey, right sorry." She takes the writ and reads it over, a little frown on her lips noticing Lucanis's elegant scrawl, she didnt judge the crows, not really but it still unsettled her sometimes, knowing what they did for a living.

She glances back at Dante and smiles.

"New huh." She tilts her head, studying her for a moment.

"Soooo your heading for Minrathous right." She glances around before handing the writ over to her assistant nearby.

"I'll be right back." She says before picking up her weapon up and slinging it over her shoulder. "Right this way." She grins walking towards the archway and the sentinels guarding it.

The golden armour at the archway seems to shift like pieces of plate metal where only held by a breath. They do not move as she approaches letting them pass un hindered.

She follows a path down to what looks like a dock, but there's no water, as Dante glances over the edge she see's nothing but the expanse of the fade, if she fell, would she fall forever, she pondered for a moment, was there even a bottom or just a void of nothing stretching into eternity.

She is pulled from such thoughts as a boat seems to appears out of nowhere, materialising out of the fade like smoke, a tall robed spirit of green light wearing a strange helmet and tattered robes holding an ore guides it to the edge of the dock, its speaks it's voice dulcet and low, almost soothing.

"Where do you wish to go Dweller?" It asks softly, Ballara greets it and turns to Dante with a grin watching her reactions in amusement.

They always reacted the same, every single one, to her this was perfectly normal, but to anyone who had never traversed the crossroads or even the fade, well this was like a dream to them, she imagined.

"To the Minrathous Eluvian please." She asks politely boarding the vessel and turning to Dante expectantly. The crow looks around awestruck.

"Wait! Wait... That's really? We're in the Fade?" She had so many questions. It's one thing to deal with the theoretical aspects of the Fade as it pertains to magic but this?

She shake her head and grins, stepping onto the vessel.

"I... I tap into the fade to cast magic, but It's never felt it quite like this." she says then pauses glancing at the spirit.

"Oh uh, pleased to meet you." She giggles, having completely forgotten about proper greetings for a moment.

The caretaker tilts it's head at her but its like it is gazing past her, not really seeing her, it turns around lifting the ore and pushing away from the docks, the boat moves through the air, it doesn't rock like a boat on water it just glides soundless and certain.

The caretaker guides the boats on the currents of the fade with ease.

Ballara grins.

"This is the fade, yes. But its more like a pocket dimension really, partitioned by magics we still don't understand, its really interesting though right, the harmonic resonation and..." She trails off realising she was starting to babble like she usually did when talking about such things.

"Sorry." She looks down embarrassed for a moment before turning her attention in the direction they where heading.

"Please there's no need to apologies, It really is fascinating." Dante smiles.

The caretaker stops the boat at another dock, a clone of the first in terms of size and shape but the scenery here was different.

Strange trees and rock formations, boulders bigger than houses floating in the air like gravity didnt exist, she guessed in the fade maybe gravity was conditional perhaps.

There was no wildlife here, yet there were plants but where they really vegetation, or just a memory of it, like the fade reflected reality like thoughts, fleeting and sometimes insubstantial.

Bellara gets off the boat first.

"Come on." She says offering Dante a hand off the boat and guiding her down a path, Dante was sure Ballara had walked down a thousand times, they come to another camp, the set up similar to the one she came from, an elderly veil jumper raises a hand in greeting as they near the Minrathous Eluvian.

The guards nod in respect to Ballara and pay Dante no mind at all.

"Alright here we are." Ballara says, turning to the crow.

"When your done return to the Eluvian and someone will guide you back. do not try to traverse the crossroads without one of us." She warns.

"This place can get really tricky." She grins.

"Thanks for the safe passage. I'd definitely love to talk more about the fade with you another time, but uh, yeah... Busy and everything. So until next time?" Dante waves.

Much like the Eluvian in Treviso this one glistened in the light, reflecting odd shapes and pulsing with magic, a gateway to the city of Minrathous the city of Rain and secrets.

She hesitates for a moment before stepping through.

Chapter Text

As she passed through the Eluvian, it was hard to believe this city had ever been blighted, the repairs had transformed the city. The perpetual rain was light today.

The intel on the contract informed her that the target was on the far end of town, in a fort bordering the outskirts. It would be heavily fortified, with guards manning the outer walls. She would have two ways to get in.

1. She could use a boat or swim to the under docks. A servant had been bribed to leave the door open to the servant quarters and kitchens, giving her access to the inner keep. Her target lived in the main house, protected by guards.

or

2. She could bribe the merchant caravan that brought supplies into the fort once a week, to let her hide in the back of his cart, though that would get her access to the outer keep, she would need to find her own way into the inner keep.

The blueprints she had been provided indicated a cellar door in the kitchens that led down into the catacombs of the fort, where the slaves were most likely kept.

For the moment, she thought about getting a disguise. Something to help her blend in. Her leathers were fine, but were they making her stick out like a sore thumb?

If she wanted to take option two, she would need to figure out where the caravan was coming from and when they were due to go into the fort next. She could glean that information from the locals.

The streets were busy this time of day, merchants peddling wares on every street corner, newspaper stands calling out the latest headlines.

Beggars in shadowy alcoves holding out their hands begging for food, money or anything to help them forget their misery for a moment. Some kids were playing with a ball a little way up the path.

She gasps as Someone knocks into her suddenly. They had just appeared out of nowhere, as if spawning from the shadows themselves

He was wearing scruffy clothes with a hood obscuring his face. He brushes past, muttering a quick apology before continuing on his way.

The rain continues to fall, the cobbled streets smell of moved earth as she walks, the street opens up into a courtyard, bizarre with stalls selling all manner of things.

Street food, clothes, mirrors, trinkets, books and more.

She peruses a clothing stall first, finding an outfit that seems more fitting of the local fashion and somehow in her favourite colours. But as she approaches the merchant to pay for it, she finds her coin purse is missing, and it's then she realises the man who had bumped into her earlier must have been a pickpocket.

She curses, she had no way to pay for the clothes. She sighs, looks around, and finds nobody is paying attention to how she is dressed.

She spots a group of men walking passed in Studded leathers, a group of mages using their staffs like walking sticks as they head into a converted circle tower opposite the stalls.

It seemed like everyone just kept their head down and only really paid attention to those making too much noise. She pinches the bridge of her nose, sighing in frustration at being pickpocketed so easily. She puts the clothes back.

So much for a disguise.

but maybe that wouldn't be needed after all, she would just have to count this as a lesson learned. At least it wasn't the poison vials that got stolen, the money would probably feed a poor family.

It looked like she would have to sneak her way into the under docks after all. Now that she had a plan. It was time to scout out the place and wait for the sun to go down.

The keep had high walls with a portcullis protected by two armed guards at the front at all times. There was also guard patrolling the top of the walls every hour.

She could just make out the inner keep walls and the house where her target resided, but only barely from this spot, she would need a higher vantage point to see more but there didn't seem to be any nearby.

She notices a path leading down the side of the fort, perhaps leading to a side entrance to the under docks perhaps, it was patrolled just like the rest of the fort, by two guards.

The city has a dock on the same side as the fort, small and large boats were bobbing in the water with dock hands rushing between them carrying goods to the and from the markets.

There is a small row boat that does not seem to be in use at the far end if the docks, perhaps she could use this to avoid the guards on the path, and row around the back to gain access.

She waits until nightfall to make my way down to the docks and borrow the boat she spotted earlier.

The row boat was old, a little rusty but still serviceable, that was to say it still floats and didnt have any leaks. it still had its ores, there was an old tarp draped over it but the boat itself was empty, She could use the tarp to obscure her from prying eyes, should anyone spot the boat they might just think it had just got loose from its mooring and was floating out to sea.

It was perfect. She hides under the tarp as best she can, while still being able to row and make her way toward the under dock. She keeps an eye and ear out for anything around that might be unusual.

As she draws closer, she can hear the guards patrolling along the walls above, they dont seem to notice the boat or are simply ignoring it.

The under dock as quiet as she guides the boat in. There are are crates of supplies stacked up waiting to be brought into the kitchens a delivery perhaps.

The door to the servants quarters and kitchens has been left open just like the contract said it would be. She moves carefully keeping noise to a minimum, heading straight for the cellar door that had been on the blueprints.

But the door has a chain across it with a padlock, she would need a key. She freezes hearing footsteps coming down the stairs heading in her direction, they sound old, there footsteps slow, tired, favouring there left leg, a servant perhaps.

Her hand rest on the hilt of her dagger as she hides by the staircase, flat against the wall and holding her breath.

A figure appears, elderly, elven, in warn robes holding a tray, there is a fresh wound on his hand like he had been struck with a cane or something similar.

He sighs wearily and does not notice her at first, he starts separating the pitiful scraps leftover from his masters meal into small bowls, rationing them out, before heading to the door with the chains and padlock.

It looked like he was bringing the slaves food, he could be a potential ally or at least a source of information.

The man startles dropping the tray with a gasp, as she steps from her hiding place, the bowls rattle on the ground the food now everywhere, perhaps she could have approached him a little less suddenly.

He holds his chest trying to calm his racing heart, he takes in there appearance and his eyes narrow in recognition or perhaps suspicion.

"Are you. With the crows?" He asks his eyes now hopeful. She winces getting a closer look at the injury on his hand.

"Yes." She says softly so as to not startle the poor man any further. "I'm here to help." She smiles.

"If you can gather everyone who needs out, there's a row boat you can use to get back to the docks. I could create a distraction. Will you be okay? How many of you is there?" She says stepping closer.

"Thank the maker." He breathes a sigh of relief, the message had got through, the shadow dragons had answered there pleads at last, they had sent someone to free them, or to put a stop to the Magister, both were fine in his books, he looks worried for a moment.

"There at 5 of us, my wife is with the master, my children are bellow I can not leave without her, please you must save her." He begs stepping closer.

"You are going to kill the master, aren't you?" He speaks fast, he needed to know they would be safe. "The guards would see us, in the boat surely." He says unlocking the door to the cellar hastily.

"Papa is that you." A young girl asks, she pales noticing Dante and hides her siblings behind her protectively, her eyes wide and frightened but she was trying to be brave, she was the eldest, papa said she had to protect her younger siblings.

"I'll make sure they dont. Beside the boat has a tarp you can all hide under it while I take care of business." She says.

She kneels to be at eye level with the kids. "It's going to be okay, Listen to your papa, you're going to be fine. I'm going to help." She smiles reassuringly.

"What about my wife?" The elf pleads, stepping closer again. "I cant leave without her, please." He begs.

"I'll make sure she's safe, dont worry, I'm sure she would want you and to get the children to safety. If anything....." She trails off. "Wait in the under dock. If you see fire, you get yourself and the kids out ok" She instructs standing up.

He hesitates for a moment, glancing at his children then up the stairs then back at her.

"Alright, but promise me you will free her." He turns to the children. "Gather your things and head to the boat, hide under the tarp and keep quiet. I will be right with you." He explains before turning to the crow once more.

"The masters study is on the third floor, at the end of the hall, first door in the right." He says. "He has a bodyguard outside the door, but he hates him as much as we do, if you tell him why you are here, he might even help you." He chuckles.

He looks worried again, so many things could go wrong, what if they failed, they would surely be punished for helping her. no he had to believe this would all work out, that they would finally be free.

"The house has patrols on this floor but they are usually playing cards around this time, if your quiet you might be able to slip past them." He looks down the steps to the cellar and begins to walk away, he turns to her one last time.

"Free my wife, she has suffered enough." He sighs before joining his kids to wait for her signal. "And for what its worth, Good luck." He smiles.

"I promise I will free her, consider it a contract. Crows always finishes their contracts. You all stay safe in the meanwhile. If i cant get back to you, meet back at the city docks." She grins.

"Thanks for the information. Tell your kids they are very brave." She says before moving on. she had a magister to kill.

She watches them go to the boat and then carefully heads up the staircase leading to the main foyer, hand on her dagger once more.

She cant see much from where she is but the guards didnt seem aware of her presence yet, they were to distracted by there card game, just like the elf had said they would be.

As she creeps further up the stairs to get a better look, she notices another guard coming down the stairs leading to the 2nd floor, they haven't noticed her either, not yet at least.

She looks around, grabbing a small object on the floor to toss, hoping the noise might draw his attention away from the stairs. The guards playing cards all pause in what they were doing and stand abruptly as the small object skitters across the floor.

"Did you hear that?" one of them says, the Guard at the stairs stops and raises a hand up to silence them, he looks like he is the one in charge.

"Spread out and investigate." He orders drawing his sword, his eyes searching for any threats.

Oh that was a bad idea.

she keeps out of sight but prepares for a fight. The guards fan out walking towards the sound on the far side of the stairs, the one in charge remains on the stairs watching them search his eyes scanning the area once more. one of the guards turns to him and shrugs.

"Must of been a mouse or something." They say dismissively.

"Remain alert, Magister Alentis is not to be disturbed during his private time." He says with a visible shudder.

The magister was depraved, muttering to himself all the time, chackling to unheard jokes, sometimes he swore he could heard someone talking to him in hushed tones, one of the slaves perhaps, he didnt really want to know.

The magisters rooms gave him the creeps, there was something in there lurking in the shadows, he was sure of it.

luckily for him the Magister preferred his own company lately, Alentis hated when the guards went in his room, The kitchen slaves wife was the only presence he tolerated lately.

He sheaves his sword and sighs, perhaps it really was nothing, he had been on edge all day, he hesitates before walking down the stairs finally.

"Perhaps your right, its just a rat." He sits in one of the seats and lets out a tired sigh, he needed to relax. He couldn't wait for his shift to finish so he could go home and forget about this place for a while.

The other guards joined him a moment later. "Want us to deal you in?" One asks with a grin.

"Sure." He chuckles one game couldn't hurt, maybe then his skin would stop crawling.

Private time that didnt sound good, what did that even mean, on second thought she didnt want to know.

She creeps up to the second floor and only once she's out of sight does she let out the breath she had been holding.

The second floor was sparse like it was not live in, like it was built as a buffer between his slaves and his residence, like he needed to be far above them.

Ornate furniture was covered in sheets, a layer on dust on everything, like it had not been cleaned in months or even years.

The air smelt old with a hint of ozone that was unnerving. There did not appear to be any guards patrolling but the floorboards creaked under foot, she would need to tread carefully, if she made to much noise she might draw the attention of the guards.

The corridors seemed to stretch on forever in both directions. She headed left, wary of the smell and paying attention to any other noises she might hear, she didnt want anyone sneaking up on her.

The more she explored this floor the more she realised how abandoned it was, nobody lived on this floor, the kitchen slave slept in the kitchen with his children in the basement.

The smell of Ozone seems to shift, suddenly there's a hint of lavender in the air, then the smell of Ozone became stronger, the atmosphere pulsing like it was alive.

She continues down the seemingly endless hall, no signs of life, just sprawling halls of dust and neglect, eventually she spots some stairs leading to the third floor at the end of the hall.

So it wasn't endless after all.

The smell of ozone was starting to set her nerves on edge. like the veil was to thin here somehow, she tries to tap into her magic for a moment, not so much as to cast a spell but to figure out what it was she was sensing.

As she reaches out with her magic something pulses on the third floor in response, something old, ancient perhaps, it was hard to tell, the air seems to shift around her as she reached the third floor, like something was tracking her movements, watching her.

The third floor is beautifully decorated, everything pristine and polished a stark contrast to the floor bellow it, there are several rooms on this floor, doors on the left and right, around the corner she finds another hallway with even more doors, there was a man in armour standing by a door at the end of the hall.

He looked tense, not because he was on guard duty. no it seemed more like he could sense something lurking, he kept looking around nervously. He did not look happy to be there at all, was this the guard the kitchen aid mentioned.

For a split second she thought she heard a low rough laugh, almost a growl, it evaporates the moment she tries to ascertain its source. There is definitely a presence in this house, but whatever it was, it was staying hidden, at least for now.

The Sensation of being watched reminded of her harrowing, facing spirits and demons in the fade to proove she could resist possession, that thought made her even more nervous.

was this presence a spirit? or worse a demon? had it been drawn here by someone, the magister perhaps.

This was not in the contract. Perhaps she should have negotiated some hazard pay, she jokes to herself trying to calm her nerves.

It's quiet now, perhaps to quiet. She decides to take a gamble and approaches the guard.

"Hello, a friend downstairs sent me, Maybe you can help me? or I can help you." She speaks low enough to only be heard by him, she didnt want whoever was inside the room he was guarding to hear their conversation.

The man tenses immediately, startled, he draws his sword. "Wh..who are you." He squeaks then covers his mouth, a shiver running down his spine as a sinister voice whispers from within the room beyond.

More.....You need more.

More gold, More slaves, more......

whatever it was cackles, and another voice responds.

"It's not enough I need more." He growls.

another voice this time soft, feminine, They sounding frightened.

"But you have everything master, what more could you possibly want." She pleads

He growls angrily in reply.

"silence I didnt ask you." He spat.

The guard shivers again, that dark voice, at first he though it was his imagination but then it kept happening, he didnt get paid enough for this shit.

"Please tell me your a crow." He whispers, he looks about ready to run for the hills. he had no idea what was going on, but every so often that voice whispered to the Magister he was guarding, making demands. something wasn't right. this place was wrong.

She nods.

"I might be." She smirks. "I was sent to deal with a certain someone. I Wasn't expecting something else to be here. How long has this been going on? Can I count on you to watch my back If I go in there? backup would be nice." She jokes.

"It's a Demon, It has to be!" He covers his mouth again, stepping away from the door, if this women really was a crow, they didnt look that tough.

"Wait a minute." He looks her up and down again. "No offence but Your no Demon of Vyrantium." He lets out a sigh, He guessed he could help them, its not like he had any other options, he certainly wasn't going to fight whatever the hell the Magister was keeping in there.

"No way im fighting a demon." He looks worried, could she really handle this, he doesn't know what to do, he felt conflicted.

The guard takes a deep steadying breath.

"What can you even do against a demon." He complains standing straight. "Your here for the Magister right?" He whispers then pales hearing that voice again.

Not enough, never enough, more...... Give me more...

The feminine voice shrieked as the Magister chuckled.

"Come here." He purrs, she whimpers.

"Please I don't want to do that." The Magister doesn't seem pleased with her response. The sound of a slap echoes, a loud crash follows as if someone was knocked into something that broke.

The sinister voice laughs again, dark and hungry, as if amused by what was happening.

What she hears makes her bristle with anger.

"There's are ways to deal with demons, Look if you cant back me up can you at least keep an eye out for the other guards while I deal with that son of a bitch." She says angrily readying to open the door, she didnt have time for this coward.

He nods nervously.

"If your a crow you can be silent right?" He glances down the hall.

"I shall close the door behind you and pretend I'm still standing Gaurd in case Captain Tomas comes to investigate." He watches her opening the door and beginning to enter and swallows, Maybe he should have taken that vacation.

As she enters the room, the first thing she notices is the piles of gold, trinkets and gems scattered everywhere like a dragons hoard, there is a large canopy bed in one corner that doesn't look like its been slept in, with an ornate divider separating it from the rest of the room.

perhaps the magister slept in his gold pile, she snickers to herself

There is large fireplace with a lion skin rug of all things.

super tacky

There was beautiful elven women sat on the rug cupping her bruised cheek, tears in her eyes.

She is dressed in a beautiful gown almost like a doll, diamond jewellery around her wrists and neck, what horrifies her the most however is her ears, mutilated to look like a human ears.

The Magister has his back to Dante facing the women, his hand raised as if to strike her again.

That's not going to happen asshole

Then something shifts in the corner of the room a pulsing black shadow that morphs into a humanoid shape, long pointed claws and glowing gold eyes, wisps of gold trailing behind it as it turns its head to watch the magister, it grins wide showing off rows upon rows of sharp needle like teeth.

More.

It whispers, its voice curling around the room eerily.

A sudden realisation strikes her, Greed!, it was a greed Demon. it had to be, the gold piles the constant seeking for more it had to be greed.

She attacks the Magister first. There was no way she was letting him get any closer to that poor woman and she had promised the kitchen slave she would save his wife. Her spell blade is at his throat in seconds her other hand crackling with magic.

The man gasps, he had not noticed her presence at all, so focused on his prize.

The room crackles with green necrotic energy and the smell of ozone is far more potent as she casts her spell.

A green spectral hand wraps around the Magister and begins to suck the life out of him.

"The Crows send their regards." She hisses as she snuffs the life out of him. before pushing him to the ground, turning to face the demon.

The demon shrieks in anger.

Noooo my feast!

It growled crawling down from the ceiling, it lands in front of her and rises to its full height, all 7 feet of it. It's golden eyes blazing in anger.

Maker its big

The elven women screams and the demon turns to her and grins.

Prety elf.

It purrs.

Stay still.

It chuckles before returning its attention to Dante. it leaps at her slashing her with its claws. She winces as they cut into her, slicing through her armour like a knife through butter, she tries not to yelp in pain. There would be time to mourn her brand new leathers later.

She covers her hand in frost, a dagger taking shape in it before she throws it. It hisses in pain, the ice curling up its side on impact before melting.

it shrieks again lurching forward to try and bite her.

Motherfucker!!

She attempts to grab it by the scruff or Whatever passes for its neck and sends three quick blasts of fire through it.

"Bad Demon." She grits out, her shoulder still stinging from its claws. The demon grunts and snaps its maw in her face slipping from her grasp like a snake, bending unnaturally.

It growls and throws a bolt of fire at her in retaliation, but it misses in its rage and the bolt hits the wall behind her.

She throws another ice dagger at it, making sure to stay as far away from the elven lady as the space of the room allowed, she didnt want them caught in the crossfire.

The Demon snarls angrily its form starting to crack slightly, it slithers closer to the elf women when it notices her looking at Dante.

MINE!

It hisses Jealously attempting to grab the elf around the waist, she shrieks kicking and screaming at it, The demon snarls at her when she bites it.

It knocks her to the ground angrily before returning its attention to Dante. Lashing out in anger but unable to land a blow against her as she dodged out of the way.

"Eyes on me. Demon!." Dante goads it before attacking again, putting herself between it and the elf woman as they attack with another ice knife hitting it in the lower body.

The demon cackles as the ice knife misses it.

This is all MINE!

It snarls throwing more fire in her direction. It scorches her skin and her armour bubbles slightly from the heat of the flames.

She yelps in pain. her skin blistering, this was starting to look bad. The stench of burnt hair was awful, she sends ice along the floor making it creep along the demons body hoping to freeze it in place.

The demon snarls slashing at the ice crawling up its body with a shriek of pain.

The elven women looks at the demon her eyes fearful, she glances at Dante and the body of the magister before lifting her hand and launching fire at the demon, it shrieks in agony as its wreathed in fire.

It growls slashing her with its claws, she gasps in pain her dress tears open at the front, her necklace breaking and falling to the floor, she gasps covering herself and promptly faints.

Dante gets between the fallen woman and the demon, grabbing one of her health potion to feeding it to her quickly some of it spilling in her haste.

The elf groans coming around she gasps as the demon looms behind you with a snarl.

"Watch out!!!" The elf warns her.

The demon pulls Dante away from the elf tossing her to the side with a growl of warning. She rolled a few times before righting herself with a groan.

MINE!!

It hisses possessively, but she could see it was getting weak, more cracks forming on its body as its hold on the material world weakened.

"Leave, walk away, You're were a spirit that got mislead, surely greed isn't your true purpose." She attempts to reason with it, she had no idea why, perhaps she hoped to distract it.

As she talks she forms more ice around her fingers in case it attacked again. She hears the guard at the door trying to calm someone down.

"The magister doesn't want to be disturbed he is playing with his slave." Not the best lie but it seems to have done the job at least for now.

If she didnt end this fight soon he was not going to be able to stop them from coming in a 2nd time.

The elven women hurls ice this time noticing it seemed to be more effective against it, this time it freezes the demon for a second or two before the phantom fire of its twisting body melts it, it whines pitifully and tries to bite Dante again only it stumbles.

She casts again, hoping this time it would be enough to kill it. her Frost coalesced in the air. rays of frost wrapping around the demon like a lasso, choking it, digging into its form like barbed wire.

The demon whines, thrashing around wildly, clawing at the lasso desperately, trying to break free, there was moment where there eyes meet and she see's something she didnt expect, fear.

and then something far worse, Tears, it was crying, weeping, it's form breaking, light seeping through the cracks.

I don't want to die.

It whimpered before it shattered completely. the room falling silent.

What the hell was that!

She doesn't have time to contemplate what the hell just happened, how the demon came to be here, what the magister had been doing here, because the doors burst open, and the guard from outside locks it behind him quickly.

"We need to leave, NOW!" He says, his eyes falling on the dead magister. She actually did it, she killed him.

"If you have anything else to do, you better hurry." He says rushing to the window and opening it.

"Come on!" He says, the elf slave looks between Dante and the guard unsure who to trust for a moment.

"I wont hurt you." He reassures her, his eyes kind, she smiles, at least he treated her better than the other guards had. He places his cloak around her covering her modesty and looks back at Dante.

For a second Dante feels sorry for the spirit turned demon. Rarely does a spirit ask to be here, as far as she knew most spirits were summoned, torn from the fade usually by blood mages.

"I need to complete my contract. You two. Head back downstairs to the under dock. The boat should still be there, your kids should be waiting for you." She says looking at the dead Magister again.

She crouches over him and quickly takes his signet ring. "Where's his study?" She stutters her mind going a mile a minute, she needed to act quickly.

"What are you talking about, this is his study!" The Gaurd starts to freak out.

"We need to go out the window, NOW!" He shouts impatiently.

She hears more shouting outside, following by banging on the door.

"Open this door this instant!" A gruff voice demands, the captain of the guard maybe.

"Hurry up!" The guard says helping the elven lady out of the window and down the trellis. "We can climb down the trellis while there distracted, come on." He says climbing after her.

"Right behind you." Dante shouts before jamming the doorknob with a chair, hoping to delay the guards further, she sets out to finish the contract, making quick work of the gruesome display, stripping him naked, for a moment she contemplates using a poker from the fire but then her hands settled on her personal seal and she smirks.

Someone is slamming there body against the door now, She needed to move.

The contract was complete, her task finished, it time to make herself scarce. She almost tumbled down the trellis in her haste to leave, barely holding onto it as she climb down.

She hears the door slam open the chair breaking, there is shouting in the room above. The alarm has been raised, this was getting to be far louder than she intended

The guard helped the elf girl as she reached the bottom pulling her down to hide in some bushes

He grabs Dante when she reaches the bottom, pulling her down aswell as the two guards patrolling the path rush back up to the front of the fort, hearing the alarm.

"Come on, this way leads to the under dock, you better go first lest the slaves freak out and attack me." He nods his head down the path.

The elven woman was leaning on him now, she was still sore from the demon attacking her despite the potion she had enbibed.

Dante nods and leads the way, keeping an eye on the two of them as she did so.

As she nears the dock, she see's the boat bobbing in the water, the tarp pulled over the top tightly, she can can see movement under the tarp, whispering from the children, and hears the father telling them to keep quiet.

She hears noise inside the kitchens, it was time to get out of here before they were found.

She makes sure everyone is in the boat before jumping in herself. It's a tight fit she hoped they would all make it out unscathed. Or at least no worse off than they already were.

The father looks at his wife shivering in the guard's cloak and frowns reaching for her, she bats him away angrily.

"Don't touch me, you let him mutilate me." She snarls moving closer to the guard.

The man looked nervous as it was, even more so when the father glared at him, it wasn't his fault the Magister cut her ears.

The father Sighs. "It was that or he murdered our children, what would you have done in my place?" He spat.

"You were given a choice, and instead of offering your ears you offered mine." She spits back "Say you did it to protect our children all you like, you did it to protect yourself. you coward." She said tears in her eyes, she still felt betrayed, he had forced her to serve that vile magister for years.

The boat drifts from the docks and around the bend of the bay, just before the guards rush to the end of the under dock having checked everywhere else in the fort.

She watches the couple argue for a moment longer before interrupting them.

"He wanted you safe you know? The first thing he asked me was to make sure I got you out of here alive. I understand it was a hard choice, but everyone is going to be safe now. Nobody was left behind. " She starts.

"Just...Let me know where your staying once You find somewhere, I'll make sure you have some of my pay to build a new life." She offers, she had always had a soft heart, she knew what it was like, just trying to survive.

They both look at the crow like they were mad. "You would do that for us? why? arnt you a crow?" The elven women asks confused at the generosity.

As the boats leaves the vicinity of the Fort and nears the city docks, she think its probably safe to lift the tarp.

"I am a Crow yes. But I wasn't born into richness, I Know what its like to have nothing. I don't need much and I can always pick up another contract. You are a family." She shrugs. "Every little helps, right?" She smiles.

The boat rocks before hitting the side of the docks, its quiet this late at night, not many people around accept the city guard, but they shouldn't pay them any mind as long as they don't give them any reason to.

The rain had stopped the air clear and slightly salty from the sea.

She doesn't know what more to say as she helps everyone out of the boat. She look at the kids, the whole family together again, she feels a pang of sadness, missing her own. The elf women turns to her.

"Words cannot express our gratitude for saving us, especially when you didnt have to." She looks worried for a moment.

"That demon.." She trails off again like she wanted to say something, like she knew something Dante didnt, but she was not sure if it was safe to tell her.

The Gaurd shifts awkwardly.

"We should go, If those other guards find us We're dead." He looks around. "We shouldn't be out in the open, I know somewhere we can lay low for a while." He offers and the father nods.

"That is probably wise." As much as he distrusted this man he had helped the crow free his wife, he couldn't be all bad.

"You're right we better not stick around. Please, lead the way." she turns to the woman as they start walking. "What about the Demon?" She asks, hoping to coax some information out of her.

"It was brought to the manner a few years ago, by a women, a Magister like him I think, she was scary, dark hair swept behind her head, colds eyes and lips stained like blood, she said it was a gift for him." She explained her voice low, not wanting her children to overhear.

"She said she had more if he wanted, that it was just a taste of what's to come." She shivered remembering her voice, she had sounded like she thought everyone was beneath her, that she was above everyone.

"I overheard them talking, she mentioned an Ossuary, whatever that is." She shuddered, that was when the Magister became more demanding, asking things of her he had no right to ask for.

"I hope I never see her again." She said tugging the cloak around her tighter as if staving of more than a chill. After walking for a bit they came across an old house, the guard pulled a key from his pocket and unlocks it, did he own this place?

"I used to use this as a safe house before I started working as guard at the fort." He explains letting everyone inside. "It's got space for us to sleep and there should be some rations around here somewhere, its not much but it will do." He smiles shyly.

The Ossuary, that somehow sounded familiar, had Viago mentioned it before? it was definitely worth mentioning to him once she gets back

"Thank you for the information." She says before stepping inside the house. "I don't know about all of you, but sleep sure sounds good right about now." She winces her injuries reminding her she was very much alive and had survived her first contract.

The elven women approaches her after the kids are asleep. The guard keeps watch by the door, while the father watches over the children.

"Thank you again." She says softly hugging herself. "I didnt think we would ever be free from that place, I didnt think the shadow dragons would hire the crows to help us." She chuckles bitterly.

She had managed to get word out, via the merchant cart that delivered supplies, hoping to get the attention of the shadow dragons, she knew they helped slaves escape there masters.

"Well, I suppose, after everything that happened not so long ago, it makes sense the dragons and crows would work together." Dante chuckles.

"I'm gonna get some rest. I have to report back and get you what I promised. Hopefully the round trip won't take too long. You think you will be okay? Must have been rough for the kids." She says in sympathy.

The elf smiles.

"They will be fine, we are free now, thanks to you." She says before letting the crow get some rest.

Chapter Text

When Dante wakes the next day, the city is abuzz with rumours that Magister Alentis is dead. They could hear a newspaper seller calling out the headline in the streets outside, through the crack in the window.

Magister Alentis slain in his own fort, stripped naked and branded.

She tries not to smile as they makes there way back to the Eluvian. The way is clear, and the guards let her pass without stopping her as she leaves the city of Minrathous behind.

The veil jumper camp is quiet, as she steps through the Eluvian, people are moving about doing whatever it is they do between manning the outposts and keeping the Crossroads clear.

An older elf approaches her. "Hey, you're that crow Ballara brought over the other day, you sure work fast." They grin.

"You ready to head back?" They ask, watching them closely, noticing the burns and cuts on their armour, they raise an eyebrow but don't mention it, they probably didnt want to know.

"I am, although if someone could buy me the newspaper back in Minrathous, I wouldn't complain, it would make a great souvenir." She jokes. "Apparently, even Crows can be victims of pickpockets." She adds, still a little embarrassed about it.

They take her to the boat without another word, they could tell she just wanted to get back home. The boat ride was quicker than it had felt on the way to Minrathous, perhaps because she was tired, or because they had seen it before and now and it had lost some of its wonder.

The caretaker seemed to watch her as if it sensed what she had been through, what she had faced, but it didnt say anything.

She arrives at the Treviso Eluvian camp, Ballara is not there, and the old elf guides her through the camp to the Eluvian.

"Thanks for using Veil Jumper Express." They laughed at their own joke. "See you around, kid." They smile before leaving her at the giant mirror.

She steps through, letting out a long sigh. She had been gone for only a day, and yet it somehow felt far longer. They made their way to where they knew Viago would most likely be.

The crow attic was quiet this early in the morning, only a few crows were milling about. The merchant was at his post of course, he always was, did that man even sleep? Heir was watching the stairs as usual.

As she approaches she overhears Teia speaking to Viago about something, it sounded worrying.

"I'm certain the First Talon will want to hear of this Viago, Toya would not lie about this." The elf says in a hushed tones.

"I do not want to worry him needlessly, we need more information first." Viago sighs. He did not want to be the barer of bad news unless it was entirely necessary.

"Alright but if this isn't an isolated incident, if there is more to this, we need to tell him." She warns before she notices Dante hovering and clears her throat.

"I will speak to you later." She smiles at him before giving Dante a wink and sauntering off.

"Your back earlier than I anticipated." Viago comments, almost sounding proud though she might have imagined that, his gaze takes in her armour, noticing the scorch marks and tears.

"I take it there were complications." He smirks, sounding amused, your first contract never goes the way you expect it to.

first she hands him the signet ring, proof of the completed contract.

"Just one. Which was kind of a big one if im honest, but I survived so that's a pluss" She pauses trying to think how to word her reply.

"Were you aware there was a demon in that mansion? I've been told it was brought there, that there was supposed to be more of them coming." She decides to get straight to the point no sense mincing words. His expression becomes grave when she mentions a demon.

"What do you mean Brought there, did the Magister not summon it? they were a blood mage were they not." He cursed, perhaps he should have got Lucanis to send Spite or one of the Bloodhunters instead. though they did complete the contract, maybe she was more capable than he initially thought they were.

"I've was told it was brought in by a woman, a magister, she didnt tell me her name, It was a demon of greed. The Magister himself was so lost in it I was able to kill him on the spot. I don't think he was powerful enough to summon a demon like that. The demon itself said the strangest things too... It said it didn't want to die. Can spirits even die?" She asks hoping perhaps he knew more than she did.

He frowns deeper. "Where did you get this information, who told you this? what else did they say? this is important, tell me everything." He steps closer and for the Frist time she see's worry in his eyes, why was he so spooked.

"It was one of the slaves. She seemed to have been the one who was around him the longest." She looks thoughtful for a moment, trying to remember if there was anything else she said that might be important.

"The woman who brought the demon in, she said they had dark hair, swept back, lips stained like blood. oh and she mentioned something about an ossuary?" She got the vibe something was very wrong here.

He paled as soon as the words left her mouth. "Keep your voice down, we must see the First Talon immediately." He grabs her arm and all but drags her through the Diamond, through the training grounds and up the stairs to Lucanis's office.

As they enter the office they find Lucanis stood at the Balcony overlooking the training grounds. Spite at his side.

He turns sharply hearing someone barge into his office, for a moment his eyes are angry at the intrusion but they became serious seeing the look on Viago's face.

"Repeat what you just told me, about the women, the Demon all of it!." Viago ordered.

Lucanis raises an eyebrow. "What Demon?" He asks his brows furrowing.

"Smells like Ozone and ash, somethings not right." Spite growls with worry.

It takes her a moment before she is able to repeat everything to the First Talon, she didnt want to miss out any details, this was clearly important.

Lucanis lets out a curse in Antivan and walks out to the balcony trying to calm down, The ossuary, no it cant be, not again , not again.

Spite begins to pace anxiously partly due to his own agitation but also because Lucanis was screaming inside.

She had never seen The first Talon so agitated before, she got the sense he knows exactly what the Ossuary is, who the women is who brought the demon, everything.

"This isn't an isolated incident Lucanis, another of my Crows Toya had a similar issue on her contract only instead of greed is was Gluttony it was almost Hunger when she discovered it." Viago begins to pace aswell.

Lucanis pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I read her report." He admits it was partially why he had been leaning on the railing out on the balcony, he had been trying to clear his head.

Normally Viago would be angry at Lucanis for going behind his back, but it had been agreed upon that any mention of the Ossuary or Demons was to be reported to Lucanis immediately.

The only reason he had not told him about Toya's contract yet was because he wanted to be certain it wasn't just blood mages being blood mages.

"Killed her twice, destroyed the Ossuary, still it haunts us." Spite hisses angrily. Dante looks between the three of them in confusion, she had no idea what was going on.

"Mine was about to turn too when I..." She frowns unsure if it was relevant. "What's going on exactly?" She asks sounding worried.

Lucanis turns to her.

"What you hear in this office does not leave here, Understood." He says his voice deathly serious. as he turns to Viago and nods.

"Bring me Toya, I want Teia, Altara and Illario here to." He orders moving to his desk and taking a seat.

Spite immediately moves behind him his hands on the back of his chair. His glowing eyes never leaving Dante.

Viago nods. "Wait here." He orders before rushing from the room to gather the others.

She was fucking nervous now, to the point of shaking. This was obviously serious business. For her first contract to go the way it did, to have this kind of reaction, something was very wrong here.

She looks to Spite, feeling somewhat unnerved with how he kept starring at her. her hand went to her Crow pin, her thumb rubbing it as a stim, the texture calming her.

"Smells like steel and flint, your nervous." Spite growls. "No need, Wont hurt you. I like you." He grins baring teeth.

Lucanis chuckles at their reaction to Spites smile.

"Spite that smile of yours isn't as reassuring as you think it is." He jokes.

Spite pouts. "You like my smile." He purrs back.

Lucanis blushes slightly.

"I'm used to it they are not." He retorts.

"I uh... Well it's the starring more than the smile that makes me nervous but it's not the only thing that's making me nervous." Dante babbles. "uh. Sorry." She apologised nervously.

"I hope its not me making you nervous, I promise I'm not that scary, did you know I knit." Lucanis admits with a smile hoping to ease her nerves.

"Dexterity training of course." He adds as if he was slightly embarrassed about it.

She lets out a nervous laugh.

"Really? I mean I know look outs can get pretty boring without something to keep your hands busy but..." She trails off with a snort of laughter.

He knits?

"No, it's...It's this whole situation I suppose. This was my first contract and for it to go the way it did, First time nerves and all...I don't think I've ever heard you swear And... I'm sorry Spite, What did you mean by ozone and ash and wrong? I mean I know ozone relates to the fade but..." She was babbling again.

"You fought one like me. Can smell it" He growls "Wrong, taken, twisted." He looks away.

Lucanis touches his hand trying to reassure him but he pulls away and moves to the Balcony.

"Spite." He says softly, he frowns, he had hoped they could put all the pain of the Ossuary behind them but it seemed even in death Zara and that maker awful place still Haunted them both. He turns attention to Dante again.

"How much do you know of my death Two years ago?" He chuckles it felt odd to call it that but until Altara had saved him he might as well of been dead, the only crow that knew he was alive had been his grandmother, then Viago, his cousin and of course Altara when Caterina sent her to rescue him.

"Not much, whatever rumours were going around at the time I guesse." She says with a shrug.

She looks toward the balcony and at Spite. "I did try to talk to the demon. It just didn't work out and I was running out of time, I'm sorry." She says softly.

Spite looks over his shoulder at her and tilts his head curiously.

"What it say?" He asked stepping back inside. He gravitates to Lucanis's Side seeking comfort. Lucanis smiles at him, touching his arm before, giving Dante his full attention again.

"I was captured by Venatori, held prisoner in the Ossuary for a year, tortured, experimented on. Spite was torn from the Fade implanted in me, they were breeding demons down there." He explains, he didnt know why was telling her this.

"We made a deal, didnt want to kill him, wanted to be free." Spite growled.

"When the elven gods escaped, Altara rescued me, she needed me to help kill them. That women you described she was the one that captured me." He sighed.

He was about to say more when the door opened and the others filed in.

Altara immediately joined Lucanis at his side. She smiled at Spite before giving Lucanis a worried look.

"That's everyone." Viago says telling the guards outside to allow nobody to enter before closing the doors.

"You wished to see me First Talon." Toya asks with a bow, she raises an eyebrow at Dante but says nothing more.

"What's this about, Cousin?" Illario asks sounding concerned.

Lucanis stands, walks around the desk and leans against it.

"Toya what did you see on your contract exactly. Tell me everything. spare no details" He orders.

She frowns, surely he had read her report by now, she shrugs.

"My target was being manipulated by a demon of Gluttony to the point he had nearly twisted it into hunger." She starts to pace as she explains.

"He was a magister, but he was so stuffed with food, so fat he was more a pig than a man but he just kept eating, he had slaves to feed him. The demon appeared when I was sneaking in. It kept demanding he eat More." She sighs.

"The most disturbing thing was when I killed the demon, it looked terrified and told me it didnt want to die, is that even possible? dont they just return to the fade?" She looked deeply troubled at the last part.

She had killed a few demons summoned by blood mages before but this seemed different, more extreme, almost like the Demons had been altered somehow, like two aspects had been fused together creating a hybrid.

"I dont think my target summoned this Demon, there was something wrong about it, it was altered, it didn't want to be there." Toya didnt like this one bit.

Spite frowns "Not right." He growls.

"I dont like how this is sounding. Was it the same for you?" Altara asks turning to Dante.

She nods.

"It was." Viago says bringing her up to speed on Dante's contract.

She curses in Antivan.

"So its as we feared." She pinches the bridge of her nose.

The ossuary, it was always the damn Ossuary, like that awful place just wouldn't let them go, even destroyed and taken back by the sea. It just kept coming up, again and again.

Dante nodded again.

"The Demon I faced didn't want to be there either. it was afraid to die I..I tried to talk to it, but it was too far gone and I didn't have time." She paused, frowning.

"Is there anything we can do to help? If none of those spirits..." She trails off, what was she even asking? she wanted to help but how could she, was she overstepping.

Lucanis turned to Altara.

"Do we still have those documents from The Ossuary, the list of demons?" He asks. He had hoped it wasn't true, that all the demons she had created from her experiments had perished when he destroyed that place, that the demons she had shipped off were already dead.

The fact that the two demons Dante and Toya had found sounded eerily familiar to that list, it didnt sit right with him. None of the demons in the ossuary had been there by choice.

He could feel how much Spite wanted to help them through the bond. For something good to come from this information.

Altara nods, as soon as Viago had come to get her, she knew what this would be about, she had felt Spites agitation, Lucanis's racing thoughts, the spike of fear and panic.

She pulls out an old folded piece of parchment from her coat, that had blood stains on it, and hands it to him without another word.

He unfolds the paper and lays it out on the desk pointing to the list, you spot both greed and gluttony on the list, the list was wasn't long thankfully only a few demons that could be potentially out there.

Illario looks angry, to be reminded of the Ossuary again, reminded him of what Lucanis went through because of him. They had put it all behind them, he had made up for his mistakes, they were a family again weren't they?

Lucanis looks at Illario and sighs, noticing his distant gaze.

"I need you in the present cousin." He says.

Illario lets out a bitter laugh.

"Apologies Cousin, what do you need of me?" He asks giving him his undivided attention.

"I'm going to need my spymasters best work. We need to go through all these contracts, I need every mention of a magister, every blood mage anyone still connected to the Venatori and the Ossuary, no matter how small you think the connection is." He explains.

"We need to gather more information and hunt these demons down and maybe if we are lucky free them before they are corrupted completely." He pinches the bridge of his nose, this was alot to organise.

"Of course, are these new crows helping us? Should they really be here?" Illario means no offence but surely more experienced crows were needed here.

"Without them we wouldn't know what we do now, they are a part of this like it or not. Besides I know Spite is looking for more crows for his bloodhunters." He chuckles.

"Help the demons? Free them?" Spite looks hopeful for a moment. "Yes." He sniffs the air and nods to himself, clearly whatever he sensed from Dante and Toya pleased him.

Toya gives Dante a curious look. "Looks like you and I just got a special assignment." She grins.

Dante grins back.

"Seems like it." She laughs

"Bloodhunters? What does that involve exactly?" Dante asks, looking at the group at large.

"Mine, we hunt. Blood mages." Spite chuckles huskily. "Good at it, can smell them. Can train you." He grins.

"I am sure you are aware why I earned the title Mage Killer, I taught Spite my methods he added a few tricks of his own." Lucanis chuckles beginning to pace again.

"With the Venatori scattered blood mages were becoming a problem, they are desperate, calling on demons, I intend to hunt them to extinction." He growls.

"Spite leads a small group of highly trained crows for just such a purpose." He smiles at her.

"I believe you and Toya might be suited to such a role." He smirks at Viago and the Talon smirks back like they were having a silent conversation.

"I want to put an end to Zara's legacy and you two are going to help me do it." He crosses his arms.

Dante felt a bit dumbfounded they had only just come back from their first contract but she cant help but smile and nod.

"It's an honour that you think we are so capable, I want to help." She says.

"Getting to train with the First Talon and the Angel of death, sign me up." Toya pumps her fist excitedly.

Spite snorts at her. "Your fun." He grins.

Lucanis smiles at Spite before returning his attention to the list with a frown. He looks up at Illario and Viago.

"I shall leave information gathering to you." He says. Viago and Illario nod and leave.

"Meanwhile." Lucanis says turning to Dante and Toya, "We are going to train you to be blood hunters." He grins.

"We cant train them in the training halls in front of the other fledglings, we need to keep this in house." Altara comments.

"we have a guest wing and courtyard in the villa, we can train them there." She smirks at Lucanis. He returns her smirk, that wasn't a bad idea.

"Are we starting now?" Dante asks as excited about this as Toya, "Oh I still have a promise to keep." She says remembering her promise to the elf.

Lucanis tilts his head at her.

"You need something?" He smiles. "Please ask." He sits behind his desk and waits patiently for her response.

"Is this about your contract?" He asks.

She nods.

"I don't know when we're getting the payment for my completed contract, but outside of repair to my armour, and a few necessities...I promised I would give the rest to the family I helped out. so I'll probably just need a quick trip back to Minrathous at some point soon that's all, I don't want to impose I just want to make sure they're looked after." She explains.

He smiles softly, he knew he had been right about her. "No need, I can inform Neve of there situation the shadow dragons can re home them and take care of anything they need, She and I have an agreement." He grins.

"Just let me know where they are and I will make sure they are taken care off, as for your payment that is for you, you earned it." He chuckles.

She smiles and gives him the information.

"Just tell them I said hi. It will probably freak them out less knowing it's from me than just. You know...Suddenly being under the protection of the shadow dragons." She laughs.

He nods.

"Do not worry Neve is very reassuring when she wants to be." He says, remembering how she had comforted him and Spite when Altara had been lost in the fade prison a few years ago.

She had been so certain they would rescue her even when he had all but given up hope, she had comforted him when he felt utterly lost. She had even calmed Spite down who had been almost inconsolable.

"They will be fine." He adds.

"On a different note, I will have servants prepare rooms for you both in the villa, all I ask is you remain in the guest wing and do not wonder into the main estate unless summoned specifically by me." He says turning to Altara, she smiles and nods.

"You may also join us for dinner in the evenings, we can discuss your training." He felt a little excited, to cook for so many people again, it felt like old times when he cooked for the Veilgaurd.

"Family." Spite smiles, he could sense Lucanis was happy to have guests.

"Training will be hard, I hope you are both prepared." He warns, as fun as the thought of cooking for them was, to have the villa be alive again, this was a serious matter, he needed to make sure they were both ready for the task at hand.

A whole wing, a guest wing. How big was the villa? She wonders then looks at Spite as he mentions family. Family...How that word could bring such sadness but also joy at the same time.

Dante smiled, then looked at Toya and grins.

"As prepared as we can be, right?" She jokes.

Toya nod's

"Yeah." She grins, getting to train with the Demon Of Vyrantium, The Ghost Of House De Riva and The Angel of Death, any Crow would kill for an opportunity like like this.

"So when do we start?" Dante asks.

Lucanis chuckles.

"Why not right away." He smirks. "Gather your things and meet in the Diamond, I will have my staff wait for you there to escort you to the Villa, I will inform the guards to let you pass." He turns to Spite and Altara and raises an eyebrow.

"We.....we will join you later." He says before glancing at them both with a smile.

There was a faint blush on his cheeks, when Spite gives him a hungry look, Altara was chewing her lip looking between her husbands the air shifting to a different kind of tension, a strange shift in mood considering the subject they had just been discussing.

"Take your time, settle in once you get there, I will have a servant call for you for dinner, we can discuss your training then." He swallows, Altara was playing with Spites hair, and Lucanis tilted his head like he could feel it.

Toya blushes getting the impression the First Talon wanted them to leave, preferable right now.

Dante picks up on it to and grabs Toya by the hand and heads out the room with a nervous laugh.

As soon as she thinks there out of earshot She turns around to face Toya.

"This is insane right? I'm not dreaming, this is happening isnt it?" This was all so surreal.

"It's definitely happening, we are going to train at Villa Dellamorte" Toya all but squeals with excitement. "With the big three." She adds with a wink.

There is the sound of a chair being pushed across the floor, Spites low husky voice sounds amused but muffled by the door.

"Spite." Lucanis purrs. You hear Altara giggle in response.

Dante Blushes furiously.

"We should go." Toya laughs leading Dante further down the stairs.

The guards groan and shift uncomfortably at the door and walk down a few steps to resume there post, it seemed they where used to this sort of thing happening.

Dante pauses.

"What do you think there doing in there?" She asks then pauses her brain catching up to her mouth. "You know what? Actually I think that question should stay rhetorical..." She laughs.

"I would pay to watch." Toya jokes with a grin. "I mean have you looked at them, there all gorgeous." She blushes and clears her throat.

"Sorry That probably should have stayed in my head." Toya throws her head back and laughs, she was always blurting things out without thinking.

Dante feels like she must have turned beat red, her cheeks burning.

"I mean, you're not wrong, definitely not blind here, but also...You know." She covers her mouth.

They hear a groan, even from where they were standing, followed by a gasp, the poor guards sighed walking down a few more steps.

"Come on lets grab our stuff and meet in the Diamond." Toya grins before rushing ahead, she spins on her heel. "This is going to be so cool." She laughs before rushing to her place to get her stuff.

Dante follows Toya before they part ways going in different directions. She heads back to her place, picks up the few scant comforts, including a few books and a small jewerly box.

She looks at the small shoebox that had been her home ever since they set foot in Treviso. She steps outside, takes a deep breath and knocks at a neighbour's door, asking them to keep feeding the strays for them while she was away.

Then, with that settled, She heads back to the Diamond.

The diamond continues on as normal, unaware of what had transpired this morning, Heir greets her with her usual cheerful tone.

"Hello, I trust things are going well, how was your first contract." They ask in curiosity.

Lucanis's words echo in their mind.

*What you hear in this room does not leave this room, understood.*

"It went as good as I hoped it would. Had a bit of a scuffle but nothing unexpected." She laughs nervously, she didnt like lying.

"Ah yes, the first one is always the hardest, I heard the First Talon was pleased to hear slaves were freed in the process." She chuckles before letting her go.

Toya was waiting with Viago, practically vibrating with excitement, a bag of her belongings over one shoulder.

"Toya." He groans in annoyance, she had always been hyperactive, she reminded him far to much of Altara when she was her age.

Normally he would be annoyed to have two of his crows poached by the First Talon but this was important business and if at the end of there training they joined House Dellamorte, it mattered not, they would always be De Riva's to him.

He was kind of proud in a way, not many houses could boast having not one but two crows garnering the interest of the First Talon for personal training.

Dante chuckles hearing Viago groan and notices Toya's excitement as she step closer.

"Toya seems exited, did she drink to much coffee?" She jokes.

"If only it were that simple." Viago sighed.

"I cant wait to see the Villa, I hear its huge." Toya grinned, making Viago groan again and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Perhaps I should be thanking Lucanis for taking her off my hands." He jokes, something very uncharacteristic of him.

"I'm sure you'll miss her when things get too quiet." Dante replies with a laugh.

"I will see you regularly enough, Lucanis will be giving me updates and I will still have authority over you both, you are merely on loan until you either prove yourself to the first Talon or give up." He says now deadly serious.

"Do not disappoint me." He warns.

"I expect you to earn your promotion, and the name Dellamorte." He smiles for the first time. Its almost unnerving. it was unheard of for freshly appointed crows to be promoted so soon after earning there wings. But Dante and Toya had adapted to challenges most veteran crows would struggle to overcome.

Dante finds herself rubbing at the wing pin again.

"We'll make our house proud." She says.

"I know you will." He crosses his arms and tenses as two servants from House Dellamorte arrive.

"Master De Riva." They greet him offering a bow before turning to Dante and Toya.

"We are to escort you to the Villa." One says.

"Please follow us." The other says.

"I shall see you in a few weeks. I expect to see progress." Viago calls after them as they follow the servants out of the Diamond.

Dante still cant quite believe what was happening.

"Absolutely no pressure, right?" She says sarcastically looking to Toya as they walk.

"If we fail we are going to have to watch our food and drinks like hawks, Viago will poison us for sure." Toya jokes in reply.

They follow the servants through Treviso, along the cobbled streets, past the markets, around the cathedral and clocktower, to the sprawling estate of Villa Dellamorte.

The villa was huge, tall outer walls, a vast courtyard and gardens. It was both beautiful and intimidating, a symbol of wealth and power.

The guest wing was no less impressive. Its courtyard just as big, they could see a training ground. a sparring ring, training dummies, a giant frame with hanging bottles on strings for training with rope darts, Altaras specialty.

"Your rooms are this way" One of the servants says as they walk into the foyer. The furniture was all crow themed in purples and silvers a giant staircase leads up to a long hallway and there rooms.

Both rooms where huge, there was a giant four poster bed with a beautiful feather themed canopy. An ornate wardrobe, a chest of draws with Vanity and mirror. Both rooms had there own en suit bathrooms.

Its was hard to believe just how rich the Dellamortes were.

Dante sighs she had never felt so in awe of a place and at the same time felt so out of place.

The room itself was twice perhaps even three times the size of her tiny apartment. The bed itself had to be the softest she had ever touched in her life. she had to be dreaming, she thinks as she explores the room and en suite.

"Holy shit." Toya gasps taking in the room. The servants glanced between themselves at her language and sigh.

"We shall leave you both to settle in, we shall come fetch you when dinner is ready." the older of the two says with a smile.

"Senore Dellamorte says you may explore the guest wing, training grounds and gardens." The other one adds.

"This is awesome." Toya grins before rushing to there own room next door.

Dante notices what looks like an adjoining door as the servants bow low before leaving them to it, She grins and knocks at the door.

Toya opens it and laughs. "Hey." She smiles. "I was wondering what this door was for." She grins.

Toya it seemed was a little hyperactive, but she was an excellent crow, it was certainly going to be interesting training and living with her here, Dante thinks to herself.

"Maker, this place is huge! Like, I have one bag and it's most of my stuff, what am I even supposed to do with all the wardrobe space? I swear I could hide in one and nobody would find me and I would have the perfect little nest." Dante muses.

"I know right." Toya agrees walking back into the room. "I barely filled one draw." She chuckles.

"I hear the main house is even bigger then this." She turns and grins. "Did you know those two servants are ours." She says excitedly. "There not slaves of course, they get paid alot of money." She laughs.

"If we need anything at all they will get it for us, you name it, snacks, clothes, weapon's, armour, equipment. Everything." She was buzzing again. "Sorry I uh get a little hyper when cool shit happens." She rubs the back of her neck with a blush.

Dante laughs at Toya's excitement it was contagious.

"I mean you have every right to be hyper about this, no need to apologize I think it's honestly gonna take me some time to get used to all this. But this is cool. I think I could use a snack, shall we ask for some?" She asks.

"Sure, I am a little hungry, but we better not spoil dinner. I hear the First Talon is an excellent cook." She grins.

She nods and goes to ask for a light snack and a change of clothes, since she has not had the time to change out of her armour yet and it needed some repairs done.

"Wait. What? I didn't know that. Where did you hear that from?" She asks returning to the subject of Lucanis being a cook.

"I overheard Spite boasting that Lucanis was cooking his favourite food once" Toya grins. "And Altara mentioned he made her churros once when she felt sad." She says with a smile, She liked to listen to people, She would hover in Diamond all the time listening in to conversations.

Dante shakes her head and chuckles.

"No way." She sits on the bed and removes the armour, inspecting the damaged leather. "I keep learning things about him that are so at odds with the image he projects, it's kind of funny." Dante remarks.

"He's a real romantic, I've overheard him talking to Altara and Spite once, whispering sweet nothings to them, its was so cute." Toya squeals, she loved stuff like this, perhaps being a romantic herself.

"I wish I had someone in my life like that." She sighs dreamily. "I cant wait to train with them, its going to be so awesome." She chuckles.

"My parents were the same. My sister and I would get sick of it sometimes, but I'm happy they have each other." She sighs happily. The gouges from the claws in the armour were nasty, would the repairs be expensive she wonders.

"You'll find someone eventually, I'm sure of that." Dante comments. "What about you?" she asks

"Are you looking for love?" She jokes.

There is the sound of footsteps from the hall outside, a moment later a soft knock at the door.

"I don't know?" Toya blushes at the notion. "I mean... Even if I did, would I have time for that as a crow?" She chuckle's "I like the idea but..." She trails off hearing the knock at the door.

Dante quickly sets the armour to the side and answers the door.

"Señor Dellamorte, is ready for you in main villa, please follow us." a servant says, stepping back into the hall.

Dante guesses there snacks would have to wait.

"Let's go." Toya grins, having already changed into a loose shirt and breaches tucked into thigh high boots.

"One moment please." Dante quickly scurries to the bathroom to change her shirt before following, leaving everything else beside the bed. "Ok , let's go." She grins.

The servants bow and begin leading them through the guest wing, along marbled floors out into the gardens and along a path leading to the main house, it was huge.

They entered the foyer, a twin grande staircase leading to a long hallway with ornate furniture came into view. they pause at a set of double doors and open them.

The dinning room was grande, a long dark wood table with a pristine white table cloth, silverware and place mats aranged neatly.

Lucanis was sat at the head of the table, Spite at his right, Altara his left, Amika Cantori next to Altara Illario next to Spite.

Lucanis stood immediately as they entered.

"Welcome please take a seat, dinner will be served in a moment." He smiles warmly, he was in a lavender shirt and waistcoat with crow skull buttons, a cravat at his neck with a collar chain. dark grey slacks and boots. he looked relaxed, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

They both notice Spite has changed his outfit as well, he is wearing a dark maroon silk shirt, the top four buttons undone revealing the top of a smooth toned chest, leather breaches and boots, a small silver necklace with a crow skull around his neck, he looked quite dashing.

Altara was in an low cut silk tunic in a deep blue with a corset belt and breaches with thigh boots.

Illario in a silk shirt and waistcoat with black slacks and polished boots.

Amika a white tunic with a skirt, her swollen belly looked huge, Dante guessed she must be due any day now.

It felt for a moment like they were intruding on a family dinner, Dante could feel the blush from her earlier discussion with Toya warm her cheeks, as she takes a seat.

"Thank you for having us." She says as she sits down.

She glances at Toya, smiling. Her joy was already something grounding somehow. She was feeling less overwhelmed knowing she wasn't alone in this. Toya takes a seat opposite Dante and grins.

"Did you cook?" She asks Lucanis excitedly.

"Of course." He chuckles as the servants bring in the food. "I made a vegetarian option just in case, please let me know if you have any dietary requirements." He smiles.

The servants bring everything in until there is a banquet before them, spinach and cheese ravioli with garlic butter, braised vegetables, boiled potatoes with herbs, roast beef with horseradish and gravy, and a Strawberry tart for desert.

"Please help yourself." He smiles before adding some of the beef, vegetables and potatoes to his plate. Altara adds the same to her plate and re takes her seat.

Spite adds an enormous helping of beef and potatoes to his plate, making Lucanis roll his eyes at him for once again avoiding the vegetables.

Illario chuckles adding some ravioli to a plate and handing it to Amika with a doting smile before getting some food for himself. Amika kisses his cheek and tucks into her food happily.

Dante ends up picking a little bit of everything because she was beyond hungry and everything looked so delicious.

"I don't have any food restrictions but I think I might have to fight someone for that strawberry tart later. It looks so good." She jokes.

Lucanis looks rather happy with her compliment, happier than she had ever seen him. Altara laughed, this felt like old times, at the lighthouse, the dining room full of laughter and banter.

Toya looks up with her mouth full of food and grinned at Dante.

"This is so good." She groans the gravy was rich and decadent, the meat tender and flavourful, it was heaven.

Amika who had been quite up until then covered her mouth and giggled around a mouthful of Ravioli.

"You will inflate that head of his." Illario jokes earning him a scowl from his cousin.

Dante laughs

"Worth it though? I don't think I ever had anything this good." She lets out a small happy sigh.

"I am glad." Lucanis grins, he enjoyed cooking, he didnt get to do it often, being First Talon did not give him much free time, but that would change, He was leaving Viago and Teia in charge while he trained them. that would mean he would have more time to cook.

Spite Glances at the newcomers. "Smells like apples and memories, you are happy." He smiles and tilts his head before going in for seconds.

Dante notices Spite seems to have a large appetite.

"Tomorrow we will begin your training, after breakfast of course." He chuckles. "I shall introduce you to my healer Dr Frances as well, should you have any medical needs he will be available to you." Lucanis says before he takes a bite of food and washes it down with a sip of wine.

Amika yawns tiredly. "I'm afraid I need to retire for the evening." She smiles when Illario finishes his food and pulls out her chair for her, helping her up.

"You look like you will pop any moment." He jokes. "I will look into those demons in the morning, Cousin" He assures him before helping Amika waddle out of the dining room to there rooms.

"Good memories, yes." Dante replies with a nod at Spite and smiles.

"Would it be possible to meet this healer before training tomorrow? I took care of the worst of my injuries from the demon with potions yesterday, but it's still hurts." Dante winces.

Toya watches Illario and Amika leave. "Its nice to see the family grow huh?" She asks.

Lucanis smiles.

"It is, after all we have been through, surviving a second coup." He sighs he was thankful to have not lost anyone, but the crows where all in line now, those involved had been dealt with and his unborn heir was safe.

He was surprised Illario was still ok with him naming his child his heir after all that had happened. Altara smiles.

"What matters is we are all here. alive and well and those traitors are not." She says before sipping her wine.

"Yes, safe and sound." Spite agrees.

Suddenly Lucanis's eyes widen and his knee hits the underside of the table.

"Spite! not at the dinner table." He scolds his cheeks now pink. Altara throws her head back and laughs.

"Would you like me to call Dr Frances now?" He asks turning to her after clearing his throat. Spite was being a little shit tonight.

She nods then tries to hide her laughter at Spite's antics. It was so interesting to see this absolutely not serious side to them.

"After dinner is fine, thank you. So..What should we expect tomorrow?" She asks out of curiosity.

"Training." He smirks making Altara roll her eyes at him.

"I think the first thing we do will be demonstrations, my husbands will show you how they spar, I will demonstrate the rope dart. Then we shall see." Altara grins.

Lucanis Raises an eyebrow. "Why do me and Spite have to spar?" He asks in confusion.

"Oh no reason, I just thought it would be nice for them to watch." She chuckles. He chuckles but says nothing at first.

Dante glances at Toya with a look saying 'yeah right' then laughs. "It's not fair using us just to cover up ogling your husbands but I'm sure it will be both entertaining and a learning experience." She jests.

She grabs a piece of the strawberry tart and stuffs a big bite into her mouth before she says anything else.

Lucanis blushes looking between Dante and his wife. "Please, I'm nothing to look at." He sighs, he had noticed the grey hair creeping in at his temples.

"Take compliment, Lucanis is pretty." Spite gives him a salacious grin making him nearly choke on his wine.

Dante was trying desperately not to spit out her drink. She found herself looking forward to tomorrow.

"I'm sure a lot of the Crows would agree with Spite." She laughs. "Oh I'm also definitely fighting people over that strawberry tart, it's. so. good." She says before taking an even larger bite.

Spite pulls the plate with the tart on it towards him and grins at Dante in challenge. She tugs it back matching his energy.

Lucanis groans.

"Please dont encourage him." He sighs.

Altara chuckles. "We should have dinner like this more often." She sighs happily. "We should invite the whole gang." She adds.

Spite looks up excitedly

"yessss." He agrees.

"Perhaps once we deal with these demon's we can throw a get together." Lucanis ponders rubbing his beard.

Dante makes the most pouty, puppy dog eyes she can at Spite.

His purple eyes begin to water. doing the same, but his puppy dog eyes where dangerous, she could feel it tugging at her heart strings.

"Spite share." Altara warns him.

"They had some, I want some." He pouts.

"Take a slice not the whole damn thing." Altara giggles. "What about me, dont I get some?" She teases.

"I made enough for everyone Spite." He sighs, sometimes Spite was a handful.

Dante breaks down in laughter again, looking away because, nope, definitely can't handle Spites puppy dog eyes.

"Toya didn't get any either." She mentions.

"I'm allergic to strawberries." She sighs, as delicious as the tart looked she didnt want to get a rash or worse.

"I shall remember that for tomorrow night, maybe we can have Churros?" Lucanis says eyeing his wife knowingly, she absolutely adored Churros.

She looked at him with her big red eyes.

"Please." She begged making him chuckle.

"Alright then." He grins, as if he could ever say no to her.

For a moment Dante feels sad for Toya. But then she grins at Spite.

"I guess that means we can split her share?" She laughs.

He grins showing sharp teeth.

"yessss Good." He growls playfully.

"Is it complicated to make churros?" Dante asks in conversation now that the tart war had concluded.

"Not really, It is one of the first Things I pestered the cooks to teach me as a boy." He chuckles, remembering it fondly, one of the few pleasures he had as a boy was learning to cook, the rest was boring lessons and grueling painful training.

Dante keeps that in mind. then covers her mouth to hide a yawn.

"I'm full. Thank you so much for this, it was all delicious." She says with a smile.

Lucanis returns her smile.

"You are most welcome, get some rest, I shall have Dr Frances visit your rooms in the guest wing in a few minutes." He stands calling one of his servants.

A portly middle aged women with grey hair enters the dining room and smiles fondly.

"Did you need something senor Dellamorte," She asks her voice kind.

"Yes could you inform Dr Frances of our guests in the guest wing. Dante here needs some healing." He says gesturing to her. "Could you have him visit there rooms after you escort them back." He asks politely.

"Of course, do you require anything else?" She asks with a smile.

"No thank you Isabella." He smiles before looking between Dante and Toya.

"A servant will escort you here for breakfast in the morning." He says as they stand to leave, Isabella waits by the door.

"I guess Toya's desert is all yours Spite." She chuckles. "Next time it's mine?" She grins.

He grinned back.

"Deal." He chuckled.

"Right, sleep yeh, should probably do that." Toya giggles before following Dante out.

Isabella Guides them back to there rooms.

"I shall inform Dr Frances you have need of him." She says before bowing and walking off to fetch him. They notice she heads further into the guest wing, it seemed Dr Frances lived in the guest wing to. Another little thing to take note of.

Dante nods before stepping back into her new room. She knew she was tired but she was still shaking with energy.

Toya follows her into the room buzzing with just as much excitement. She wanted to meet the good dr to.

"It's going to be hot tomorrow, do you think they will take there shirts off when they spar, Spite looked hot in that shirt he was wearing." She babbles pacing, full of energy.

"I should not have had that coffee." She grins.

"Maybe, maybe not? I mean, yes he was, but they are also our mentors, remember." Dante laughs. "It does mean we probably have to make sure to dress ligh-" She trails off hearing a knock at the door.

She opens the door and there is a man standing there.

Dr Frances is in his early 30's, dark hair slicked back into a ponytail, striking green eyes and a smattering of freckles on his cheeks. He was tall and slim.

He was carrying a small dr's briefcase, wearing dark grey slacks tucked into brown boots, a pale green shirt paired with a dark green waistcoat with a crystal skull broach on the breast pocket, a gift from his partner Emmrich.

"You must be Lucanis's new crows." He bows. "How may I be of assistance?" He smiles politely. He is very well spoken, his voice deep and a little husky.

Toya stares at him wide eyed behind her.

"My name is Dante, pleased to meet you. I had an encounter with a demon yesterday and while I had potions with me, it's still sore. or was it really just yesterday. Maker I feel like I've been awake for a week." She jokes.

"A pleasure to meet you." He puts down his briefcase and looks at Toya. "And you?" He asks with a raised brow when he notices how Toya was looking at him.

"I'm Toya, nice to meet you." She grins.

"I dont need healing I just wanted to meet you." She laughs, rubbing the back of her neck and blushing. He tilts his head at her strange behaviour before turning back to Dante.

"Please sit, I shall heal you." He smiles warmly.

Dante shrugs a little and sits down.

"It has been an eventful day." She sighs.

"Forgive me, I forget myself. I have not introduced myself, I am Dr Frances, I am senor Dellamortes Personal healer." He kneels in front of them.

"May I?" He says raising his hands green magic gathering at his finger tips.

"Oh it's okay, he did tell us he would send you, so...Please go ahead." Dante reassures him.

Both Toya and Dr Frances can visibly see some of the tension melt from her expression as the healing magic does its job.

Dr Frances had an excellent bedside manner, never touching without asking first and always telling her what he was going to do before he did it, she could tell he was very patient man.

"There, how does that feel?" He asks the glow on his hands dimming.

She rolls her shoulder a bit and exhales slowly.

"Much better. I didn't think I was holding it this tense." She jokes.

"That is good to hear, I live on site, should you need me just give me a call, I'm also a qualified psychiatrist as well should you need to talk about anything" He smiles.

"I shall take my leave, have a good evening." He bows then leaves.

Toya looks at the door he left through and then grins. "He was kind of cute." She laughs.

Dante laughs.

"I'm pretty sure at this point you find everyone around here at least some level of cute." She jokes before crashing out on the bed.

Toya tilts hear head, trailing her eyes over Dante for a moment. "Your not wrong." She winks.

"We should probably sleep, I think tomorrow is certainly going to be interesting." Toya chuckles opening the conjoining door.

"Goodnight, I'll see you in the morning." She smiles then heads into her own room closing the door behind her.

Dante stays silent for a moment.

"Yeah, we probably should sleep. Have a good night." She wishes her goodnight before turning in herself.

The bed feels a bit too big and she tosses and turns a little before sleep finally claims her.

Chapter Text

The servants come to get them for breakfast bright and early.

"Please follow me, breakfast will be served soon." They say walking ahead of them down the hall.

Dante falls in step with Toya, looking a little tired.

"Good morning, sleep well?" Toya asks in conversation as they both follow the servant to the main villa dining hall.

"More or less...I'm used to a much smaller space. Took me a while to fall asleep. How about you?" Dante replies.

"I must have slept, I woke up." She laughs. "Doesn't feel like it though." She yawned, "I need coffee." She jokes.

The servant opens the doors, letting them into the dining hall. Altara is staring into her coffee tiredly.

Dante notices Spite is looking far too proud of himself and is grinning when he glances up at them as they enter.

He's wearing another silk shirt this time dark blue with a sash and leather pants.

Lucanis lets out a tired yawn, sipping his coffee. The first talon is wearing a cotton shirt open at the neck. She can just about make out a bite mark on the side of his neck that looks suspiciously like Spites.

She gets the sense nobody really got any sleep that night.

"Maybe coffee is not a bad idea..." She snickers.

Lucanis smiles, looking up.

"Good morning." He greets them just as the servants serve breakfast.

Freshly baked bread, pressed coffee, fruits and pastries.

He pours Altara another coffee with a soft smile, which she returns. Then pours another one for himself.

"Did you sleep well?" He asks before sipping his coffee.

"I think so." Toya smiles.

"Took a while, but I got there," Dante says, making a beeline for the pastries along with a coffee.

Altara lets out a tired yawn. "Good morning." She smiles.

Lucanis lets out an amused chuckle at his wife before he breaks apart a croissant to eat.

"I slept fine." Spite grins, devouring another pastry.

"You look like you did." Dante laughs before taking a sip of her coffee. She makes a face and then adds a touch of milk and an insane amount of sugar.

Lucanis stares at her in horror at the amount of sugar she is putting in her coffee, almost looking slightly offended.

Spite laughs, sensing Lucanis's distress.

Dante looks up. "Something the matter?" She asks, genuinely curious what had upset him so much.

"That is more sugar than coffee." He sighs, sipping his own.

"Dont get him started on coffee, we will be here all morning." Altara jokes as doors open and Illario walks in, looking worried.

"Is everything alright, Cousin, is Amika?" He lets the question hang in the air.

"She's fine, dont worry, she just can't get out of bed." He chuckles, gathering some food for her.

"You could have called a servant to bring food to your rooms." Lucanis reminds him.

"I know, I just want to feel useful." He sighs, he feels useless. The closer it got to her due date, the more worried he was getting.

"She will be fine, she's a strong woman." Lucanis smiles, and Illario nods in agreement.

"She is indeed." He smiles.

"It is more sugar than coffee, but that's only because chocolate on its own or tea doesn't have enough caffeine... I tasted it without sugar first! But I always find it too bitter. " Dante says with an apologetic look.

He chuckles. "You're as bad as my wife." He jokes, and Altara pouts playfully.

"Even I dont have that much sugar in my coffee." She grins.

"I shall tend to my fiancée, then begin my work, First Talon." Illario grins before taking the plate of food to his rooms.

"Hanging in there, Toya? Is the coffee doing anything for you?" Dante laughs

"I'm all good now." She grins, back to her normal, cheerful self.

"We should head to the training grounds. Then" Lucanis says, standing up

"Yessss." Spite hisses excitedly. He was restless, fighting Lucanis was always exciting.

Dante had perked up now that she had caffeine.

It was very hot today the courtyard had little shade, it would make training harder. It was already this hot and the day had barely start.

How much hotter could it get?

The training grounds were well thought out, with different areas for different skills

Training dummies for both close quarters and long ranged weapons.

A sparring ring that looked like it see's regular use.

And an obstacle course for agility and balance.

"Right then shall we dance." Lucanis jokes turning to Spite with a bow.

"If I win I get a kiss. In front of everyone." Spite grins.

Lucanis's eyes narrow.

"If I win you have to help with my with paperwork for a week." He counters and Spite looks horrified.

"Deal." He growls drawing his daggers and moving to the ring.

Dante could tell they were already sweating, the Antivan sun was hot this time of year.

Lucanis draws his daggers and enters the ring cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders to loosen them up.

"I shall mediate, first to three" Altara grins before throwing Dante and Toya wink.

"Agreed." Lucanis smirks moving into a stance.

"Agreed." Spite nods doing the same his daggers raised.

Spites daggers where curved and shaped like feathers, with beautiful etching on the blades no doubt custom made.

Even just standing there watching, the sun was sweltering. She looks between Lucanis and Spite, how were ok in this heat.

It was easy to see how skilled they were just from the way they moved.

"Ready?" Altara grinned and both of them nodded. "Go!"

Lucanis moved first darting across the ring. Spite met him in the middle there daggers clashing, as he twisted circling him.

He jumped back, the way Lucanis moved was graceful almost dance like. A true Antivan.

Spite was agile, fast and insanely flexible. The way he could bend out of the way of attacks was impressive.

Altara grinned turning to Dante and Toya. "You know what I love the most about watching them spar?" She asks with a grin.

both were breathing hard, there shirts soaked with sweat.

They decided to take them off tossing them to the side. The sweaty material had started to cling to there skin and get in the way.

Now in just there breaches, boots and sashes.

Spite was lean and athletic. His chest smooth except for a small amount of hair starting at his belly button and disappearing into the waistline of his pants. His dark purple skin glistening from sweat.

There was an arrow scar on his right shoulder that was pink and stood out against his dark skin, his back had strange markings like wings. It wasn't a tattoo but it kind of looked like one.

Lucanis was broad shouldered and more muscular than Spite, his chest hair was sticking to his bronze skin, a thin sheen of sweat glistening as his muscles moved.

He had tied his hair back. There were a lot of scars on his back that looked like it was from torture, a whip perhaps. there was a few scars on his chest as well a tapestry of pain and endurance.

"That." Altara Smirks as the crows clash once more grunting with effort.

Lucanis flipped backwards out of the way as Spite spun on his heel kicking up gravel as a distraction.

Lucanis was to smart to fall for such a cheap trick.

Spite growled darting across the ring, faster than he had any right to be catching Lucanis by surprise, his blade aimed between the fourth and fifth rib.

He paused before the blow could land and chuckled.

"Spite wins the point, your getting sloppy Lucanis." She teases as he wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

"I think your enjoy this far to much." He chuckles.

"likes to watch us, likes it when we take our shirts off." Spite grins.

"This is the best day of my life." Toya mutters to herself staring as the men began to circle each other again looking for an opening.

Dante had been mesmerized the entire time. this was entirely on another level, the attacks were so precise, so perfectly timed.

"I can get why..." She stammers then facepalm, feeling flustered. She points between Altara and the two of them. "But also... That was so precise and fast."

"That was just round one." She grins. "He's the First Talon of course he is precise, but Spite knows him better than anyone, he knows how he moves." She returns her attention to the fight.

Spite bends backwards like a game of limbo as Lucanis thrusts forward with his blades.

He rolls out of the way his foot coming around nearly taking Lucanis's feet out from under him.

Lucanis leaps backwards onto his hands and springboards back onto his feet tossing some gravel at Spite.

"Always use your environment to your advantage." He pants for breath.

Spite grumbles dusting himself off and freezes when Lucanis presses a dagger to his throat.

"one point to Lucanis. That's a point each" Altara chuckles, when Spite pouts.

Dante Laughs knowing she would be left in the dust within seconds sparring with either of them.

They continue the match, Spite grabbing another point with a stunning manoeuvre. Lucanis evening the score with one of his own.

They where circling again laughing. They where evenly matched, Spite matching him blow for blow until he manages to knock Lucanis to the ground and straddles him pinning a hand to the ground. He leans down breathing hard, and grins. Thinking he has won.

Lucanis surges forward and presses his lips to Spites catching him by surprise, when he groans leaning into it he finds himself on his back with a dagger at his throat.

"Never celebrate until victory is assured." Lucanis smirks at him.

Altara lets out a laugh at Spites shocked expression.

"Lucanis wins." She chuckles.

Lucanis offers him a hand up and he takes it letting him pull him to his feet. Both were breathing hard trying to catch there breath.

"Don't look so down Spite, you might have lost and have to help me with paperwork, but you still got your kiss." He grins.

Spite groans at the thought of paperwork.

"Worth it." He grins accepting the towel offered by Altara.

Toya went bright red when Lucanis kissed Spite

"I don't think that was part of the training." She says, fanning herself. It was very hot out.

"I mean, it's definitely an interesting distraction. Not sure it would work with everyone though " Dante muses.

She covers her mouth and laughs in embarrassment she really needed to stop running her mouth like this.

"It is good to read your opponent to find an opening" Lucanis smiles.

"Though I imagine most enemies would be surprised if you kissed them, I would not advise it." He says, wiping the sweat from his chest with the towel before draping it over his shoulders for a moment.

"Here." Altara says, offering him a glass of water.

"Thank you." He says downing it in one, sparring with Spite was thirsty work.

Spite was still grumbling about how boring paperwork was.

"They spar next." He says looking between Dante and Toya.

"That's a good idea Spite, lets see what you two can do, see what we are working with." Lucanis says pulling his shirt back on.

Dante grins, ready for action but a tad nervous .

"Best of three?" She says bouncing from one foot to the other after she entered the sparring ring.

"You bet." Toya grins pulling out her daggers and twirling them in her hands. her expression now deadly serious, all playfulness gone.

"Smells spicy, like fire, and lemons, competitive." Spite purrs.

Dante's expression changes as well, as she pulls her spell blade out and takes a starting stance.

She starts circling, her eyes never leaving Toya, waiting for an opening.

Toya matches her, watching her feet and hands, patient, calculating.

"Points will be awarded for kill strikes, Neck, between the fourth and fifth rib, Kidneys, Femoral artery." Lucanis explains.

"Obviously don't kill each other this is just a sparring match." Altara giggles.

Dante decides to make the first move, a feint to the left aiming for the ribs.

Toya doesn't take the bait, noticing a slight hesitance in Dante's movements like she knew what she planning. She was excellent at reading people.

She flips back darting to the right away from her and then she's in front of her like she teleported, which was impossible she wasn't a mage.

Dante feels cold steel at her throat a second later, Toya's eyes Laser focused.

"Very good, Toya I had a feeling this would be your forte, but don't get cocky, I've seen Dante during there training they are not to be underestimated." Lucanis warns her and she nods stepping back.

"One point to Toya." Altara says her hands clasped in front of her watching closely.

Dante takes a careful step back and exhales slowly.

"Maker... You are fast. How are you that fast?" She laughs

Toya smirks.

"We all have our speciality's." She twirls her blades again, she is very dexterous with her hands, most thief's were. it was what earned her wings after all.

"Alright Dante, show me your worthy of those wings." Lucanis orders his expression serious.

She nods and starts circling again. This time keeping her distance, knowing her speed now. She changes tactics and send a bolt of lightning at her feet, not with the intention to hurt but with the intention to blind for a split second.

She gasps distracted, she had not expected her to use magic, that was a mistake, she tries to slash at her blindly hoping to catch her but she has light dancing in her eyes and cant see.

"Excellent." Lucanis shouts. "Distract you enemy, shatter there focus." He says proudly.

Dante side steps Toya's blind attack easily and then cast just a little bit of ice right under her feet, for good measure before she darts forward and goes for a point.

"Clever, quick, sneaky mage." Spite grins.

"Well done Dante." Altara chuckles. "That's one point each." She says with proud smile.

"Well played Dante." Toya grins pulling off her over tunic and wiping her brow. she throws her outer layer to the side now in a skin-tight vest, Dante could see the muscles on her arms from all the climbing she did, she had several scars on her forearms in neat lines.

Dante lets a little of the frost cover her fingers once and runs them down the back of her own neck to cool off. She notice the scars and frowns a little at them but otherwise keeps silent, she didn't want to pry.

"lets do this." Toya grins excitedly.

"You are both excellent crows, I think you two are going to work well together." Lucanis chuckles.

"Maybe you can share a little of that ice after." Toya pants for breath. "It's way to hot." She laughs, as she circles her, her eyes more watchful this time.

"I will, Promise." Dante laughs.

She is well aware she couldn't use the same trick twice. so she lunges forward, ice coalescing in her hand into the vague shape of a knife as she feints, she fade steps behind Toya and instead covers the ground with ice, hoping to make her slip.

Toya ducks spinning on her foot, knocking Dante feet out from under her in a circle kick. using the ice to spin faster like a figure skater.

"Nice try." She taunts her blade pressed against her thigh by the femoral artery, as she balanced above her.

Toya slips on the ice and sits down on Dante, she moves the knife so as not to stab her and giggles at the position they where both in.

"I like this fighting." Spite purrs and Altara Elbows him playfully.

Lucanis clears his throat and smiles.

"Adapting to environmental hazards is vital on a job, well done Toya." He praises and she blushes furiously.

Dante cant not tell if she is blushing because of Lucanis's praise or the fact she was practically straddling her.

"Two points to Toya one to Dante, You two fight well together." Altara laughs as Toya tries to get off her and slips on the ice again, rolling onto her back.

"This ice feels so nice." She laughs letting the cold sink into her back to cool off.

Dante is stunned for a moment, red in the face and not because it was so damn hot outside. She just rolls over on her stomach on the ice, using her arm to hide her face.

"It does feel good, doesn't it?" her reply slightly muffled by her arm.

Toya lets out a laugh and glances at Dante before looking away, she liked her, but that was probably a bad idea. she sits up as the ice recedes and spins her daggers.

"Come on breaks over." She laughs rolling her shoulders.

"Your both doing well, I'm glad we picked you two for this task." Altara smiles.

Dante stretches like a cat before standing back up, the front of her shirt absolutely drenched with melting ice water.

Dante's attention snaps back to Toya quickly. It was her chance to win the match but Dante wasn't going down that easily, she would put up a fight.

Spite snickered. "Cinnamon and cloves." He comments.

"What did Taash tell you about commenting on how people smell." Altara teased him.

"Not to." He grins earning him a playful shove.

"Spite, Behave this is not the time or place for your games." Lucanis says though a smile tugs at his lips.

Spites cryptic messages were always fun to decipher.

Toya glances down Dante's front then up and shakes her head to clear it.

"Come on Dante, show me your moves." She taunts pretending to attack then jumping back.

Dante had always loved how sparring feels, it always felt like a dance. She takes a light step back then feints forward before jumping back as she casts rays of fire to keep her on her toes. she fade step above her this time around aiming to knock her to the ground.

Toya gasps avoiding the fire only for Dante to disappear again, she curses trying to keep track of her

"Mages are tricky Toya, You need to be on your guard at all times." Lucanis advices.

She nods, it was easy for him to say, he had far more experience fighting mages then she did. she tries to turn on her heel to stop her.

Only to be met by a knee to the chest and a blade to the neck, both angled from above.

"Don't forget to look up." Dante taunts.

"Holy shit that was cool." Toya laughs.

"Evenly matched." Spite comments.

"Well done, excellent work." Lucanis smiles.

"A draw, I was not expecting that, Well done both of you." Altara grins.

Dante laughs blushing at the praise. "I didn't hit you too hard, did I?" She asks Toya in concern.

"Nothing I cant handle." She grins in reply.

"Excellent, both of you will be perfect Blood hunters, wont they Spite?" Lucanis chuckles.

"Yesss, Good." He nods. "Will train them, yes." He rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck then grins even wider.

"Don't go to far Spite, they don't heal as fast as you, nobody does." Lucanis chuckles in amusement, Spites was not the most patient teacher.

"I will help train Toya in mage killing, You will help train Dante, your knowledge of the fade will be beneficial to them I think." He was already formulating a plan in his head.

Dante winces at the sound of the crack of Spites neck, but then smiles, genuinely curious what he would teach her.

She leans toward Toya.

"Remind me to never give you reasons to be on your bad side ." She laughs.

Toya grins back at her.

"Back at ya." She winks. then pales ."Wait....hold on a second, did you just say your going to train me?" She gasps at Lucanis. "The First Talon. Himself is going to train me?" She says with a squeak.

"I did say that yes." He smirks "I hope you can keep up." He teases.

"I get to train the mage." He grins. "Show you real magic." He smirks.

Dante laughs at Toya's reaction.

"Pretty sure it was the idea from the start wasn't it. But I admit, it's still pretty cool. " She smiles.

She looks back at Spite. "I look forward to it. I guess the mostly self taught magic must feel a bit like parlour tricks to you, doesn't it?" She grins.

He laughs low and rumbling.

"Barely touched the fade." He purrs.

"Not everyone was born in the fade Spite." Lucanis laughs, he could feel Spites excitement through there bond.

He had never felt Spite react like this, like he sensed something in them, perhaps Dante's determination resonated with him.

Toya was buzzing with excitement but also nerves, to train with the First Talon in mage killing, the famed Demon of Vyrantium, Lucanis rarely took crows under his wings. this was a huge honour.

"Don't forget about me." Altara pouts "I will be training you both occasionally, mostly in long ranged weaponry and stealth tactics." She smiles when Toya looks at her wide eyed.

"Pinch me im dreaming." She whispers to Dante. "There's no way this is real, I'm asleep in my room and when I wake up Viago will be complaining I'm late to class again." She laughs.

Dante gently pinches her with a laugh. "I'm pretty sure we're both awake! I definitely drank enough coffee to be awake." She laughs.

She turns to Altara. "You mentioned a rope dart showcase, right?"

"Of course." She smiles. reaching into her pocket and holding it out, she unwinds it.

"Follow me." She says walking to the large frame with the hanging bottles.

"Rope dart expert." Spite explains as he follows, he wanted to watch.

"She can be quite frightening with it." Lucanis laughs, he had fought side by side with her using the rope dart before, ducking and weaving around it sure made combat interesting.

She rolls her shoulders taking position in the middle.

"The Rope dart is tricky, you need to keep it moving, if you slow down for even a moment your going to be in knots or strangled." She explains holding the chain and letting the blade dangle at her side.

She began to move, spinning the blade around and around like a lasso, then in figure of eights, increasing the tempo, moving her feet tilting her head out of the way as it moved around her.

Then in a moment of speed she kicks the blade forward smashing an urn with deadly precision, she tugs it back sharply bending her body knocking it backwards smashing an urn behind her.

She pulled it back winding it around her body turning on her heel flipping backwards and throwing it out once more, smashing another urn.

She lands on her feet, the blade constantly on the move, winding in and out, going faster and faster.

It was remarkable she didn't make herself dizzy she was moving so fast, demonstrating its crowed control possibility's.

"The rope dart is exceptional for fighting multiple enemy's." She shouts winding it around her neck then back out, keeping its momentum.

"Lucanis!" She shouts and he nods, jumping into the ring with her, flipping out of the way, ducking and weaving, his daggers drawn.

"Sometimes an enemy can get to close that's when the chain comes in handy." She laughs, throwing it out catching Lucanis around the ankle, she tugged and he let out a gasp landing on his back, she flipped over him winding the chain around his neck, not tightly more to demonstrate then to harm him. she then pointed the tip of the blade under his chin.

He tilts his head back, not wanting to get nipped he knew it had poison on it.

"Mierda!" He gasps breathing hard looking up at his wife in awe, he had expected the attack but it still knocked the wind out of him.

She unwinds the chain and helps him up.

"If you want to learn, I'm happy to teach you, don't worry your rope darts wont be coated in poison like mine" She jokes as if that was perfectly normal.

Dante looks at Toya and then back at Altara and then back toward Toya again.

"You would be so deadly with that." She comments remembering her speed.

Toya stares wide eyed.

"I mean practice makes perfect and I definitely want to try but Toya, you're already so fast, that would be completely insane in your hands." She jokes.

"I'm willing to give it a try, doubt ill be as good as Altara though." Toya laughs.

"It's a very versatile weapon, I prefer to keep my garrotte wire and dagger separate myself." Lucanis chuckles, still catching his breath.

"I can see it being really useful for when I can't use my magic." Dante replies.

"It can be double edge sword, if you throw it wrong you could end up with it bouncing back in your face. so be prepared if you want to learn this weapon your going to get hurt lot." Altara warns.

She remembers when she had been learning it, she would come home covered in bruises and cuts and that was before she added poison to the mix, it had been Viago's idea of course, said it gave her more incentive to not mess up.

He had the antidote of course but he never told her that, needless to say she learned real fast after that.

"Rope dart is sexy." Spite purrs.

Lucanis swats his arm playfully.

"Spite!" He scolds, before crossing his arms. "He's right though." He smirks at Altara, remembering the time he and Spite had first seen her use it.

"Have you ever tried it while fade stepping before, would it keep its momentum if I'm just holding the chain?"

Spite tilts his head.

"Should try, and see." He says glancing at Altara expectantly.

"Maybe let Dante learn without fade stepping first." She laughs.

"Always take long way." He sulks.

"I think that's enough training for one day, I have a new recipe I want to try tonight, I need time to prepare." Lucanis smiles.

"Can help?" Spite grins.

"The last time you tried to help, I burnt the pasta." He scolds him.

"Not my fault, your neck is so sensitive." He teases.

Lucanis rolls his eyes.

"You are a menace." He Chuckles.

Altara smirked.

"That maybe true, but he is our menace, isn't that right Spite." She grins.

"Yess, see, Altara understands." He crosses his arms and smirks at him.

Dante laughs. "Do I need to cool someone off?" She giggles.

Spite turns to her in confusion. "I am not hot, why would I need to cool down?" He tilts his head and Altara snorts with laughter.

"I think your hot Spite." Toya blurts out then covers her mouth and blushes.

Lucanis let's out a exasperated sigh.

"Why don't you two take a break, I shall call for you once dinner is ready." He says glaring at Spite.

"And you can help Altara clean up this mess." He laughs pointing to the ceramic pieces scattered on the floor from Altara's rope dart demonstration.

"Not fair, didn't make mess." Spite grumbles.

"Keep complaining and ill make sure there's no desert for you." Lucanis warns.

"ugh fine." He sulks.

Dante was trying not to laugh too hard as they meets Toya gaze. she puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's head back." She smiles.

"Yeah, before I embarrass myself further." She giggles in reply following after her.

"Come on Spite, maybe I'll help you preen your wings after as a treat." Altara jokes picking up the the pieces from the floor and putting them in a bucket.

"Promise?" He asks as he helps.

"Clean up first." She laughs.

"You know those three are so adorable when there like this." Toya comments following Dante towards there rooms.

"They remind me of my parents when I was a kid. Always looking at each other like that all the time, like there's no one but them in the world. It is adorable. It was also the most embarrassing thing for me as a kid." Dante laughs.

"I'll bet." Toya grins. "I wonder if I'll ever meet someone that looks at me like they do each other." She sighs wistfully.

"It would be nice, wouldn't it?" Dante says running her hand down her face, definitely trying to chill herself off and not make it too obvious.

"Maybe we should take a bath, I heard from Altara that the bath house in the guest house is huge." Toya says, looking away with a blush.

"Would be nice to soak away the aches and pains, from our spar, you kicked my ass." She adds.

"We're pretty even in the ass kicking area I think. But yeah, a bath sounds awesome. We're probably both stinky. No matter what Spite may say about smell. Cinnamon and cloves? What do you think that was about?" Dante asks.

"No idea, I don't know how Lucanis and Altara can understand him, but they have some freaky bond thing. I overheard Lucanis talking to Viago about it once." She smiles.

"The uh, bathhouse is like those ones from Orlais, you know, the big ones where everyone shares, never shared a bath before." She says rubbing the back of her neck.

"It's supposed to be a bonding experience, or something." She laughs nervously.

"Might be a fade thing? She says still thinking about Spite commenting on smells "Oh! Oh, that's nice. I can't remember the last time I've been in a bathhouse like that. I remember a fair bit of Orlesian from my mum, actually."

"Really? I've never been to Orlias myself." Toya says as they walk. "I heard it's really posh." She grins.

"Maybe we will get to go there on a contract one day." Dante ponders as they enter the hall that leads to there rooms.

"Oui! Ça fait..." She pauses trying to remember more at the moment but draws a blank. "Uh... Its been a while since I spoke any, I'm rusty..." She laughs.

"Well, a lot of it is posh yeah, but the best places are not the really posh ones. It would be nice to go back one day." Dante muses. as they reach there rooms.

"I'll grab a towel and change of clothes and ask the servants where the bathhouse is." Toya grins.

"I'll come get you once I know." Toya then jogs into to her room.

A Brief conversation with there servants later Toya hovers by the conjoining door for a moment then knocks.

she could hear singing, in Orlesian, coming from Dante's room right before she opens the door.

Toya grins rocking back and forth on her heels nervously.

"I didn't know you could sing, it was ....uh nice.. What I heard I mean." She grins guiding her down the hall towards the bathhouse.

"You heard me?" Dante blushes and looks away with a smile. "I haven't in a while... But we were talking about...Orlais and Well it just came back to me." She smiles.

"I can....uh..dance pretty well but I cant sing to save my life." Toya giggles. "I thought your voice....was really pretty." She says stopping at a set of double doors.

"Ready to see the baths, apparently there super pretty." She said placing her palms on the doors.

"Thank you." Dante smiles at her compliment. "Who knows, maybe we can woo a target with a song and a dance at some point." She nods. "I'm ready." She says preparing herself.

"oh yeah we would totally be feme fetals." Toya giggles before pushing the doors open, she gasped at the sight before her.

The bath house was huge, a giant pool lined with mosaic tiles fed by a fountain in the shape of crow, stone pillars held up a ceiling of painted murals depicting crows and flowers.

there was seating scattered around with baskets full of scented oils and soaps that probably cost a fortune.

"Holy shit I could get used to this." She said rushing to the basket to pick a scent for the bath.

"what do you think? Honey and lavender cream sounds nice." She grins holding up an expensive looking bottle of scented oil.

"You're right, it does sounds nice." Dante grins looking around, depositing her things in one of the benches surrounding the pool. "I don't mind being bruised during training if this is what I come back to." She jokes.

"Hell yeah." Toya grins, adding some of the honey and lavender cream oil to the water, before stripping off and tossing her clothes in a basket.

She dives into the pool, the water is milky and conceals her nudity as she comes up to the surface slicking her hair back.

"The temperature is perfect." She sighs.

Dante is little bit more careful with her clothes before taking the plunge as well. She almost groaned at the temperature of the water. It felt wonderful. She decides to swim under the fountain, letting the water fall across her face and shoulders.

There were two hand shaped burn scars across her shoulders and at their edges finer scars that looked like a pattern.

Toya stares at her, watching the water run down her back with a swallow before her gaze settles on the scars.

"Your back?" she gasps the covering her mouth. not wanting to be rude.

"Memories of an unhappy time I wanted to get rid of as soon as I learned magic." Dante says rubbing the back of her neck, the burn scars are exactly the same size of her hand.

"Don't ever do what I did. It... It really sucked, but the memory sucked more so ..." She shrugs.

"I wish I could erase mine." Toya comments turning her back, so she could see the whip scars on her back. "Before the crows I was a slave back in Tevinta." She shivers "My master was a blood mage." She shows her forearms.

"Never took enough to kill me, just enough for them to stay pretty." She shakes her head, not wanting to remember. "Doesn't matter now, I killed her, and ran away." She grins. "Viago found me, half starved stealing from his mansion." She chuckled.

"Been a crow ever since." She laughed.

"Viago seems to collect us like that, doesn't he?" Dante chuckles. "Birds of a feather, I suppose." She grins.

"yeah, I guessed he does." Toya chuckles. "I heard he raised Altara after she was dumped on his doorstep." She comments

"I don't know if that's true though, we could ask her?" She ponders "that's probably rude to ask right?" She sinks into the water and blows bubbles.

"Probably..." Dante laughs at the bubbles.

"We should probably wash and change for dinner." Toya smiled shyly. Moving to grab some soap to do just that.

It's was Dante's turn to sink in the water, trying to hide her blush . She blindly grabbed a soap from one of the baskets closest to her.

She tries not to stare at Toya as she quickly washes herself then dunks under the water to rinse off, she lifts her arms wringing her hair out then blushes realising Dante would see her breasts and quickly turns around to get out and pull on her clothes.

There is a knock at the door of the bathhouse.

She quickly answers it having already changed.

"Hey." She greets.

"senor Dellamorte requests your attendance for dinner." The servant says polity.

"Right we will be there in a moment." She nods.

Dante takes a moment longer to wash, curses about forgetting a towel with the rest of her clothes

She finds one and finally gets ready, red faced the entire time.

"Come on, I want to see what that new recipe Lucanis wanted to make is." Toya grins hopping from one foot to the other.

"I'm done, I'm done, let's go. " Dante blushes with embarrassment.

"lead the way " Toya grins at the servant.

As they enter the dinning room they notice its only Lucanis, Altara and Spite sat at the table. It seemed Illario and Amika would not be joining them tonight.

"I hope you enjoyed the bathhouse." Lucanis chuckled noticing they both had wet hair.

"It was wonderful." Toya smiled taking her seat.

"You should see the baths in the Villa. They put the guesthouse baths to shame." Altara chuckles.

"Baths relaxing." Spite agrees.

servants file in placing food on the table.

This time, a delicious looking lamb ragu with onions, tomatoes and garlic. with dauphinoise potatoes. And as promised Churros with chocolate sauce for desert. As well as a bottle of red wine to share, the vintage looked expensive.

Dante takes a deep breath and closes her eyes with a smile. "It smells wonderful." She comments sitting down.

"The baths were wonderful. I know I'll be spending a while there between training sessions." Dante jokes.

"It is an excellent way to unwind after a contract." Lucanis agrees filling his plate.

He chuckles at the portion of food Spite takes.

He had made sure to cook enough that there would still be food for everyone after Spite got his hands on it.

Dr Frances had told him Spite had an unusually fast metabolism so he needed a lot more calories than a normal person. It was why Spite could heal so fast.

"Delicious." Spite grinned before tucking in.

"You two did well today." Altara comments sipping her wine.

"we did ok." Toya grins at Dante before eating her food.

"Just okay? I thought it was great. I learned a few things." Dante smiles before tucking into my food as well.

She almost melts into her chair at the flavour. "Oh. It's... You know, I know training won't be easy and everything, but this absolutely feels like being spoiled. I could get used to this. Or maybe not, it's a lot, but... It's great. It's really great." Dante babbles.

My cheeks turn pink as I realized I started talking too much again.

"There is nothing wrong with enjoying a little luxury, crow business is dirty business after all." The First Talon chuckles.

"Much better than camping in the hotsberg wetlands surrounded by blight." Altara jokes, remembering the time they had spent there helping Antoine with his blight research, Lucanis had complained the entire time much to everyone's amusement.

"Lucanis hates roughing it." Spite grins in amusement between mouthfuls of food.

About 5 minutes into dinner, a servant rushes in and whispers in Lucanis's ear, his expression sours and he nods, standing up.

"Please excuse me a moment." He bows his head and follows the servant out of the room.

"That cant be good." Altara sighs wondering what had happened.

Spite frowns Lucanis was angry, he could sense it boiling through the bond.

"I don't know... I mean luxury is totally perfect, but roughing it out is not so bad either." Dante continues obviously.

Then she notices the sudden change in the air. "Anything we can help with?" She offers.

"That will depend on what Lucanis says when he returns." Altara says sipping her wine and trying not to worry.

Spite gets up abruptly with a snarl.

"Lucanis needs help." He growls before rushing to a window, and leaping out of it, his wings popping out as he soared into the air towards the Diamond.

"Shit." Altara stands and began to pace, she closed her eyes as if listening to something, about 10 minutes later, she lets out a sigh. "They have it in hand." She grabs her wine and downs it. She had been about 20 seconds from running after them.

About an hour later Lucanis and Spite return, the First Talons expression was calm and collected, despite his ruffled appearance and the blood on his collar, he sat back in his seat and let's out a weary sigh.

"Nasty business." Spite griped sitting down heavily.

"There was an incident." Lucanis sighs. "A demon attacked the Diamond, several fledglings were killed, the demon has been taken care off we suspect its one from the list, it changed into something else mid fight." He frowns at the blood stains on his clothes. "This was my favourite shirt." He sighs.

Dante looked toward Toya, distraught. "Anyone we knew? How many? How did it get there?" She begins to ask questions.

"Illario is investigating how it got in and who could have sent it. Viago is trying to confirm the identity's of those we lost." Lucanis frowns his grip on his wine glass making it crack slightly under his grip.

"I will find out who is responsible. and they will pay for this." He growls putting his glass down before he breaks it and trying to take calming breaths. The attacked the crows directly, that would be there last mistake.

Toya looks back at Dante and swallows she had never seen Lucanis so angry before usually he was so calm and collected.

He runs a hand over his face and sighs.

"This has spoiled my appetite." He pushes his plate away and gets up to lean against the mantle place watching the fire, the flames always calmed him down.

Spite was agitated, Lucanis was angry he could feel it through the bond like static electricity setting his teeth on edge. he stood and began to pace like a lion in a cage.

"Shit." Altara curses angrily.

It was like watching a domino effect, first Lucanis then Spite then Altara, whatever bond they shared it was a deep connection, they seemed to feel each other's emotions.

"Finish your food and get some rest, I will have more information in the morning, we may have to move our plans forward." Lucanis speaks, his voice authoritative but kind despite his irritation.

Dante looks at her plate for a moment then back at Toya. she tries to take another bite. then pushes her plate away and stands up. "We will go back to our rooms." she says, mostly for Toya's benefit

She nods in reply and gets up to, she had lost her appetite as well.

"I will have someone collect you in the morning." He says without looking at them.

Dante nods back already walking toward the door. "Thank you." she says softly.

"Coming for the crows, who would be so stupid." Toya thinks out loud, glancing back at the room they just exited as they follow a servant back to there rooms.

"I've never seen him so angry before, then it spread like dominoes, it was kind of freaky." Dante adds falling in step with her.

"Someone who wants revenge I'll bet. They went for the fledglings first too. That was a message. It could have us. Four days ago it could have been us." Dante tries not to freak out.

"yeah, but who would hold a grudge against the crows." Toya ponders

the servant says nothing as they bring you to your rooms.

"Goodnight." They bow before turning to leave, they knew there place, one didn't comment on crow business, that was not what they were paid for.

Dante nods to the servant and turns back toward Toya.

"Specifically? I don't know. But a lot of people could hold a grudge against any of us. My first contract was to kill a magister and the news was out the very next day! I wouldn't be surprised if I ruffled some feathers there." She comments.

"Mine was a lord in Minrathous. it got real messy" She nods "I suppose anyone we kill could make enemy's for the crows." She sighed, it was part of the job but Lucanis reviewed every contract before it reached the hands of the Talons, He made sure no contract furthered the agenda of another.

"It's part of the job but...I get why he was so angry. If someone infiltrated far enough again to do this... And have a demon too? you dealt with a demon to remember" Dante says.

"Yeah, gluttony almost shifted into a hunger demon, it uh ate my target, it ate everyone it was..." She shivered at the memory she had thought she was going to die to, be consumed by its ravenous appetite, she had never been so scared in her life.

"God there was so much blood." She closed her eyes, covered her mouth and then ran into the bathroom to throw up.

Dante followed after her and helped her out, holding her hair up and getting her a glass of water.

"You're gonna be okay?" She asks in concern.

"Fuck." She groans into the toilet bowl then sighs rocking back on her heels. "Thanks." She smiles noticing she had stopped her hair from getting in the way.

"I will be fine it was just uh, I'm still trying to deal with it in my head. it was pretty fucked up." She smiled weakly.

"Maybe I should talk to Dr Frances about it." She jokes.

"I believe you. Maybe... It's up to you. I know that I..." Dante frowns "You think they can get all the way here?" She asks in concern.

"who?" Toya asks in confusion.

"Whoever is using those demons...Whoever attacked the Diamond." Dante explains.

"They got to the Diamond, the villa isn't that far away, maybe they were testing our defences?" She says with a frown.

"Or maybe, maybe they just lost control of it and it sensed the emotions in the diamond and attacked on its own." Toya tilts her head

"no, there's no way this wasn't planned." She frowns deeper.

"Shit, didn't think I would be getting pulled into a conspiracy in my first week of being a full crow." Toya laughs.

"Well, a conspiracy is a name for a group of crows, so..." Dante snorts but then become serious again. "We're probably safer here but lets Stay close to each other?" She says softly.

"I thought a group of crows was a Murder." Toya grinned.

"It's both actually." Dante pauses then facepalms. "I never realized... That's too damn funny." She grins.

"Crows love puns." Toya laughs, her nerves seemed to have calmed now, there was something about Dante's voice that made her feel safe, that was a strange thought, she barely knew her, not really.

That moment in the baths, finding out a little bit of her past. to know she wasn't the only one to have suffered in her past, was comforting.

"We do, don't we..." The tension seems to ease. "Come on, let's get you off that floor. "You still have to tell me how you got so damn fast. That was impressive during the sparring match by the way." Dante Chuckles.

"Lots of running." Toya jokes as Dante helps her up from the floor.

She stumbles forward tripping on her own feet and knocks Dante into the wall by the door.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry." She leans back away from her, her hand braced on the wall by her head.

"Are you ok." She swallows noticing how close she was to her, she glances down then up then pales.

She blushes and steps away from the wall.

"Sorry I uh, lost my balance." She rubs the back of her neck and lets out a nervous laugh. Maker she was such an idiot.

"I'm okay." Dante looks down at her feet "I'm okay. Are you?" She looks back up "It's okay. If anything I can ice bruises." She chuckles, feeling a bit lame because why did she say that?

"That Ice of yours is really helpful." Toya giggles.

"If you ever want a snack and we would get fruits and sugar, I could frost it into sorbet." She laughs. "No strawberries, of course." She says remembering Toya's Strawberry allergy.

"You really think so?, we should totally ask for some fruit and try it out, though maybe not tonight." She lets out a yawn. "I should probably go to my room but.." She trails off, a look of hesitation and perhaps a little fear in her eyes.

She didn't want to be alone tonight, to many thoughts in her head, sharp teeth and glowing eyes, claws ripping, the sound of flesh being ripped apart, she shivered.

"Uh...Wait. Wait. I... You wanna stay over on my side? It sounds a bit stupid and probably a bit childish but..." Dante frowns. " All of this, it rattled me a bit and... Uh..." She tries to get the words out but she was struggling.

Toya tilts her head.

"You mean like a sleepover, she glances at Dante's bed. "In....In the same bed?" She blushes.

"I mean, if you want to?" Dante say's shyly.

"Yes!!" Toya blurts out. "I mean um sure if you don't mind." She fusses with her tunic shyly. "I don't wanna make you uncomfortable or anything." She says looking at the floor.

Dante sighs with relief and smiles. "I don't mind at all. And if anything, if one of us feels uncomfortable, it's not like there's not the other room literally next door, no?" She grins.

"Right, yeah." Toya pulls off her outer tunic and pants and climbs onto the bed, in her under shirt and underwear.

"I've never shared a bed with someone before." She blushes, climbing under the covers.

"It's not that bad unless the other person move a lot in their sleep Or they snore really loud. But I don't think I do either." Dante laughs.

"I don't know if I do, I hope not. you can kick me out if I do." Toya grins back.

Dante prepares herself for sleep very much in the same way Toya did.

"I woke up once with my sister using her feet in her sleep to push me off the bed, it can't be worse." She laughs again before settling down with a yawn.

Toya rolls to face her and smiles "This is kind of nice." she says in a whisper. Her brow furrows noticing a stray hair on Dante's forehead, she reaches out to tuck it behind her ear without thinking.

"Sorry it was annoying me." She jokes lowering her hand.

"Oh. I wasn't paying attention... They always tend to get in the way a bit." She smiles and looks Toya's hand between them. She gently bump it with her own. "Nobody is facing things alone tonight." She says softly.

"yeah we got each others backs." Toya says taking her hand and holding it with a soft smile.

It was easier to fall asleep that way than the night before, knowing that there was someone close.

Toya stares at Dante for a while, tracing her features, she liked pretty things, Viago called her a magpie once.

But she had never felt like this around a person before.

Especially someone she didn't know well, whenever she looked at Dante she felt something in her chest. A little flutter.

Maybe she was sick and should talk to Dr Frances. It wasn't normal to feel like That around your colleagues was it.

Then again she got butterflies whenever Spite looked at her, when ever Lucanis gave her praise, whenever Altara patted her back and smiled.

Maybe she was just weird, she felt her eyes grow heavy before she knew it she had fallen into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

No nightmares just silence and peace.

And if Dante rolled over in her sleep and ended up closer, it was just because of her dreams, right?

Chapter Text

The sun had risen, painting the villa in gold. Warming the stone and brick. Toya was curled into the warmth at her side, mumbling in her sleep until her pillow moved.

Her eyes snap open as she realised she had her arms around Dante's middle and had been burying her face in her stomach, not her pillow. She blushes bright red and panics, trying to think how she could untangle herself without waking them. Dante makes a half-asleep noise and moves a little.

"Huh..?" Dante mumbles, and Toya freezes, not saying a word.

"Oh, Hey Comfy?" Dante jokes, blushing furiously as her mind catches up with the position they are in.

"I uh, guess I like to cuddle in my sleep." Toya giggles nervously. "You are pretty comfy though." She grins, putting some distance between them.

"I didn't take you for a cuddler. Not that it's a bad thing." Dante smiles, then tries to hide her grin and her face in her pillow.

"Did you, Did you sleep ok?" They asks softly, their voice slightly muffled by their pillow.

"I slept great, you make a wonderful pillow." Toya grins, getting out of bed. "I hope I didn't disturb you to much." Toya blushes again.

"Nah I slept fine. Better than yesterday at least." Dante stretched and yawned then turns to her and smiles.

"We should get our armour on, something tells me, we are going to be very busy today." Toya chuckles then heads into their own room to find their armour.

"You think so? " Dante's voice is a mixture of amusement and sarcasm. They took a few calming breaths. It was going to be fine even if they were rushed into action. It would be fine. they rolled their shoulders. "Let's go" they nod.

A few minutes later, a servant arrives to collect them, guiding them down the familiar corridors of the guest house, through the halls of Villa Dellamorte to the dining room. Amika looked tired, her belly fit to burst, she was overdue now.

Dr Frances had told them that if she did not go into labour soon, he would have to intervene. Illario looked incredibly worried and was fussing over her, making sure she was comfortable. Lucanis looked like he had not slept at all, but his posture was still ramrod straight.

He looked no less in control than he always did. Still deadly despite the dark rings under his eyes.

"Good morning." He greets them, his voice warm despite the stress he was no doubt under.

"I hope you slept well. We have a contract for you both." Altara said in a serious tone as she sipped her coffee.

"Taking you hunting." Spite purrs. "Blood mage." He hissed, the disgust in his tone was unmistakable.

"Breakfast first, Spite, we can't have them fighting a blood mage, on an empty stomach." Lucanis chuckles.

"Food important." Spite nods his head, filling his plate for the second time.

"In answer to your previous questions, yes, we slept well." Dante chuckles, still probably having a faint blush from earlier in the morning.

"What's the contract?" They asks as they prepares themselves a plate, their expression now serious. "Is this about the list?" They add.

"Shall see." Spite grins stealing the last croissants before Lucanis, making the First Talon sigh in amused annoyance.

Altara covers her mouth to hide her laugh at their antics. It was what she loved the most about them, the playfulness between Lucanis and Spite was endearing.

Dante chuckles, then looks toward Toya, and she tries to steal a bit of toast from her plate

"Hey, that's mine." Toya pouts playfully, but lets them take it anyway. Lucanis smiles to himself. This felt like family. He felt an almost fatherly sense of pride as he watched them for some reason.

Altara noticed him smiling and couldn't help but smile too. They could not have children, an injury had taken that from them. She glanced at Dante and Toya and sighed happily. But then she felt a pang of worry, they were not her children, and she was sending them into danger.

Spite glanced up, sensing her thoughts, and frowned. He was going with the little birds, he would not put them in danger, he would protect them, but little birds needed to fly from the nest and learn.

He sends her comforting thoughts, and she smiles at him, blowing him a kiss. He blushes, drinking his coffee to try and hide the slight pink hue on his purple cheeks.

Dante still feels a bit worried about the evening before, but at the same time, they couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement, another Contract, another chance to prove themselves.

Spite sniffs the air.

"Pepper notes and Citrus, Excited." Spite grins at her.

It was uncanny how well Spite could read people's emotions, to know what they were thinking just from how they smelled. Dante thought they might have found that unnerving, but it was strangely comforting.

"How does that work exactly? Do I actually smell like anything else besides excitement right now?" Dante asks, genuinely curious.

He tilts his head.

"Cinnamon." He muses, "Sweet and spicy." He grins.

"What do I smell like?" Toya asks excitedly.

"cloves." He grinned.

"Spite associates emotions with smells. It can take some getting used to, deciphering it, but it's useful during interrogations." Lucanis chuckles.

Dante tilts her head.

"You said that about Toya yesterday, too. Cinnamon and cloves or something." She wonders if there was some other meaning to it.

"Yes." He nods, "Always the same, sometimes mixed." He grins, glancing between them both like he knew something neither of them did.

She looks toward Toya and grins.

"I mean, it's not a bad smell, right?" They joke.

"Nope, I'm glad we smell nice and not something horrible like Sprouts." Toya giggles.

Lucanis snorts with laughter into his coffee and then blushes with embarrassment at the sound. Altara bursts out laughing. She had never heard Lucanis laugh like that, not that he didn't laugh, but he had never snorted before, she had to wipe her eyes, she was crying with laughter.

Amika laughs, holding a hand over her mouth, then gasps, clutching Illario's hand.

"I think." She gasps again. Illario is out of his seat in seconds.

"Is the baby coming?" He asks, sounding both excited and afraid. She nods, clutching her belly.

"Oh goodness." She says as her waters break.

"Someone get Dr Frances, now!" Lucanis orders getting up to help Amika stand with Illario. "You two fetch towels and water quickly." He says, taking control of the situation.

"I'll get the doctor," Dante says, darting from the room and down the hall. She rushes to the guest house, nearly knocking over a servant in her rush.

"Sorry!" She calls behind her, skidding to a stop at the doctor's door. She knocks, tapping her foot nervously.

"Just a minute." Dr Frances calls, pulling on his coat and grabbing his suitcase, sensing the urgency of the knock. He opens the door and looks confused and worried for a moment, seeing the look on Dante's face.

"Is it Amika?" He asks.

She nods quickly.

"The baby is coming." She explains, and his eyes go wide.

"Lead the way." He says, running down the hall with her. They rush into the room, and the doctor goes straight to work. Toya was trying not to panic.

"It's happening, right now?" She gasps, scrambling to get the towels and water.

"Help me out," She says, and Dante rushes to help. They both exchange a look.

"Bet this wasn't what you were expecting when we woke up this morning." Toya laughs, grabbing a bowl and filling it with hot water.

They could hear Amika panting for breath, trying to do breathing Exercises and Illario's panicked voice trying to keep her calm.

"Absolutely not!" Dante says, grabbing as many towels as she can carry, laughing.

Amika has been moved to the floor, propped up with pillows and blankets. Illario is at her side, holding her hand and gritting his teeth, she was probably crushing it. Dr Frances was between her legs, checking her over.

"You are quite dilated, you're going to be having the baby here, I'm afraid." He chuckles, opening his briefcase to prepare.

She gasps again.

"Oh god, it hurts." She groans in pain as a contraction sends a jolt of pain up her spine. Spite kneels next to her.

"Can help?" He offers. Illario looks at him in confusion, then he remembers when he had offered this before, when Caterina passed away, he let him in, shouldering their grief, letting him grieve with Lucanis. A look of determination flickers in his eyes. If it would help with her pain, he would shoulder it.

"Yes." He nods, and Amika smiles.

"Please!" She pants, then groans as another contraction hits.

Illario glances at Lucanis and Altara, and they both nod in agreement. Spite presses his forehead first to Illario, then Amika. What follows is the scent of Ozone in the air, as the usually imperceptible purple aura around him flares bright purple.

Dante watches as they all tense, Lucanis gripping the back of a chair tightly, Altara wincing and holding her belly.

Illario grits his teeth, sucking in some air as if he were the one giving birth. Amika now looked calm. Spite must be using the bond, letting the four of them shoulder her burden so she could give birth without pain.

"The towels, please." Dr Frances orders, seemingly used to such strange things happening with Spite. Dante watches, tilting her head in curiosity. She shakes her head as she hands the towels to the Doctor.

She felt nervous for all of them, but also happy. A new little life like this was so precious.

"Anything else we can do to help?" Dante asks.

"That's enough for now," Lucanis speaks, his voice strained, unused to the strange feeling now curling in his stomach.

Altara stood next to Lucanis, tears in her eyes. Feeling the contractions through the bond, this was as close as she would ever get to having a child.

He takes her hand, watching as Dr Frances helps Amika. Talking her through it. This child was the future of House Dellamorte. Heir to the title of First Talon.

Illario looked pained but proud. He never thought he would find love or have children, and yet here he was ready to welcome his son or daughter into the world, with a woman who had come into his life like a whirlwind, playing him at his own game. Soon to be his wife.

Toya looks around, waiting, holding her breath. Amika is red-faced from pushing, crying out with effort but not pain. She notices Lucanis, Altara, Illario's and Spite wince with every push.

Spite looked utterly fascinated with what was happening, his glowing purple eyes fixated on Amika. Dante was hopping from one foot to the other nervously at Toya's side.

"You're doing great, Amika." Dr Frances says, encouraging her.

"I've got you, I'm right here," Illario says, kissing her hand. Amika nods her brow, sweaty from pushing.

The doctor nods his head. "That's it, I've got them, come on, push again, hard as you can." He says softly, reaching between her legs, cupping the baby in his hands.

Amika cries out, pushing as hard as she can. Lucanis, Altara Spite and Illario all grunt in pain. Then the sound of a baby's cries filled the room. Amika was crying.

Dr Frances chuckled.

"A healthy baby girl, congratulations" He grinned.

"Congratulations!" Dante smiles, genuinely happy for the new little family. It was a little miracle.

"What will you name her?" She asks

Amika and Illario exchange a look and smile.

"Caterina." They say at the same time. Lucanis clears his throat, looking away for a moment to get his composure back.

"There, perfect." Amika cries. Dr Frances tends to the baby, cutting the cord and wrapping them in a blanket. He hands the baby to her and smiles.

"This is the most important moment." He says as she cradles the baby in her arms, tears streaming down her face. The baby reaches up, tugging on her red hair.

"She's got a strong grip." She chuckles. Illario is crying to, his arms around her, staring at the baby in awe.

Spite closes his eyes the scent of ozone recedes as he closes the bond to Amika and Illario. When he reopens them, he tilts his head at the baby.

"loud." He says, and Lucanis bursts out laughing, his eyes still watery.

"They're perfect, you two made a beautiful baby." Lucanis says, stepping closer.

"Come, Lucanis, meet your heir." Illario grins.

"She has your eyes, Amika." Dante grins, moving closer, then laughs. "So tiny and so loud. I wonder how they will manage." They jokes.

Lucanis kneels next to Amika and reaches out a hand to the baby. It grips his finger, and he chuckles.

"A strong grip indeed." He smiles warmly. "You are very important, little one," He says. The baby babbles happily, oblivious to the legacy they would inherit one day. He smiles at Illario.

"How does it feel to be a father, Cousin?" Lucanis pats his shoulder with a proud grin.

"I never thought I would be a father, but here we are." He laughs and smiles at Amika. "Now we just need to finish organising the wedding." He chuckles.

"Yes, it is such a shame it had to be postponed for so long." She says, glancing down at the baby. "But we had this little one to worry about." She smiles tenderly.

"Let us be thankful then that it all worked out in the end." Lucanis sighs happily. Dante balanced from one foot to another again, a nervous habit, she was still grinning.

"Congratulations again. " She moves closer to Toya.

"They're so small," Toya says in wonder.

"Do you want to hold her?" Amika offers.

"Oh no, I wouldn't know how, you only just brought her into the world, you should hold them." She smiles nervously. She wasn't good with babies, if she was honest, they kind of freaked her out a little.

Lucanis clears his throat, finally regaining his composure.

"I wish we could spend more time with the baby, but duty calls. Come with me, we have much to discuss." He says to Dante and Toya before turning on his heel and leaving the dining hall for the meeting room next door.

"Yess, contract." Spite nods standing by the door and waiting for them both.

"Let's get you and the baby to our rooms and settled, hmm." Illario smiles, handing the baby to Altara while he helps her up.

Altara smiles, cradling the baby like they are the most precious thing in the world, because they were. She smiles as the baby plays with her white hair, tugging on the long locks in fascination.

Dante looks up from the happy little family and nods. She stands up and takes a deep breath. brushes some imaginary lint off her clothes and walked towards Lucanis and Spite.

"Right, duty calls." Toya follows Dante to the door and then follows them into the meeting room.

The meeting room is big, a round table with maps, notes and scrolls with several chairs around it. Dante could tell it was used regularly for meetings and contract negotiations. She looks at the maps and scrolls, not touching them but still curious about them.

"I am thankful our list of demons is so small." Lucanis comments looking at a small bloody note. He had crossed off the demons already dealt with, they had not managed to save any of them so far. He hoped the next ones would saveable.

"Cant save all." Spite comments leaning on the table "We try." He nods. "Blood mages, always trouble." He growls.

"They most certainly are, but that's where you come in." Lucanis smirks.

"Will kill all one day." Spite says, crossing his arms.

"Let us get down to the business at hand, shall we." Lucanis gestures for Toya and Dante to approach.

"You will be hunting a Blood mage by the name of Voernan Myer, they are in Tevinter and possess a Fear demon." He leans on the table.

"I have been unable to get much information on them other than this, you may have to do some reconnaissance first." He slides the document across the table so they can see the list.

"My spymaster is otherwise distracted as im sure you are aware." He jokes.

"Yes." Dante chuckles. "It's an understandable and very adorable distraction, can't fault him for that." She smiles.

They looks at the bloody note and nod.

"A fear demon...Any specifics on how to prepare for that one? Any patterns from others before?" They asks, the more information they had the better chance of success, it was something Viago had drilled into them.

"Fear, unpredictable, dangerous, will frighten you, show you worst fears." Spite nods to himself. "Must not listen, see through illusions." He explains.

"Luckily for you, you will have Spite tagging along, our resident spirit/demon expert." Lucanis chuckles.

Toya nods, looking at Spite.

"So, other than location and a target name we are going in blind?" She frowns.

"Yes, we search, we find, we kill." Spite nods in reply.

"Listen to Spite on this contract, He will be leading this, trust him, he will not lead you astray." Lucanis says leaning on the desk, his eyes full of concern, he had hoped to train them more before sending them into the thick of it.

"No chance your Shadow Dragon contact would be able to help us pinpoint there location, right? Tevinter is big place." Dante says looking at the map.

"Could see Neve, might help." Spite glances at Lucanis a question in his gaze.

"If she is not busy, visit her in Minrathous first, see if she knows anything." Lucanis nods, it wasn't a bad idea, Neve was a damn fine detective if anyone could find out more, it would be her, he would send word ahead.

"Will be ok." Spite says stepping up to Lucanis and touching his shoulder. "Will be safe." He says pressing his forehead against his.

"I know you will be, and you will protect them to." Lucanis holds him at arms length and smiles.

"Worry to much." Spite grins and kisses him.

Lucanis kisses him back.

"Go, and be careful." He smiles. before glancing at Dante and Toya.

"Report back safe." He says his expression serious. Dante gently bumps Toya on their shoulder and smiles.

"We've got each other's back, I'd say don't worry, but....." She trails off and smiles at Lucanis.

"Spite will let you into our bond, it will be easier to communicate, Spite must keep himself hidden so he will follow you discreetly and whisper to you." He explains. "It might be a little strange at first." He chuckles. remembering Altaras reaction when she first joined it.

Spite steps closer to Dante first.

"Must touch, ok?" He asks, Altara said he should always ask first.

Dante nods. "It's okay."

He presses his forehead against theirs, they smell ozone again, and feel something reaching out in their mind.

"Must let me in." He whispers.

"This is so cool." Toya grins watching what was happening with curiosity.

Dante takes a deep breath. It feels almost like casting magic, the static of it going down her arms and spine. But it also feels so much deeper.

it feels strange, like being on the cusp of something new, Spite reaches out a hand in her minds eye, all they had to do was take it.

"Dont be frightened, wont hurt you." Spite whispers in her mind.

Lucanis watches curiously, he supposed he could understand their hesitation, it was a strange sensation for him as well, he could almost sense their curiosity, but the bond was not fully connected yet.

There was anxiety, a fear of failure, the anxiety of trying a new thing, she reached out. For a moment it was like nothing happened, then she could feel him in her mind, a small purple flame. 

Lucanis's thoughts echo in their mind for a moment.

who sent that demon after the crows? Why must everything be so complicated? I need to get more coffee, we're running low on Onions.

they sense Altara helping Amika in her room a beautiful song to calm the baby. Then it shifts like doors closing and its just her and Spite.

Spites mind is oddly quiet and calm but she can sense things occasionally, curiosity, excitement for the hunt to name a few.

Hearing and feeling errant thoughts not their own are enough to send them reeling for a moment. It feels like a ripple in a pond made by dropping a rather large rock.

Are you...? That was weird, that was so weird... Does he hear everything? DO YOU? You're here, aren't you? In my mind? Is that how it works?!? What if Toya hears me?

"Silly bird." Spite grins

Yes I am here, as are you, we share thoughts like Whispers

"I'm ready." Toya grins.

"Yes." He says stepping up to her, she blushes when he presses his forehead against hers. Dante feels the connections shift as he pulls Toya into the shared space.

Holy shit this is weird.

Spite cackles with amusement at Toya's thoughts.

Why are you cackling?

he's laughing at me silly

Lucanis chuckles before looking away. He couldn't help but listen in.

"I suggest you leave soon if you wish to catch Neve. Spite knows the way." Lucanis smiles.

Watching them trying to figure out how to communicate using the bond was amusing. Perhaps he took it for granted, he had always had a connection with Spite, ever since the Ossuary. He steels his thoughts not wanting them to see. Keeping the door closed.

But Dante catches a glimpse of being underwater, of blood red lips and the sound of screaming before he slams the door closed completely.

Are you hearing everything? Like a constant stream of thoughts? Or can we pick and

This particular ripple feels more like an icy drizzle of rain and it makes her frown.

Oh.

Only the thoughts you dont protect.

Spite whispers.

He glances at Lucanis and they exchange a look, he had seen the flash of the Ossuary, a pain they both still share. They had spoken extensively to Dr Frances about it but some wounds never fully heal. He knew Lucanis had not meant to share that with them.

Past pain, old, lingers and does not heal. But pain shared is pain halved

Spites thoughts are melancholic for a moment.

"That's heavy." Toya sighs but she understands the sentiment.

There's a feeling like a hug that pops across the connection as Dante offers a small lopsided smile to Spite. He smiles back before his expression becomes serous.

"Come little birds, we go hunting." He growls before gesturing to the door.

Lucanis waits until they both leave the room before closing the distance between him and Spite and kissing him hard before pressing his forehead to his.

"Stay safe mi amore." Spite smiles cupping his cheek.

"Will come back." He says pressing a kiss to his lips before following them outside.

They both feel a sense of purpose from Spite as he guides them down the halls of the villa heading for the Diamond and Eluvian room. Dante locks in on that sense of purpose, focusing their mind on it as they head to the Eluvian room. A purpose and people who have her back, she couldn't ask for than that in that moment.

The Eluvian room has not changed since the last time they were there, the guards outside straighten up when they notice Spite.

"On the hunt for blood mages again?" One of them asks, curiously, there eyes settle on Dante and Toya and frown.

"With me, new birdies." Spite grunts. The guards nod and let them pass. He steps through the mirror first without even looking to see if they follow.

"We better keep up." Toya grins rushing through the mirror after him, Dante chuckles, nods and follows.

That same pulling sensation washes over them as they step through, they feels themselves stretched thin then pulled back together as they reached the other side and enter the crossroads.

"Must be quick, catch Neve." Spite says marching through the veil jumper camp.

"Spite! is that you." Bellara rushes up and gives him a hug, he hesitates then hugs her back.

"Dragonfly" He grins.

"Oh hey again." Bellara waves to Dante. "Are you off hunting?" She asks turning to Spite once more.

"Yes, need Neve first." He smiles.

"Say no more." She grins and begins walking with him to the docks.

Dante looks toward Toya and, and as practice sends a thought in her direction.

Dragonfly?

Toya grins.

I wonder what nicknames we will get other than new or little birds

Spite looks over his shoulder at them both and grins before returning his attention to Bellara who was gushing about something, he wasn't really interested, he just liked to bask in her excitement.

I kinda like little birds though, it's cute.

Dante chuckles and looks around the camp, their magic humming in the background, resonating with the surrounding fade and her own excitement.

I suppose it is cute, but he calls all fledglings and new crows that.

Toya smiles watching Bellara as she nudged Spite with her shoulder playfully teasing him about something. Dante couldn't hear what she said but Spite growled and shoved her back playfully. Making her laugh as the boat pulled up to the docks

"Greeting dweller, where would you like to go." It asks softly.

"Minrathous Eluvian please." Bellara grins climbing onto the boat, it had been a while since she had seen Spite, not since Altara's last name day if she remembers correctly.

"This never gets old." Toya laughs hopping onto the boat.

"Right?" Dante agrees before hoping in as well.

What bird would you pick then?

Viago calls me magpie because I like to collect shiny things.

Toya grins.

what about you?

Dante chuckles.

I honestly have no idea...I'll have to think about it.

Spite turns in his seat to face them.

"Silly birds." He smiles in amusement.

"I don't think we have met before." Bellara says holding out a hand out to Toya.

"Hi, a pleasure to meet you." Toya shakes her offered hand. "You're a part of the Veilgaurd right? A hero like Lucanis." She gushes.

"Oh I mean I helped but im not as heroic as Lucanis." Bellara blushes.

Spite shakes his head.

"You are, Stopped blight, helped Rook win." He growls making her even more flustered.

"I mean I guess I did that." She smiles.

Dante blinks a few times thinking about the scope of the event.

"We're all alive because of all of you. You shouldn't diminish your contribution. I'm sure you already have inspired a lot of people to be better because of what you did." Dante says with a smile.

"...I...Yeah Your right." Bellara smiles warmly as the boat reaches the dock and everyone disembarks.

"Good luck with the hunt." She smiles again as they reach the Eluvian.

"Talk to Neve then go to Antiva City." Spite says standing next to her.

"Oh I'll stick around then, take you to the next Eluvian, Give Neve my Love." She grins and he returns it.

"Come little birds." He growls before stepping through the Minrathous Eluvian.

Dante shivers as she crosses the Eluvian.

Yeah, never gonna get old.

We're lucky we get to take the short road. Imagine doing going by boat.

Also, I can't believe we're gonna meet Neve too. Like, did you ever think you'd met like half of them three days ago?

I didn't think I would ever meet the First Talon let alone more members of the Veilgaurd

Spite crosses his arms tapping his foot impatiently. The guards shifted nervously wondering what he was waiting for.

"Should we call Neve? one asks.

"Yes." He says with a growl.

"Right away." The man rushes into the shadow dragon base to get her.

They follow Toya. shaking their head and chuckling, before becoming more serious, they are on a contract after all.

"Do not delay, time is precious, Neve very busy." Spite growls as they step through.

"Hey trouble." Neve greets Spite leaning against the doorway leading to the Shadow dragon base.

"Sparkles." He says excitedly.

"It's been a while, Lucanis sent word, your looking for a blood mage in Antiva city right?" She asks crossing her arms.

"Yes, need more information." He growls.

"I take it these two are with you?" She asks with a raised brow watching them both with curiosity.

"Yes, new birdies." He grins.

"Why don't we step into my office." She smiles gesturing for them all to follow her.

"Sparkles? Uh, well...If it's not impolite to ask, how did you end up with that nickname" She asks Neve as they walk.

"Well I'm a mage, perhaps that's why, you never know with Spite. He just started calling me that and it stuck." She chuckles.

"Nice. Oh...What magic do you specialise in?" They ask.

"Ice if you must know, your an awfully curious one arnt you." Neve chuckles leading them through the base to her office.

"Curious like cat." Spite grins at them like something amused him

Kitty

"Well, I'm more or less self taught, so hearing how other mages use their magic is always interesting to me, and you know the thing about cats. You know there's a spirit cat in Treviso? I Came across it a few times, it's friendly." She says as they enter her office.

"Curiosity has many forms." Spite muses

"Well as they say curiosity killed the cat but Satisfaction brought them back." Neve chuckles.

"Right, Antiva, where did I put that map." She thinks out loud rummaging through her desk before pulling out a map of Thedas and spreading it on the desk.

"Your target is in Antiva City, the capital, I hear the city has been tense lately, I suspect whoever your hunting is high up, security will be tight. Patrols are most likely, I would stick to the roof tops If I were you, Especially you Spite we don't want a repeat of last time." She warns moving a paperweight and placing it next to the city.

"Just the high ups being antsy or is there civilian unrest as well? Any events we can use as a cover up?" Dante asks getting to business.

Last time?

"The Civilians are always angry, the fact there are blood mages still in control despite all we did to destroy the Venatori. is enough to piss anyone off" Neve said angrily, remembering all the pain. how Spite had nearly been lost to them because Zara couldn't stay dead.

"Nasty city." Spite says glancing at the map. "Blood Mages like Cockroaches, always hiding." He hissed

Venatori hunted me

A vision flashes across Dante's eyes, an underwater prison, a fight, a women with blood red lips like a knife slash, cold cruel eyes wielding a dagger that looked like it was made of glass, hurriedly made, glowing with the unmistakable blue light of pure Lyrium.

Lucanis rushing towards her weapons drawn, he lands, she smiles, A trap! she thrusts forward, Spite appears in front of him his wings spread, Lucanis screams and the vision ends

Dante swallows a lump forming in her throat.

I'm so sorry.

They sent another mental hug through the bond, not knowing what else to do.

"I...Just a thought. Not that I want to involve any civilians, everyone suffered enough as it is, but do you think a riot would serve as good distraction or cover? Smoke out our target and maybe some other roaches while we are at it, as it were." The bond is humming with their determination.

Spite takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"Riots messy, dangerous, will put guards on alert. crows should be sneaky, not make noise." He says leaning on the table.

Determination good, used poorly, cause more problems.

"Spite has a point, If you start a riot your going to have the whole city looking for trouble, not exactly helpful when trying to kill a magister, they will just hide away in there fortress under guard." Neve sighs.

"You should sneak in, I know a secondary Eluvian that wont be guarded, better for Spite that way." She smiles and he nods.

The last thing she wanted was for what was left of the Venatori to Discover Spite and come after him like Zara had.

"I get what you mean. That's why it was just a thought after all." Dante sighs leaning on the table.

**Just...I wish I could do more. I Got the feeling that attack on the Diamond was retribution yesterday. We killed two of whoever's pet projects that was and then the training grounds got hit? That can't be a coincidence.**

"A secondary Eluvian? That's good at least. Anything else we should know?" Dante asks. She fidgets with a sun charm on a chain around her neck.

"Sneak in first, find high ground, watch, listen." Spite nods that was what he usually did on contracts with Lucanis and Altara, He was there eyes and ears, and backup if needed, out of sight out of mind and as far from the Venatori as possible.

Dante hears Lucanis's voice an echo of words he had spoken to Spite.

**Stay out of sight, If anything happens to you....I cant lose you again........just don't be seen ok**

She nods to herself.

A similar feeling echoes back from her. Spite can sense that her worries are aimed toward Toya.

"What do we know of our target." Dante asks. "I would rather not go in knowing nothing." They add.

"Lucanis told me your target is Magister Voernon Myer, there a piece of work." Neve growls.

"He bleeds all his servants to stay young. a common act amongst Venatori blood mages, more so since we destroyed most of there leaders. now the few that linger, hang around like a disease. clinging to what power they can" Neve sighs, it felt like a never ending battle, kill one and another two crawled out of the woodwork to take there place.

"I bet if you cut off his blood supply it would weaken him." Neve smirks as the thought comes to her.

"The only problem is his servants do not leave his manor, not the ones he keeps for blood anyway." She pulls out a document and places it on top of the map.

"I manage to get a floor plan but that's all I could find, maybe if you figure out what servants leave by staking it out, you could convince one to tell you more, or even let you into the manor." She glances between them and tilts her head.

"You two look pretty green, this cant be your first contract surely." Neve says looking to Spite.

"Not first." He grins.

Does not need to know its only your second.

"The house is big, not surprising I'm sure he is rich, that's probably why he is still in power, money talks." Dante muses looking at the floor plan.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there's hidden rooms in that house, I don't think the kitchen entrance should be guarded but if everyone in there is under control through blood magic and a fear demon, I don't think any of the main floor entrances are all that safe..." Neve sighs.

Toya hums. "The kitchen entrance is our best bet unless we find somewhere to climb?" She says, looking at the floor plan as well.

"I agree, maybe we can convince a servant to let us in, the ones that can leave that is, someone has to go and get food to stock the kitchen. Right?" Dante says sounding confident but phrasing it like a question.

"That's not a bad plan." Neve says, rubbing her chin in thought.

"Need to watch, see who leaves, can tell if they will help." Spite grins tapping his nose.

"You be careful trouble, dont let them see you until your sure they will help." She warns.

"If anything, Toya and I, with the right outfit, could pass for delivery people and you can keep hidden and back us up." Dante grins.

"Perhaps." He purrs.

"Sneak into city, find manor, find high place, watch and see, find servant, sneak into kitchen, servant let us in, find and kill magister, help or kill demon." He nods.

"It's the best plan you've got." Neve smiles.

"I shall come with you to the crossroads, show you the alternative Eluvian to Antiva City, I shall wait for your return at the Veil jumper camp there." She says rolling up the Floor plan and handing it to Dante.

"Take this with you, it might come in handy." She packs away the map of Thedas and puts it away.

"Sounds good." They both grin.

"Alright then, lets go." Neve says picking up her sceptre.

"Yes we go." Spite nods.

Stay close little birds

Chapter Text

"Let's go." Toya smiles at Dante before following them from the room.

Dante follows last, keeping pace with everyone and smiling back at Toya.

As much as they couldn't help being a little bit nervous, they did enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

Everyone steps through the Eluvian to the crossroads and the veil jumper camp beyond.

"Neve, hey." Bellara waves, rushing over to hug her.

"Hey, bell." Neve returns her hug. "I wanted to show them the new Eluvian we found in Antiva City. It will be safer for Spite." She smiles.

"Oh, right, of course, that's probably a good idea." Bellara nods, and they both walk towards the docks.

"Come along, little birdies." Spite grins before following after them.

This Eluvian was further away, tucked away in a little nook, strange vegetation was growing around it, glowing with bioluminescent light.

The veil jumper camp around it was smaller than the others, with fewer people due to it being newly discovered.

"This is the one. It opens in an old abandoned church just inside the city on the edge, so far nobody from the city knows it's there. We made sure to keep it hidden, which should make your entrance and escape easier." Neve smiles and touches Spite's shoulder.

"Remember, keep your hood up, and make sure nobody spots you if you fly, the wings are a big giveaway." She warns, and he nods.

"I'll be careful." He says, pulling his hood up and his cloak around him, he was wearing gloves and long sleeves, as long as he kept his head down, nobody would look at him twice.

"So we step through, get to the manor and scope the place out from a high vantage point first, right?" Dante asks, turning to Spite.

"Yes, watch, wait to see who leaves, will check if they will help, then we convince them, let us in kitchen." Spite nods.

"OK, works for me, let's do this." Toya grins, a look of determination on her face.

"We'll keep each other safe, I'll make sure of that," Dante assured Neve.

"Good luck." Neve waved as they all stepped through the Eluvian.

The strange sensation of stepping through the Eluvian never stopped being weird. Like walking through a ripple in a pond.

The other side of the Eluvian smelt old, ancient. Like this old church had been here for aeons, perhaps it had. It was eerily quiet and nighttime here. Dante could see the stars through a hole in the roof.

The stone walls were crumbling, the wood benches that people would have sat in to worship the maker were rotten and falling apart.

"Now we find manor," Spite growled, making sure his hood was secure. It shadowed his face, but the purple glow of his eyes when he looked at them was still very obvious.

they chuckled.

Cat's eyes

How far do you think it is from here?

"Not far, magisters always have biggest houses." Spite chuckles. He glances up at the church steeple through the hole in the roof.

"Will fly up watch, follow. You find manner." He orders before purple spectral wings spread from his back, and he jumps up, gliding up to the top of the church steeple.

She is reminded of the hooded figures clinging to steepled roofs in Treviso. And can't help but wonder. She glances up, watching him Land on the roof, his wings curling behind him.

Toya looks at them and grins, perhaps thinking the same thing they were.

Dante looks up with a smile and then looks back at Toya.

"Let's go." They say, before heading for the exit.

It was easy to flit from shadow to shadow under the moonlight. Everything still felt a bit too quiet, but at least darkness was giving cover. It didn't take long to find the place, and indeed, the place was huge.

Amusement ripples through the bond.

You were right.

Of course, I'm right.

"Let's find higher ground and stake the place out. We don't have a time limit on this, we can take our time." Toya says, looking around.

She smiles, spotting a clock tower nearby.

Up there.

perfect view of the manor, right Spite

Clever birdy

The clock tower seems to be quiet, as if it no longer functioned.

Race you to the top?

Your on

Toya's a blur, rushing to the base of the tower and leaping up onto a grapple hold. She hoists herself up, flipping up onto a jut in the bricks as she climbs higher, reaching the lip of the ledge. She pulls herself up, breathing hard.

Spite steps from the shadows behind the bell

"Birdy can fly," He chuckles at Toya.

The clock tower was in disrepair, the bell cracked, and the mechanism rusted. Clearly, this bell had not marked time in a while.

Spite glances over the side and spots Dante at the bottom and chuckles.

Birdy fell?

Dante pouts, then grins and bends down to tie their shoelace.

Yes.

They makes her way to the top slower, their tailbone and ego a bit bruised from slipping and falling earlier, but still laughing.

"We watch, wait, take turns to sleep." Spite says, perched on the ledge, his cloak around his shoulders, his hood still obscuring his face. He watches the manor for movement. Dante sits next to him with a smile, joining his vigil.

"You're a spirit with a body, right? Do you sleep?" They asks with curiosity. they had heard rumours about him but didn't really know what Spite was.

"Uh... I've Never thought about that. Do you?" Toya stays standing for a while, leaning against the nearby wall.

"I didn't need sleep before." Spite explains.

"Before this." He gestures to himself. "When I was with Lucanis. trapped inside." He sighs.

"Now I sleep, I eat. Do many things I didn't before." He nods to himself before he adjusts his cloak and fidgets uncomfortably, he hates things around his neck.

"What's your favourite thing you get to do now?" They ask.

The smile that spread on his lips was positively naughty, his sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

"My Lucanis, My Rook." He grins salaciously.

Toya blushes bright red and covers her cheeks.

Dante laughs both at the reply and at how bright red Toya went, not that they are any better in that department.

"Knew it! That's why we have to stay in the guest wing!" they joke.

Spite chuckles throatily, his gaze watching the manor once more.

"Would be noisy." He snickered, he was mostly joking, but it wasn't a lie either.

Dante looks at Toya.

"You okay over there?" they ask with a giggle.

"You just admit it out loud, just like that." Toya squeaks.

"No shame, love my Lucanis, my Altara." He looks genuinely confused as to why anyone would feel ashamed talking about those they love.

"How did you....how did you get a body?" Toya asks shyly.

He tenses at the question. Turning to look at her.

"I died." He whispered.

Flashes of a Lyrium dagger in his chest. Pink blood, cries of despair 

"Bone man saved me." He says with a smile.

An older man with a moustache, a talking skeleton, holding the dagger, a weak purple flame, a shattered Lyrium blade, and a new body.

Dante winces at the flashes. their hand goes to the sunburst pendant they wear.

"I'm glad he was there. I'm glad you are here." Dante smiles.

They look toward the manor, but their mind is on their mission a few days back and the demon who had been afraid to die.

"Glad I'm here now." Spite whispers. "Didn't ask to be torn from the fade." He sighed, he missed it sometimes. "Have family now." He tugs at his cloak again and growls in irritation.

"Family is great." Dante nods.

There's a ripple of melancholy through the bond, but also a hint of warmth.

"I miss my family, but I'm glad I found a new one." They sigh.

"What happened to your family? He asks softly, he was both curious and cautious.

Still clutching the pendant they reply.

"They were killed. It's a bit blurry in my mind, but the Caravan my father owned got attacked. My sister and I escaped, but we got separated. I have no idea if she's still alive." She sigh's

"I try not to get my hopes up." They sigh, running their fingers over the pendant.

"Crows can find?" Spite offers. "Or Sparkles, good at finding." He says, loosening his cloak and sighing.

"You could ask after the job, maybe they'll find her or at least give you closure," Toya says, then tries to help Spite with his cloak.

"Ask before touch." He hisses.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry I was trying to help." She retracts her hands like he burned her.

He relaxes slightly

"OK," He says, but he moves away from her and leans against a pillar. He takes a while to calm down.

"I'm sorry, Spite. I didn't mean to upset you." She feels guilty, he looked so uncomfortable. She just wanted to help with the cloak.

"Unknown touch difficult." He sighs. "Sorry I hissed." He crossed his arms, still agitated, but it seemed his agitation was directed at himself now. Maybe he needed to talk to Dr Frances again.

Dante watches the interaction unfold. and tries to send another wave of warmth through the bond, but it remains tainted with melancholy.

"It's part of why I joined the crows." They continue. "Being sent on contracts all over the world, I was hoping I could see her again. But...She's one person amongst so many...And..I'm not sure if I want closure... I...I don't know. I want to keep the good memories, I don't want to make them sad memories." They explain.

They offer a hand to Toya. "You're okay? You're both okay?" they turns to watch Spite. He nods, moving back to his perch on the ledge and sitting down again next to Toya. He watches the manor, his eyes narrowed. It's been several hours with no sign of movement, it was the middle of the night after all.

Toya covers her mouth to hide a yawn, her eyes drooping.

"Sleep, will take first watch." Spite says, his eyes never leaving the manor.

"Sure." She yawns again, moving to prop herself against a pillar by the bell. She lowers her head, her chin resting on her chest. Thankful she could sleep just about anywhere.

Dante looked back toward Toya for a moment, watching her settle down. they stayed silent, their eyes going back toward the manor. So many thoughts were racing through their mind.

"Noisy head." Spite grumbles, but it holds no annoyance, more like an offer should they want to talk.

"It's always a bit noisy in there." they chuckle, sounding wary.

"It's just...You said you died. I never thought spirits could die. The one I had to fight...It said it was afraid to die. What happens then? Do you not go back to the fade...It wouldn't have been afraid if it were the case. Did my parents' spirits make it to the fade?" They sigh.

"Don't know where I went, maybe fade, not fade, bone man brought me back, dagger, titan blood." He stops before he says anything else.

Altara's voice echoes, memories of an old conversation.

The first elves were spirits. Nobody would believe us, let the archive go. Bellara, who we are now, is more important than who we were.

"Don't know where Mortals go." He muses, "Where I go one day?" He still had his power, but he had a body, was he mortal or a spirit? Was he both?

"As long as some part of them is together, I think I'm okay with not knowing as long as they still got each other, as long as I can remember them loving each." They sigh.

"That's what it is about in the end, isn't it?" They nod.

"Love is....Good." He nods his head. He had not known love before Lucanis and Altara, love was a different spirit. He knew passion, yes, spent aeons with them, but that was before. Now he knows so many emotions. Love, Adoration, Affection, no longer just Spite, he would protect these feelings. They were important, sacred.

More voices echo through the bond. Both Lucanis and Altara's

I love you, for better or worse, in sickness and in health. I did not know you felt this way, yesssss, always have

He frowns, he should not be reminiscing, he should be watching.

Dante chuckles at his frown. Her own thoughts about how happy her parents were trickles down the bond as well, and then one single thought about a certain morning cuddle pops up. She shakes her head, closing the door on that thought a bit too late and concentrating back on the mansion's door instead.

Spite glances at them, then at Toya and grins but says nothing, It was nearly 2 am.

"Not tired?" He asked curiously.

Toya was snoring, her position more slouched than when she had fallen asleep, she was going to have backache when she woke up.

"Not really. Although I should probably try to sleep while I can..." They sigh and stand up, stretching before taking a spot right beside Toya.

but instead of sitting and leaning against the wall, they curl up like a cat, their head pillowed on their arms and their back toward Toya.

"Little birds." Spite smiles to himself before resuming his vigil.

It takes a while, but they finally fall asleep, their breath turning into a light snore.

A few hours pass., and Spite feels his eyelids grow heavy, he was getting tired. He gets up and nudges Toya awake.

"Wake up, little bird, need to rest, keep watch." He says, settling down where Toya had been sleeping once she got up.

She stretches her back and it cracks, she lets out a groan, then moves to where Spite had been perched, sitting down. She glances at Dante sleeping and smiles softly before she trains her gaze on the manner.

The sun was beginning to rise, the sky gold and orange, as birds began to sing the morning chorus.

Toya leans forward, pulling out a spyglass from the pouch on her lower back and watches the manor with interest spotting movement.

The front doors of the manor opened, and a young elf in robes exited. They seem to sigh and hesitate for a moment before locking it behind them, hugging themselves as they walk along the path leading to the main gates.

"I see movement, someone left the manor!" She says loud enough to wake them both.

"Where?" Spite hisses, getting up to stand next to her. She points to the main gates, and He purrs.

"Good, now we follow." He scans the streets, seeing nobody around. "Quickly, come here, we go." He growls, his wings spreading.

Toya looks confused for a moment and stares at him, only to gasp when he tugs her close, making her wrap her arms around his waist.

"Kitty, quickly, we glide down, faster." He spreads his wings completely and looks at her expectantly.

"Wha... Oh." Dante quickly stood up. "Wait, what?" they walk toward them.

"Hold on tight." He growls, tugging them against him before walking off the side of the clock tower.

For a moment, they are weightless, their stomach in their mouths in a free fall, then they are flying, gliding over the rooftops until he lands on a rooftop near the manor.

He scans for the woman and grins, spotting her walking down the street. He begins to follow, hopping from rooftop to rooftop.

That was incredibly cool, but also I could have fade stepped, you know.

Dante smiled as they followed him.

He grinned, hopping to the next rooftop and leaning over to watch the women bellow.

more fun this way

He cackles in their minds.

Toya watches as well and then takes stock of the surroundings. It might just be a morning market run, but it also might be something else.

Yeah, it was

He sniffs the air following her, keeping low, creeping closer and closer.

A voice they don't recognise echoes through the bond. Was it the women? Was this what Spite heard when he scented the air? Did he get glimpses into people's thoughts?

He takes their blood. I just want to be free. Fear hates him, too. I should let him possess me, we could run away together.

She's our way in. We gotta act fast if we want the spirit on our side too. Wait, even the spirit hates our target.

Yes, good, will help.

He moves to the edge of the roof, the elf is walking between buildings down an alleyway. He jumps down in front of her, and she gasps in surprise.

Toya jumps down behind her when she attempts to run away from him.

"Wait, we just want to talk." She raises her hands.

The woman looks back at Spite, seeing his glowing eyes and backs away, then freezes, she has nowhere to run.

"Smells like fear, like hate, wants to leave, can help," Spite says, his voice unusually soft.

The woman pauses.

"You speak like fear does." She whispers. "Are you possessed?" She asks, sounding less frightened now.

He glances around, then lifts his hood slightly so she can see, before lowering his hood once more.

"Who are you?" She asks, moving closer to Spite.

"Crows." He purrs.

"Have you come to kill him? Please tell me you're here for the magister." She pleads.

"Yessss." He hisses.

Dante joins them, carefully jumping down so as not to scare the woman. their anger at the magisters grows. The woman acts exactly the same as the man they helped, but a few days ago.

"We are. We'll make sure to kill him." Dante says.

Spite glances at Dante and tilts his head before his gaze returns to the women.

"Need inside, kitchen, can help?" He asks, stepping closer.

"You mentioned our friend spoke like fear, you spoke with the demon the magister has?" Dante asks, checking to make sure nobody was listening in.

"Yes, they. They are different around me, maybe because I'm a mage. It's tethered here with a totem in his art gallery. It doesn't want to be here." She sighs.

Her mother had warned her about demons, how they liked to make deals. Was it just being nice to her because it wanted to possess her, like in the harrowing's of the circle?

"Anybody we should look out for within the manor? What does the totem look like? " Dante presses, they needed details.

The woman looks nervous again. She had been gone from the manor for a while, her master might get suspicious if she did not return with his tea soon.

"I need to get his tea, I've been gone too long. Meet me by the kitchen entrance, I will let you in, and can tell you more inside." She looks around.

"There are two guards that patrol the perimeter, Lutos and Santos. They are as bad as the magister. She shivered, they had forced her to do things, and she had been powerless to do anything to stop them.

"Nobody will weep if they are gone." She growls, clutching at her necklace, the only thing that brought her comfort.

"Did not ask, touched, will not again, promise." Spite growls.

Dante nods at that. their gaze falls on the elf's necklace for a moment. as It caught the light, there was sun etched onto it. their hand immediately went to their own pendant.

"Who gave you that locket, if I may ask?" Dante asks, stepping closer.

"A friend, my clan took her in, before I was captured, she helped me." She smiled, she taught her how to fight, her smile falters, not that it helped her, she still got caught and enslaved.

"We got separated in a raid on our Dalish camp. She gave the locket to me, told me it would keep me safe, that I could give it back to her when I see her again." She sighed, that had been a few years ago now.

"I must go." She says more urgently and runs past Spite. He nods and lets her pass.

"Come, little birds, we go. wait." He tugs his cloak tighter around him, keeping his hood down and rushes down the alley towards the manor.

"Right, we can talk later." Dante nods and follows.

They didn't have time to wonder, they had to think of the job first.

Spite stops at the main gates and ducks back as a guard walks up to the gate. He holds a hand up for them to stop for a moment.

He glances around, spotting a gap in the hedges, he gestures for them to follow him. He peeks around the gap and smiles. The wall was damaged, half-repaired, plenty of footholds.

He begins to climb, he gets to the top of the wall.

He keeps low. There is a tree on the other side, it was overgrown and gives good cover, he can observe the guards as they walk the perimeter while he waits for them both to climb up.

Toya stumbles and slips, unable to find a grapple at first and grunts in annoyance. She tries again, this time, she makes it, with a little help from Spite as he tugs her up she grips the tree for stability.

Dante climbs up without problem, a far cry from their face plant the night before. Spite grins at them.

guards, over there, one left, one right. I take left

He hops down the other side of the wall into the manor gardens and disappears like he stepped into the shadows and dissipated like smoke.

Toya jumps down first, followed by Dante. Toya nearly steps on a twig, but Dante caught her before she could step on it and alert the guards.

Thanks

no problem.

Scissor manoeuvre, I'll go ahead and block him, you take him out from behind.

Toya darts into the tree's disappearing. Creeping ahead of the guard that was still oblivious to their presence.

She darts in front of him, and he gasps, drawing his sword.

"What are you doing here?" He demands creeping closer to her.

Now's your chance, he's distracted!!

Dante sneaks up behind him, taps his shoulder, and as he turns, hits him straight up with a bolt of lightning to the face.

What are you doing?!! You're going to alert the other guards!!

The Guard gasps, going rigid at the electricity coursing through his body.

Toya darts behind and stabs him between the fourth and fifth rib before he can make any more noise.

The guard slips from the blade to the floor dead.

Let's find Spite, he probably already took care of his guard and is waiting by the kitchen entrance.

Toya can feel them being apologetic through the bond as they head toward the kitchen entrance.

Don't be so impulsive, your magics cool, but some spells are a bit too noisy for assassination.

Toya giggles in her mind.

"Took long time, used fade, too loud." Spite grins, leaning against the wall by the kitchen entrance, wiping blood from one of his feather daggers.

For the first time, Dante notices the third dagger on his chest, a strange gem on the hilt. He never uses it, but he touches the gem with his thumb on occasion.

Dante was still a bit red in the face from embarrassment.

Fine, fine. Well, it's a learning experience, I suppose. I'll do better.

Learn quickly

Spite grins, then closes his eyes, reaching through the bond. they hear the tail end of a conversation.

Found way in, servant helps, maybe save Demon.

Good, how are our little birds doing?

Good, kitty is noisy.

They will learn, be safe, mi amore

He opens his eyes, his fingers curling around the dagger on his chest, his thumb on the gem. He smiles softly, then lets go.

A few minutes go by, then the door to the kitchen opens, the elf servant is back from her errand. She gestures for them to come inside quickly.

Dante looks up as the door opens and nods, before quickly stepping inside. They look around the kitchen, paying close attention to their surroundings and looking towards the doors leading to the rest of the manor.

Spite walks in, stepping to the side, letting Toya in before closing the door behind him. He lowers his hood, tugging his cloak over his shoulder and pinning it in place with a sigh of relief.

The woman's eyes widen, staring at him. She gasps seeing his sharp teeth.

"The Angel of Death." She whispers and bows. "I've read about you, you're like the Demon of Vyrantium, blood mages fear you." She touches her necklace again.

"Hey, you can be a fan girl later, we've got a magister to kill. tell us about him." Toya says, stepping closer to Spite.

"Which room is he in at the moment? Any guards at his door?" Dante asks.

"He will be in his study in the tower, he seeks knowledge to control fear," She explains.

"His bodyguard, master tolin. He is not a bad man, but he will defend his master. The Magister has blackmail on him. Perhaps if you find it, you could convince him to turn on him." She looks between them.

"He probably keeps anything valuable in his safe in the master bedroom upstairs," She fidgets nervously.

"Leave the safe to me. Any security I should know about?" Toya grins. Getting into safes was her speciality.

"Some traps perhaps, but I'm sure they will be no problem for you." The elf smiles.

"Help fear first. Keep master busy?" Spite asks with a tilt of his head.

She nods.

"I can." A look of determination flickers in her eyes.

"You help demon too yes?" He asks, turning to Dante.

They nod.

"Yes." They were not particularly fond of splitting the group, but at least they knew Toya could handle herself.

Please be careful.

I always am

Toya grins

"The main bedroom is upstairs, right?" She asks wanting Dante to check the floorplan Neve gave them.

"Where art gallery?" Spite asks watching the elf.

"Once you're in the main house, turn left, it's the third door on your right, it used to be the lower drawing room. Now it's a personal gallery for all his treasures." She shivers.

"There are taxidermied elf ears in there, it's horrible." She says, touching her own ears, thankful he let her keep them, some were not so lucky.

Dante bit her bottom lip in worry, but pulled the floorplan out and handed it to Toya.

Promise me.

Dante felt disgusted by the magister. The cruelty of people knew no bounds.

"We'll make him pay." They growl,

I promise, you worry too much.

Toya grins, checking the layout.

"I'll find whatever he has on his bodyguard." She glances between Dante and Spite.

"I'll come find you once I'm done upstairs, if you finish before me. Meet me in the master bedroom, it's the biggest bedroom according to the layout." She says, handing the layout back to Dante.

"Be sneaky, will find once done with demon." Spite nods, moving to the door.

"I will keep the Magister busy in the tower. I will try to warn you if he moves." The elf opens the door and smiles, the guards are not in the hallway.

"There are two more guards, they do a full walk of the house every hour. My guess is they will be upstairs currently." She turns right, heading for the servant stairs and turns to Toya.

"This way to the servant stairs, it's safer than taking the main stairs." She smiles.

"Right, good idea, that leads to the music room upstairs, right?" She creeps down the hall with her.

"Yes." She nods.

They both enter the stairwell and take it upstairs.

Spite takes a left and creeps along the hallway, counting the doors till he finds the art gallery door she mentioned

"Prepare, Fear nasty." He warns, reaching for the door handle.

Dante nods and takes a deep breath, calming any worries that Fear might try to amplify.

The Art gallery is worse than the elf described, mutilated taxidermied elf ears in elaborate displays on canvas, morbid paintings of Dalish elves being hanged in the gallows. And amongst all the macabre displays was a gold totem of a demon with red eyes.

A disembodied voice echoes in the room like a ghostly wail.

No more... no more, no hope.....no love

No light, just pain, there is no escape.

Spite lets out a whine of pain.

"Not fear, despair." He grits his teeth, the words repeating over and over and over.

"Can help." He says, stepping closer to the totem.

There is no help here, taken, cut from the fade, changed, all is lost

The feeling of despair hits them like a wall. Dante whimpers but pushes forward. Everything felt like pressure right before panic attack, taking their breath away.

"All is not lost, I swear to you. We'll help you. you Just have to allow us to help you." They grit out, trying to convince it.

How, I am trapped here? How can I? I am alone. Where is my pretty elf?

"Upstairs, we come, kill your master." Spite growls, feeling angry at what was done to this spirit.

Blood mages always taking, tearing from fade, metal hooks, pull, rip, take

They stole me, bound me, made me not what I am

"You're not alone. Never alone. I promise. We're going to help your elf, too. " Dante pleads.

They reach out to the totem, touching it, getting a feel for the magic that kept the demon bound here.

Break me free, destroy the totem, let him feel my despair, feel my pain.

It shouted in their heads, bordering on rage.

"Careful, kitty." Spite steps closer. "Unstable, in flux." He warns.

"He will feel despair, he will feel pain. I will make sure of it. But I need you to... If you stay like this, you might hurt someone you dont want to hurt anyone do you? You need to remember what you were before he turned you into this." They say.

Help me remember.

Spite sniffs around the totem.

"Can help, give hand." He says, holding his hand to Dante.

They take his hand as he reaches for the totem, and it feels like they are falling.

The world was fading around the edges until they were standing in a strange landscape, stone monuments floating past in strange orbits, a sky with no stars, only colours. The ground beneath their feet like slate.

To their left, they see a creature twice the size of them, dark purple skin, black smoke full of stars, long black tendrils of smoke like a lion's mane sparkling with more stars around a handsome face, 6 purple eyes blink at them, and a very familiar grin spreads on its lips.

"Hello, kitty." It speaks the voice deep but musical, echoing in this strange space.

Before them is another creature smaller than the other, with dark green skin with pink veins, 4 eyes blinking independently. It looks sad, its face twisted in pain. Their eyes grew wide in awe.

"Spite? Is that..you?" they chuckle. "Are we in the fade? Is that what you truly look like? This is amazing." They could feel their magic sing here. like rainfall on a tin roof.

They shake their head. They were being distracted again. They stepped towards the other creature in front of them.

"May I touch you?" They ask.

"Why touch?" It tilts its head in confusion. "Touch brings pain" It hisses and recoils.

"Because it doesn't have to bring pain. Like a parent's hug when you feel sad. Or someone who falls asleep on you because they feel safe with you. I'm so sorry he hurt you. I can't change that. But I can show you it doesn't have to hurt." They say softly.

"Want to remember, touch, without pain." It whispers.

Spite watches, monitoring the situation, this was risky if the guards came in while they were like this, they were vulnerable.

His gaze fell on despair, and he felt pangs of its pain, he understood what it felt like to be torn from the fade.

"I think a very small part of the pain will always be there. I... I was given hope today by your elven friend." They take out their locket.

"I was given hope in the shape of this, a twin with a matching engraving." They held out the necklace for them to see.

"Pain lingers because...I haven't seen my sister yet. I haven't seen my sister in years. I'm sure you can remember who you are, but it won't be without pain. It's both that proves we are alive, spirit or not." They say, touching its skin gently, tracing the lines.

"Hope?" A look of longing spreads on its face, recognition.

"Want to live, want to hope again." It sighs.

"Can hope, can be hope again." Spite steps closer, reaching out a clawed hand.

It shrinks back, frightened. Spite was bigger than it was.

"Wont hurt, Like you, taken from fade, Determination became Spite, Spite became determination again." He strokes its cheek and it cries out, expecting pain. But when none comes, it looks confused, hopeful.

"See?" Dante carefully reaches out with their hand again. "There's always hope." They smile.

"Can be hope, want to help, I have no body." It frowns.

"Come with me?" Spite holds out his claw again. "Until the magister is dead." He adds.

"Yes, then return me to the fade." It nods.

"Yes." He says, making sure to get between Dante and the demon in case it tries to possess them instead.

Dante watches curiously. Could a spirit be possessed by another spirit? Or was it just Sprite's weird circumstances that allowed him to do this, what did it mean?

Hope touches his claw and seems to dissolve into a green mist that curls up his long arm, settling in his chest, turning into a green gem.

"Need to hurry." Spite's voice is urgent, the fade was beginning to break apart like a shattered mirror, and then they are standing in the art gallery again, the totem shattering like a glass ornament.

"What was that noise?" A voice calls out from the hallway.

"It came from the gallery." Another said, they hear the sound of rushed footsteps heading in their direction.

"Hurry." Spite says, moving to the door at the back of the room, which leads to the cloak room.

Dante notices the green gem on Spite's chest, pulsing like a heartbeat.

"I am here, body is strange." It muses

"You get used to it." Spite mumbles.

It was strange to hear them have a conversation with the same voice.

"Find Toya upstairs." He tugs them into the entranceway and up the stairs to the upper balcony and hall, the master bedroom was on the right.

Chapter Text

Toya freezes several documents in her hands, hearing the door open, she ducks under the bed, listening closely, it can't be the guards again, they had already inspected the room. They were terrible guards, they didn't even check under the bed where she had hidden.

Toya? I'm upstairs.

Dante carefully looks around the room.

Please tell me that's your feet, I can see

Spite crouches down, lifting the bedding to peek under the bed.

"Silly birdy." He grins, spotting Toya staring back at him.

Dante chuckles.

"We got the spirit with us. You get the rest?" They asks as Toya climbs from under the bed.

"Yeah, he had some real dirt on this guy." She grins, holding out the notes.

The bodyguard, it seemed, had stolen from his previous employer, his wife had been sick, and his wages weren't enough to pay for her medicine.

Their target had taken him on, knowing this, he was threatening to tell everyone, and spoil his reputation so he would never work again unless he protected him, his wife would have no medicine if he couldn't work so he had agreed.

"I bet if he knows we got the dirt on him and we destroy it for him, he will turn on that magister before he can blink." Toya grins.

There's a pause, then she frowns.

"Wait, you said you have the demon? where?" She looks around, then her eyes widen. "You didn't let it possess you, did you?" She says, looking panicked.

"Not demon, spirit, here." Spite points to his chest proudly.

"Did you eat it? Can u do that?" She looks even more worried.

"Not eaten, silly bird." He shakes his head.

I am here, stop magister, be free.

"Well, that's uh, that's a thing." She chuckles.

"It is, isn't it?" Dante grins. "I'll tell you more about it later. We've still got a job to do." They tilt their head, watching her still trying to wrap her head around it.

"Why do I feel like I got the boring job?" Toya pouts playfully.

"Not mage, wouldn't work." Spite grins at her, giving Dante a knowing look before heading for the door. "Now we kill." He growls.

"Boring means quiet, quiet means you didn't get hurt. I'm fine with that." Dante smiles. "Yeah, let's get that asshole. I'm itching to punch him." They growl.

Toya looks at them for a moment with an unreadable expression. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she closed her mouth, it was not the time or place.

"Right, yeah. Let's go." She nods.

Spite grins heading into the hallway and the upper drawing room, to the entrance to the tower from the music room. The house is eerily quiet as they sneak up the stairs.

Toya looks around, making sure there aren't any traps or guards about. It felt too quiet.

"Stop!" She gasps, grabbing Dante's sleeve. Spite stops immediately as well at her warning.

She kneels, spotting a trip wire, she disables the trap and looks up with a swallow. A spiked gate had been set to slam down on anyone who set off the trip wire.

"Oh, good catch," Dante whispers. "That was close." they say, letting out a breath of relief.

"You need to be more careful. What if I hadn't seen it, you could have.." Toya trails off and clears her throat.

I don't want anything to happen to you.

"Good eyes." Spite nods, even he, who was usually more perceptive, had missed the trip wire. "Use good eyes more, yes." He nods, nudging Toya to go first.

Good eyes, kind, cares for the other one, hope cares for pretty elf, master hurt pretty elf.

"Won't hurt your pretty elf again." Spite says out loud as he follows Toya up the stairs.

They are close

Spite kept low behind Toya, who was at the top of the stairs peering through the bannister, the Magister was standing in front of a bookcase, his finger tracing the spines looking for something.

This is too easy, I don't like it.

Caution

Must end it, where is my pretty elf

Spite glances around, and his eyes widen. The elf was naked, tied to a post, posed like a doll.

"You're such a pretty doll for me, aren't you?" The magister purrs, pulling a book from the shelf. "Once I find the right book, I'm going to finish what Zara started. Fear will be implanted in you, and I will rule this city. All will fear me," He chuckles.

Spite sees red as soon as the name Zara leaves his lips.

Zara took me from the fade, forced me into Lucanis, experimented, tortured us!

He screamed in their heads, boiling with rage, for a moment, Dante felt like she was there with him, seething in rage as his emotions crashed into theirs. Spite looked like he was about to rush the Magister and do something stupid.

She felt Spite's rage like a gut punch.

SPITE, WAIT!

They tried to grab hold of his sleeve. Her eyes were on the elf. Whatever happened, they needed to free them first.

He freezes as she grabs his sleeve, his eyes almost red, for a moment she feared he might hurt her, then the colour fades and he tilts his head listening.

Lucanis's panicked voice echoes through the bond, he had felt his anger.

Be calm, Spite. Zara is dead, don't do anything reckless.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, and nods.

sorry

You sneak over and free the elf. Me and Spite will take the magister by surprise.

yes surprise

Let me fight, I want the kill him.

let you kill him, last blow is yours, promise.

The magister is far too distracted by his books to notice Dante sneaking closer.

The elf gives her a look of relief as Dante frees her from her bindings. She moves to her clothes quickly, pulling them on.

We go, now! Little bird.

Spite creeps around the side of the magister, staying hidden.

Toya moves like a shadow, her daggers drawn without a sound. She leaps into the air and knocks the magister to the floor, her daggers buried deep in his shoulders.

The magister gasps, shoving her back with a blast of magic.

Spite moves next, darting across the room, slashing his side, only to be thrown into the bookcase, several books falling to the floor.

Toya darts across the room once more, slashing him twice with her daggers, cutting his arm open. He retaliates with a blast of fire, burning her skin. She hisses in pain.

A huge spectral hand appears, attempting to squeeze the life out of the magister. And he gasps, gritting his teeth.

Spite spreads his wings and throws a blast of purple energy at the magister, knocking him back into the bookcase. The elf joins the Frey and casts a quick healing spell on Toya, soothing the sting of her burn.

She nods at the elf in thanks and slashes with her daggers again. The Magister attempts to throw a fireball at Dante but misses.

Dante lets ice coalesce into a knife and tosses it, but having to dodge the fire bolt means they throw the knife a little too high, right beside the magister's head.

Spite growls, pulling two throwing darts and tossing them, one grazing the magister in the neck, the other misses, thudding into the bookshelf.

The Magister hisses in pain, touching his neck and cursing when his hand comes away red, dark green veins throb from the wound. Spite's knives had been poisoned.

The elf tosses a bolt of lightning at him, but a hand grabs hers, stopping her.

"What the hell is this?" The Bodyguard shouts, rushing into the room, grabbing the elf's hand and yanking her back, before tossing her to the side, drawing his blade.

He runs at Spite, and they clash sword to daggers.

"Oh shit." Toya gasps. "Hey, you, I got something you might find interesting." She taunts the guard, waving the papers she pulled out of her pocket.

"Where did you get those?" The magister shouts in anger.

"Your safe was easy to crack." She grins and proceeds to tear the papers to pieces.

"Noooo, what have you done?" He snarls, attempting to throw a spell at her, only for his staff to be knocked from his hand as the guard turns from Spite and attacks him.

"What are you doing?" He shrieks.

"You don't have dirt on me anymore. I don't owe you shit." The guard snarls in his face, then jumps back.

"Shout all you want, you're not gonna live through this anyway." Dante spat.

Spite throws another bolt of energy at the magister, and he screams in pain as spectral flames wreath him in fire before going out.

The guard joins him and slashes the magister with his sword, but the magister blocks it with a spectral shield, knocking him back.

The elf hurls a bolt of black fire, it hits the mage in the chest, he gasps as if the air had been pulled from his lungs, and he stumbles back in pain.

"What's a matter, guess you don't like it when people fight back, huh?" Toya taunts, slashing with her daggers, but she misses as the magister blasts her back with magic.

The magister was looking really hurt now and was struggling to stand, his eyes darting around the room in desperation and panic.

"Nooo, you're ruining everything." He yells angrily, clutching his staff for support. The spectral hand reappears again, squeezing him at the throat.

"Ruining everything? How many lives have you ruined for your little collection downstairs? How many more would you have ruined just for your fucking pleasure?" Dante growls.

"I would not expect my lessers to understand." He snarls, cutting his palm and drawing blood, preparing a spell.

She feels the air shift, a chill down her spine as voices begin to echo in the room, the screams of the elves he had tortured.

Spite snarls.

"Won't work on me." He growls, throwing a knife at him, only to miss again as the Magister deflected it.

The guard gasps, covering his ears, unable to concentrate with the screaming in his head. The elf does the same, crying out in pain.

Toya gasps but shakes it off.

"Fuck you." She growls, attacking with her daggers, missing with one and hitting with the other.

The elf's spell flickers out, and Dante sees her shake as she tries to recast and fails. She covers her ears and yelps in pain again. She looks toward Spite and the gem that holds the spirit of hope.

"Not yet, soon." Spite grunts as hope roars in his head. He attacks with his daggers, carving a deep gash across the magister's chest, splitting his robe open in the process.

The guard is still holding his head, unable to attack. The screams in his head were so loud.

The elf shakes her head, finally clearing it. She is shaken, tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Your a monster!" She screams, hurling fire at him, only to miss and set the bookcase behind him on fire. Her eyes widen in fear as several books begin to burn.

"Shit, this whole place is going to go up in flames if we don't put that out." Toya gasps.

The Magister snarls at his books being damaged and hurls a bolt of lightning at Toya, catching her off guard. She screams, her body going rigid before she falls prone, breathing hard, badly wounded.

The Magister is very wounded now, he was getting desperate. There is a commotion from the stairs, the other two guards are coming to investigate all the noise.

"Toya!" Dante runs towards their wounded friend and then turns to cast a ray of frost, trying to pin the Magister against the bookcase and stop the fire from spreading. But the frost was not enough and it melted.

"Now!" Spite snarls his eyes, turning green as Hope takes control.

Hope snarls, baring Spite's teeth and leaps into the air, knocking the magister to the ground, and shoving his hand into his chest, ripping out his heart.

"YOU WONT HURT MY PRETTY ELF AGAIN," It screams as the Magister's eyes roll into the back of his head and he lets out a ragged breath before going still.

The guards reach the top of the stairs as Spite's eyes fade back to purple. He snarls at them, still holding the magister's heart, his wings spread in a threatening display.

The guards freeze, exchange a look, Scream and run back down the stairs.

"Oh fuck this," one yells.

"I don't get paid enough for that shit." The other says.

Spite rushes to Toya's side after tossing the heart aside.

I can help them

Hope takes over again, green energy flowing from Spite's hands as they heal her.

She was breathing hard, she smiled.

"You can heal?"

Spite shakes his head.

"Hope can." He chuckles, looking relieved as he regains control.

"Fear?" The elf asks timidly, approaching Spite.

"Not fear, hope." Spite smiles softly, letting it take over again.

"Pretty elf, my elf." Hope reaches out, caressing her cheek.

"I am free now, I must go." It whispers

The elf looks upset.

"You could stay with me?" she asks, hopeful, but hope shakes its head.

"I would not be hope if I possessed you. I don't want to hurt you." It sighs.

The elf begins to cry.

"I understand, goodbye, Hope I shall miss you." She sniffs.

"I can visit you in your dreams, pretty elf. When you dream of the fade, I will find you." It says softly.

"Goodbye, hope." She smiles.

Spite's eyes return to purple.

"Be free." He says, touching the green gem on his chest, it turns to dust and flies away like starlight. There is a whisper in the air, then the room falls silent.

"Holy shit, that was cool." Toya covers her mouth, realising that was probably insensitive.

Dante rushes to put the burning books out. they rolls their eyes, amused at Toya's outburst. Before they kneel down beside her.

"You okay?" They asks in concern

"I'll live." She grins. "Help me up." She says, trying to get up.

Dante helps her up and hugs her.

"You scared me." They sigh.

Toya stumbles forward losing there footing, knocking them into the bookshelf behind her. She giggles, then her smile falters, she glances at Dante's lips, and blushes bright red.

"Sorry." She steps back like she's been burned.

Spite snorts with laughter.

"We should go, you come?" He asks, turning to the elf, and she nods.

"You're Dalish, right?" Toya asks. Trying to will her blush away.

**Oh my gosh, I'm such an idiot, what was I thinking**

"Yes, I am, and please, my name is Nemo," She smiles.

"Maybe Bellara can help you find your clan." Toya says, trying to keep her head clear of thoughts.

Nemo gasps.

"You know Bellara? The Dalish hero of the Veilgaurd!" The elves eyes widen in awe.

Dante pauses and looks at Nemo.

"Yes, we do. Well..." They point to Spite. "He knows her better than we do, but you know..." They trail off.

"Have you ever opened the locket that was given to you?" Dante asks suddenly, stepping closer to the elf.

Nemo shakes her head.

"No, I have not." She looks at them for a moment, noticing they are wearing a similar necklace. "Wait, do you know her?" she asks inspecting the necklace around their neck.

Dante nods slowly.

"My sister...Can I borrow the locket for a moment?" They ask shyly.

The elf seemed hesitant at first, but seeing that Dante's necklace was similar, she took it off and handed it to her.

The pendant of her necklace fits perfectly along the etching of the little locket, there's a faint noise of a mechanism unlocking.

She is shaking as she opens the locket and sees a small picture of herself, much younger, and her sister. On the other side of the picture, there's an etching: ♡ Dante et Manuelle.

"Is that you?" Nemo asks in wonder, peering over her shoulder.

"Um, not to spoil a moment here, but can this wait until we are back at the veil Jumper camp." Toya says, looking around nervously. "I mean, those guards ran off, but that doesn't mean they didn't run off and tell someone what happened here." She says as she edges towards the stairs.

"Birdie, right, we go, Escape, talk later." Spite says, running to the stairs.

"Right, that's probably a good idea." Dante follows.

The path down is clear, they find themselves outside in moments, rushing to the gate, Nemo opens it quickly.

Shouting can be heard further down the street, the city guard most likely.

"This way, birdies." Spite hisses running down the street in the opposite direction from the guards. Toya hot on his heels, Nemo not far behind her.

Dante brings up the rear, running as fast as she can.

Still doing good?

I got a stitch, but I'll be fine.

"Up here. birdies." Spite says next to a trellis with ivy growing up it.

Nemo looks worried.

"Climb on back." Spite offers, and she nods, clinging to him tightly as he ascends the Trellis quickly.

"Oh shit." Toya hears shouting behind Dante, "Hurry!" She gasps, climbing behind Spite.

Dante climbs, keeping her eyes on Toya the whole time.

They make it to the top just as the guards rush down the streets below. They are thankful they do not look up.

"Can we make it to the Mirror from rooftops?" Toya asks.

Spite nods, turning to Dante as Nemo climbs off his back.

"I'm not much of a jumper." She says, fiddling with her skirts.

Spite grins, lifting her up in bridal carry, making her gasp in surprise.

"No jump, we fly." He laughs, spreading his wings.

"I don't know about this." She shrieks when he flaps his wings, taking to the air, retracing the path to the Eluvian hidden in the abandoned church.

Meet at Eluvian.

Toya turns to Dante.

"Come on, let's go." She grins before leaping to the next rooftop.

"I'd say race you to it, but last time you owned my ass." Dante laughs as she leaps toward the next rooftop.

"I mean, you would probably win." Dante wheezed, jumping to the next one and pausing to catch their breath, holding their side.

"I'm not leaving you behind," Toya calls to her.

"No crow left behind, huh?" Dante smiles before leaping to the next roof. They were nearly at the old church now.

It takes a bit of time making sure Toya was okay and that they were not followed, but they make it.

"We go now." Spite says, lowering his hood, Nemo breathes a sigh of relief, spotting Dante and Toya entering the church.

"Oh, thank goodness." Nemo smiles.

"Let's go." Spite grins before taking Nemo's hand and pulling her through the Eluvian.

"I can't wait to get home. I hope the First Talon cooked again. I'm starving." Toya grins before jumping through the mirror.

"I hope so too. I hope there's churros. We didn't really get to touch them last time." They smile as they reaches the other side.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Neve grins, looking up from her cup of coffee.

"Oh, you're back, and you brought a friend." Bellara smiles.

"That didn't take you long, I'm impressed." Neve laughs, putting down her coffee on a table and walking over.

"Nemo, friend, you help?" Spite asks, turning to Bellara.

"Wait, what?" She looks confused for a moment.

"What he means is, she is Dalish, can you help find her clan? She was a slave of the Magister we killed." Dante explains.

"Oh, right, yeah. Sure." She nods, calling one of the veil jumpers in the camp over.

"Can you help them find their clan? They got uh, separated." She smiles at Nemo than the veil jumper.

"Right away." They say, taking Nemo to the side to get information on her clan.

"You look like you could use a drink." Neve chuckles, heading over to the canteen tent. "Come on, let's have a drink before you head back, we have tea, coffee, rum if you're feeling adventurous, it's strong stuff, mind you." She laughs.

"Did you make the coffee? I heard stories about how you make coffee..." Dante jokes. "I feel like rum would knock me right out, so I might just stick to tea thanks." She smiles.

"Lucanis is never going to let me live that down, is he?" Neve chuckled, "Tea it is." She sighs.

"You boil it, ruin the flavour." Spite teases.

"Don't you start to." She laughs.

They all gather around a table, as Neve serves a pot of tea.

"So the mission went well then?" Neve asks in conversation.

"It was so cool, Spite got possessed by a hope demon, and ripped out the magister's heart," Toya said excitedly.

"You got possessed? I didn't think that was possible. Are you still you?" She asks, looking worried at him.

"Still Spite, Hope returned to fade, I help." He grins, eyeing the cup of tea in front of him with distaste.

"I helped too. The fade is such an interesting place...It's crazy to think magic barely scratches the surface of it." Dante sighs. It had been a long day.

They took another sip of tea.

"Even here, it's not quite the same. It's more a calm stream than churning water. Also, Spite...You could have warned me a little. If it wasn't for your voice, I wouldn't have known it was you...Is that really how you look?" Dante asks curiously.

"Only a memory." He looks down, sad.

Was strong, old, not the same, Cut, Zara took that from me

Flashes of memory flicker through the bond.

The form they had seen before, but bigger, a stone archway, a tear in the sky, spectral red chains and hooks digging into him, the door to the bond slams closed.

Spite stands abruptly and walks away.

"Everything ok, Spite?" Neve calls after him.

He doesn't respond and walks to a corner of the camp away from everyone.

"What was that about?" Neve ponders sipping her tea. She glances at where Spite walked off to with a worried expression.

Dante looks over to where Spite went, then back to Toya and then to Neve. They try to mentally nudge at the bond but finds it closed and frowns. They look down at their mug of tea and sigh.

"I guess this mission reminded Spite of what happened to him, huh?" They look to Neve.

"Someone should talk to him." They say, glancing over to him again.

"Don't you worry about Spite, he will be ok," Neve says, watching him grasp the dagger on his chest. "Spites, been through a lot, but he's a strong one." She says, finishing her drink.

"You should probably get back to Treviso. Spite will cheer up once he sees his loves." She smiles. "Besides, you look like you got your ass handed to you." She grins, looking at Toya.

"I kind of did." She winces. Hope healed the worst of it, but she was going to need to see Dr Frances when she got back to the Villa.

"We think we know where Nemo's clan is. I'm sending word to them, Nemo will stay with us at the Treviso Eluvian camp until they arrive, if you wanna talk to them." Bellara smiles, looking at Dante. "Oh, uh, where did Spite go?" She asks, looking around.

"He needed a moment. I'll go get him." Neve says, walking over to him.

Dante watches as she kneels next to him. They exchange a few words, she pats his shoulder, and he gets up, following her back to the others.

He avoids Dante's gaze.

"We go home?" He asks, still sounding a little withdrawn.

They drain the rest of their cup and nods, feeling like they were walking on eggshells.

"Oh uh...Before we go..." They takes the locket out of her pocket and show it to Neve. "Neve I have a favour to ask, if it's at all possible." They ask shyly.

"Sure, what's up?" She asks, eyeing the locket with curiosity.

"Nemo, the elf we came in with... She had this, it was given to her by my sister. I haven't seen my sister in years, I don't even know if she's still alive. But Nemo did, and I hope if there's any way...Maybe you could find her for me." They look hopeful as they hand it to Neve.

"I'll talk to them, see what I can dig up, and I'll send word to Lucanis if I find anything." She smiles, patting her shoulder.

"Let's get you back to Treviso." Bellara grins, heading for the gates.

"I can't wait to get home." Toya sighs, "I'm beat." She says, following after her.

Spite doesn't say anything but follows after them, still clutching the dagger on his chest, his thumb on the gem like it brought him comfort.

"Thanks. Give the locket back to Nemo when you're done, would you? I'd appreciate that " Dante smiles.

They stay silent the rest of the way back, looking at the ground in front of them.

The Journey to the Eluvian doesn't take long. Bellara and Neve part ways, heading deeper into the camp, while the three of them head back to Treviso through the Eluvian.

Spite seems to perk up a bit once they step into the Diamond, it's evening in Treviso, so they head straight for the Villa.

The guards let them pass without a word. Lucanis and Altara were in the courtyard by the main entrance.

"I take it, things did not go well?" Lucanis asks.

Spite shakes his head.

"Went ok." He mumbles.

Lucanis smiles softly.

"I see, something else happened then?" He asks, glancing at Dante curiously.

"Let's not have this conversation in the courtyard. Come in, you all look exhausted. Let's get you cleaned up and fed." Altara smiles, gesturing for them to go inside.

She glances at Lucanis and tilts her head, and he nods.

"I will join you in a moment." He smiles, staying with Spite as the others head indoors.

Dante's still looking at the ground. They sigh deeply, they feel exhausted.

"We need Doctor Frances. Toya got pretty banged up." They say softly.

"I'll send for him." Altara pauses to speak with a servant, and they nod and hurry towards the guest house.

"What happened with Spite? He seemed a little upset, Could you not save the demon?" She asks as they walk towards the drawing room.

"Spite saved it, right, Dante?" Toya smiles, but it falters. "You ok, Dante?" She asks, wondering why they were still looking at the ground.

"Sometimes, some memories are better left alone, I guess...I understand why he's upset about it though..." Dante mutters.

"Memories, what do you mean? What did you see?" Altara steps closer, a look of concern but also protectiveness of Spite on her face.

Dante shrinks in themself, almost taking a step back.

"Who he was, of what happened to him." They whisper.

"I see." Altara smiles, she had seen what he was before. She blushes at the memory of the dream he shared with her.

"Spite's situation is complicated." She explains. "I'm sure you're aware Lucanis is not a mage." She says with a chuckle, Remember a conversation with Lucanis back in the veilgaurd.

Without Spite, I have the Magical talent of a brick.

"Anyway, all you need to know is it's a sensitive subject to him, he is working through it with Dr Frances." She pats their shoulder. "Don't worry, He's not mad at you." She smiles.

"Good, you're all here. Let us discuss the contract." Lucanis says, walking into the drawing room and taking a seat.

Spite follows and sits next to Lucanis and offers Dante a shy smile before looking at Altara. She smiles at him, and he seems to relax completely.

Altara's words confuse them. How had Spite been forced to possess a non-mage? She vaguely understood how he got a body, they knew he was taken from the fade, but the rest was a mystery to them.

They wondered for a moment how much of this had to do with the blood mages they were hunting. They sit next to Toya and give a wobbly smile back to Spite.

"So you eliminated the Target?" Lucanis asks, glancing between them. "And what of the Demon, you were able to save it from turning?" He asks, leaning on the table.

"The target was definitely eliminated." Dante made a bit of a face. "His heart got ripped out. So, unless someone receives him as a skeleton, I don't think he's coming back." They pause. "It turned out to be a spirit of hope." Another pause. "We couldn't have done it without Spite, though." They smile.

"I helped." Spite says, Both Lucanis and Altara smile like that meant more to them than it would to Dante.

"Hope?........interesting." Lucanis rubs his beard in thought, then there is a look of confusion is on his face.

"You ripped out his heart?" He raises an eyebrow. "A little dramatic for an Assassination." He chuckles.

"Not me. Let's just say, don't ever piss off a spirit of hope. Being hopeful doesn't mean they can't be vengeful and wreck your shit. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, I suppose. But the heart of the matter, so to speak, is that the Magister definitely doesn't have his anymore." They grin.

He gives Spite a sideways glance, and Spite grins at him.

"I see, well, I am glad to hear you were successful, and relatively unharmed." He says as Dr Frances comes in.

"I'm told you need a healer?" The Dr asks, stepping further into the room.

Toya raises her hand.

"That would be me." She says with a wince.

"Right, of course, where do you hurt?" He asks, setting his briefcase down and kneeling in front of them.

She lifts her shirt, and her ribs are one giant bruise.

"Oh my." He raises a hand, tracing them, and she winces.

"Hold still, this will only take a moment." He smiles, his hand glowing green. Dante watches as the bruises begin to fade until her skin looks normal again.

"Thanks." She grins.

"Think nothing of it, it's what im here for. He stands. "Anyone else?" He asks, glancing at Spite.

"Talk later." He mutters, and he nods.

"Alright, I shall be in my office when you're ready." He smiles before offering a bow and leaving.

"You look hungry. Shall I cook you something? We have already eaten." Lucanis smiles at them.

"Oh, yes, please. You probably can hear my stomach from the other end of the villa at this point." Dante jokes.

"What would you like?" He smiles, getting up. Spite clings to his sleeve for a moment before he lets go.

"I help?" He asks shyly.

"Of course you can. Why don't we head to the kitchen? We can talk while I cook." He offers before heading for the door.

"Are the kitchens big?" Toya asks, already following him.

"Huge." Altara grins, getting up as well.

"Ooh, I... Uh... I'd be down for a loaded frittata with like bread and cheese on the side. Honestly, I would could eat a whole loaf of bread with cheese on my own if I were alone, probably..." Dante comments as they walk.

"You remind me of someone I know." Lucanis chuckles as they all enter the kitchen.

The kitchen was open plan, with a large wooden table and chairs in the centre. A hearth with a stove and other cooking pots. A bread kiln on the left. a Antivan coffee maker on the right. With a small kitchen island to prepare ingredients.

Lucanis fusses about in the pantry box, looking for ingredients. And hums to himself happily. Dante was starting to get the impression that he enjoyed cooking.

Spite leans on the counter, watching him, and helps cut some fresh parsley and Mushrooms. While Lucanis makes a stock.

"I hope you like Risotto," He smiles, cutting some bacon while the stock simmers. He grates some cheese and minces some garlic. The smell as he cooks has Dante's mouth watering.

"It's a simple but satisfying dish." Altara grins, taking a seat.

"Can we have Churros for dessert?" Toya asks excitedly, making Lucanis laugh.

"You have not even eaten dinner yet, and you're already talking about dessert? You're worse than Spite." He grins.

Spite snickers, handing the ingredients he helped cut to Lucanis.

"Ooh! That sounds amazing too!" Dante laughs. "Dessert is the best part. Could we help make them?" They ask softly.

"Let me finish making you dinner, I will teach you how to make churros after." Lucanis smiles, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

Dante notices the crow's feet at the corner of his eyes, the silver streaks at his temples. Though not many, they could see them reflecting the light from the stove as he worked.

He sautés the Garlic and mushrooms, then puts them to the side.

He then poured a measure of risotto rice into a pan, tossing it until semi-translucent, before adding a little bit of chicken stock. Stirring until absorbed. He repeated the process until the rice was cooked.

He added the mushrooms, parsley and bacon with half the cheese, then stirred until combined.

He portioned the risotto into some bowls, garnishing it with the leftover cheese and parsley before carrying them over to the table.

Spite's portion was twice the size of theirs. But they were used to his larger appetite by now.

"Please dig in," Lucanis says, pouring some wine for him, Spite and Altara, then pouring one for Dante and Toya and placing them next to them.

Just the smell alone was amazing. Lucanis was an excellent cook.

They take a bite and then, in quick succession, a second and a third one.

"This is so good. I wish I knew how to cook like you." They smile.

"I shall add it to the list of things you wish me to teach you to cook." Lucanis smiles around his wine glass before taking another sip.

"You're enjoying this too much, my love." Altara smiles, sipping her wine.

"Or just the right amount." He chuckles in reply.

Spite devours his food and smiles happily, looking much better now that he is home and fed.

Dante glances at Toya and smiles.

"What's your favourite food?" They ask.

"Hmm, I really like spaghetti Bolognese." She grins.

"Steak is better." Spite says joining in.

"Churros. It was the first thing I asked the chefs to teach me how to cook when I was a boy." Lucanis smiles.

"I'm with Lucanis on Churros." Altara laughs, sipping her wine.

"But that's a desert." Toya laughs.

"Dante asked what your favourite food was, they didn't stipulate it has to be a main dish." Lucanis chides.

"I did say favourite food... But then what would be your favourite dessert be then? Or like your favourite midnight snack." Dante asks, nudging Toya as they speak.

"Chocolate-coated almonds," Altara grinned.

"Technically, I've already answered this question if it's a desert, as for snacks, I do like pistachios," Lucanis says with amusement. Glancing at Altara.

"I love to snack on cherries." Altara grins.

"strawberry tart. or chorizo if snack." Spite says, sipping his wine. A familiar glint of mischief was back in his eyes as the conversation continued.

"Raspberry tarts sounds good." Dante muses

"Yes," Spite nods.

Lucanis glances at Dante with suspicion and smiles.

"Alright then, it will take time, and it is late, how about I make a Raspberry tart for dessert, tomorrow?" He smiles.

"It's not too late for Churros for tonight, though, right?" Toya asks, looking hopeful.

"Only if you help me wash up." He grins.

"Deal," she grins back.

"I'll help too!" Spite chimes in.

Altara smiles warmly, watching them wash the dishes while Lucanis dries.

She notices the smile on Lucanis's face. How he laughs when Toya splashes him playfully.

"Smells like warm fires, laughter and thyme. Family." Spite says softly.

"I suppose it does," she laughs, kissing his cheek.

"What's that for?" He asks.

"Nothing at all, I'm just happy you're happy again." She smiles at him, cupping his cheek.

"Yes." He whispers, leaning into her touch and closing his eyes.

Dante splashes Toya in retaliation for Lucanis, laughing all the while.

"Hey, no fair." Toya grins, nudging her with her shoulder playfully.

"Dante is simply defending her First Talon." Lucanis jokes.

"I know you can take it, Toya, you took a big hit today and yet you were still jumping from rooftop to rooftop like it was nothing. I don't know how you do it." Dante laughs.

"I mean, we were running for our lives." She said with a blush.

"That does tend to be quite motivating." Lucanis grins.

"Nothing like guards chasing you when a job goes wrong....Or right." Altara laughs. Remembering a Job she went on with Jacobus. How the boy nearly got his ass bit by the hounds as they ran. She giggled at the memory.

"Well, you still scared me for a moment back there." Dante splashes Toya again.

"Oh, come on," She pouts playfully. "I'm alive, aren't I?" She grins.

"Alright, you two, that's enough." Lucanis chides. "Go wait by the counter or no churros for either of you." He smiles in amusement.

"Yes, you are," Dante replies with a soft smile as they step away from the sink to go stand by the counter.

"Good." Lucanis smiles. "Now, to make Churros, first you need to make the batter." He explains. Showing them how to make it. "It's quite simple." He chuckles.

"Then you heat up the oil, and using a piping bag, you drop tubes of batter into the oil until golden brown, then while it's hot, you roll it in Cinnamon and Sugar, like this." He says making a batch and doing just so.

"Now you try." He says Handing the piping bag to Dante.

Altara watches with amusement, resting her head on Spite's shoulder, who was basking in the happy emotions in the room, purring softly, almost like a cat.

Dante concentrated really hard to keep an even pressure on the piping bag and make their churros as straight as possible. The first few were definitely wobbly at best.

Toya helps cut the ends. And grins watching them turn a golden brown in the oil.

Dante lifts them from the oil gently and then tosses them in the sugar and cinnamon just as Lucanis showed her.

"Almost as good as yours." They grin at Lucanis, and he laughs.

"Not bad for your first try." He compliments.

They blushes at the compliment and hand the bag to Toya.

"Your turn." They grin.

their earlier worries are dissipating more and more as the pile of warm churros grows.

Toya pokes her tongue out in concentration, keeping an even pressure on the bag, squeezing out the last of the batter.

Dante finds Toya sticking out her tongue kind of cute as thy help cut the ends, draining them out of the oil so Toya can toss them in the sugar and cinnamon. It was nice to have fun like this. Especially after such a difficult contract.

"That should be enough. Not bad, Toya, you managed to get the batter nice and even." Lucanis smiles.

"Come on, you should eat them while they're fresh." He says plating them up and putting them on the table with some small plates.

Toya rushed to the table and sat down, putting two on her plate.

"So good." She moaned, eating the first one.

Spite puts four on his plate and devours them.

Lucanis and Altara take one each, having already had dessert with dinner.

Dante takes the last two.

They giggle at Toya's reaction, their cheeks turning pink in the process. They take their time eating, enjoying the flavour.

"You're right, it's good." They sigh happily.

"You did well on your contract, both of you," Lucanis says, finishing his wine.

"You're both probably tired. Why don't you enjoy a nice bath and get some sleep?" He smiles.

"We can resume your training tomorrow after breakfast." Altara smiles.

"I take them to the guesthouse." Spite says getting up.

"Alright." Lucanis gets up as well and begins to tidy up with Altaras' help.

Dante feels exhausted, they rub their face and yawn.

"Thank you for the food, it was delicious. Have a good night." They say softly.

They bring their plate to the sink before heading toward the door. They look back towards Toya and Spite.

Spite smiles shyly and heads for the door, stepping past them. He begins a slow walk towards the guest house, making sure they are both following.

Toya follows and gives Dante a look, gesturing at Spite, then shrugging. Not knowing if she should say anything.

Dante shakes her head.

"It's okay," They nod.

"Are you feeling better now, Spite?" Toya asks softly as they walk.

"Yes." He replies.

"Sorry for running, Bad memories." He says.

"It's okay, you don't have to be sorry about it. I can understand why. If anything, I'm the one who's sorry. I probably didn't help at all in triggering those. Glad you're feeling better, though." Dante smiles kindly.

"Dr Frances helps." He sighs. "Still hurts." He replies as they walk out into the courtyard outside. He pauses, looking up at the stars.

Dante follows his gaze, and they are reminded of the constellations they saw on his form in the fade. Spite sighs mournfully before continuing towards the guesthouse.

They stay there for a moment, holding onto their pendant and looking up at the sky. Eventually, they have to run a little to catch up.

"Pendent important?" Spite asks, both a statement and a question, as they enter the guest wing and start to ascend the stairs.

They nod.

"A reminder that we'll find each other." They sigh.

"They mage, like you?" He asks curiously. "Could find, in fade." He offers quietly so only Dante would hear.

They shake their head.

"Not that I know of, not when we got separated at least. But thanks for the offer. I appreciate it." They smile again.

"Sparkles good at finding, she find her." He says, coming to a stop outside their rooms.

"Thanks for the escort, you're really cool, Spite." Toya smiles at him.

"little birdies bath and rest." He says before walking back the way he came.

" I hope so...I... I hope you find what you've lost, too, Spite. Have a good night." Dante calls after him.

He pauses mid walk as if struck, before continuing on his way without another word.

They looks after Spite following his retreating form with a worried expression.

"He's nothing like I thought he would be," Toya says before looking at Dante.

"None of them are, I almost feel like I've been adopted, it's..." Dante trails off for a moment. "It's nice to feel like I belong." They smile.

"I didn't really have a family until the crows." Toya sighs. Her gaze flicking to Dante again.

Dante impulsively hugs Toya as she mentions not really having family before the crows. It's a quick, tight kind of hug.

"We should bathe, I don't know about you, but I want to wash away that place." Toya shivers, remembering the morbid paintings on the walls, the strange oddities in the bedroom when she had been looking for the blackmail documents.

"A bath sounds like a really good idea right now." Dante agrees.

"Let's......go." Toya smiles, walking in the direction of the baths, there would be towels and robes in the changing rooms

Toya strips quickly once they make it to the baths, throwing her dirty clothes in the laundry hamper to be washed, then slips into the water with a relieved sigh, reaching for a heavily rose-scented soap.

She pauses mid scrub, glancing at Dante.

"You ok?" She asks softly.

"Yes? No? I don't know? Today was a lot. I...I think I stepped into the fade? At least Sprite's memory of it. It was so much...And then I got news of my sister! And... And... " They look at Toya and then look away. "I'm just glad we all ended up coming back safe. I'm really not lying when I say you scared me back there." They say, stepping into the bath themself.

"I was scared to, never been hurt that badly before." Toya muses, staring into the water. "When you called out to me, I." She sniffs. "I never had a reason to live before, my life was the crows. They gave me a roof over my head, food. purpose." She feels her eyes brim with tears.

"But I wanted to live, I didn't want to hear you sound so scared for me ever again." She sobs.

"I...I like you, Dante." She blurts out and looks away like she was afraid they would look at her differently.

Dante stops mid-movement as they wash their shoulder and look up. They end up sniffling too as they make their way closer.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay!" Dante laughs, not an unkind laugh but a nervous one. "Don't cry, please. I swear I can't handle any more...tears" They say as they gently cup Toya's face and rub the tears away with the pads of their thumbs.

"I like you too. A lot." They admit.

"You.....You do?" Toya asks, avoiding their gaze, that Can't be true, nobody really likes Toya, Toya is loud, doesn't know when to shut up, and never knows what to say when she does.

Dante's hands felt warm on her face, even if they were lying to make her feel better, at least she had this.

"I do." Dante smiles. "You know how I was before during training as a fledgling? I would train, go back home, rest, then repeat. It was kind of lonely. And a handful of days ago, you came in like a ray of sunshine. Who can blame the sun for shining?" They smile.

Toya's lower lip trembles, and more tears begin streaming down her face.

"You...You really mean that?" She sniffles, reaching a hand out and tucking a loose hair behind Dante's ear, gently as if afraid they might reject the touch, her hand shakes.

"I really do." Dante smiles, holding Toya's hand to her cheek and nuzzling into it. And then they laugh.

"Cinnamon." They muse.

"Cinnamon?" Toya looks at her, confused.

"He knew it before we did." They laugh. "I think love smells of cinnamon. Or at least he mentioned it on two separate occasions. One for you and one for me." They grin.

"Who did?" Toya tilts her head and giggles.

"Spite, remember? He said cinnamon for me and cloves for you this morning." Dante explains.

"He did, didn't he?" Toya smiles, her blue eyes meeting theirs, becoming wide.

"You said Cinnamon smells like love...You lo...Love me?" She blushes furiously.

Dante chuckles and grins.

"Is that too much?" They ask shyly.

Toya shakes her head.

"I...Never felt like this before." She says her eyes are wide and curious. "I thought people just made it up, about the Butterfly's" She blushes bright pink. "Can I....Can I kiss you?" She asks shyly.

"It hasn't happened to me either, at least not this way, not this soon" Dante grins and nods at the question. "Just one moment.". They quickly dunks in the water and scrub their face real quick before popping out again with a laugh. "Okay, better." They smile.

Toya smiles, cupping their cheeks and giggling at them. At first, she just leans in close, hesitant, her nose brushing theirs, a shared breath. Expecting them to pull away, to change their mind.

Then she closes her eyes and presses her lips to theirs, soft, chaste, just a press of her lips before she pulls back and watches their reaction.

Dante leans into her touch, eyes closed and smiling. It takes a moment before they reopen their eyes and giggles.

"My turn?" They asks, moving closer.

Toya nods slowly, her eyes searching theirs, like she can't believe this is real.

Dante runs a hand through Toya's hair before cupping her cheeks and leaning in. It's just as chaste a kiss, and they giggle into it. As they pull back, they add the tiniest kiss to the tip of Toya's nose.

Toya goes cross-eyed for a moment and smiles before kissing their nose, too.

Dante laughs. their cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

"Come on, we should get out of here and go get some rest. We've had a big day. And we have training tomorrow. No breaks for the crows..." Dante jokes.

Toya nods.

"Ye....We should." She smiles, getting out of the bath and grabbing a robe, before grabbing a towel to dry her hair.

Dante stays still for a moment, red in the face and grinning, before shaking their head and getting out of the bath as well.

"So... I suppose that means we'll be using just one room?" They laugh.

"I mean, if that's ok with you...I...really liked sharing the bed..it was nice to not be alone." Toya stutters, still drying her hair.

"It was nice and it's totally okay with me." Dante is done drying their hair and waits.

"Ok, I'm ready to head back to our rooms." Toya smiles.

Dante gently nudges her so she would hold hands on the way back, a huge grin on their face.

Toya blushes, taking their hand, her fingers interlinking with theirs as they walk back to their rooms.

It doesn't take Dante long to be dressed in there night things, and curls up in the bed.

"You joining?" Dante asks with a grin.

Toya nods, now in a nightgown, her hair tied back, make-up wiped away. She climbs onto the bed, lying down next to them.

Dante smiles, edging closer. "Hi." They grin, reaching for her hand.

"Hey." Toya reaches out as well, fingers curling against theirs

"Did you believe any of this would happen?" Toya whispers, before bringing their hand to her lips for a quick and sweet kiss.

"Which part?" Dante smiles

"Working with the First Talon, the First Talon cooking for us, teaching us to make Churros, sharing our minds with Spite and talking to each other with telepathy, or falling for my colleague and friend." Toya laughs.

"All of it, Maker, it sounds absolutely crazy when you put it that way." Dante grins.

"It does doesn't it, especially when we are fresh crows with hardly any experience." Toya grins back.

"I'm glad it turned out that way. For all that happened before and all that will surely happen next, I'm glad I met you." Dante says softly, and they were glad, it almost felt like fate.

"I'm glad to," Toya says with a sleepy smile, her eyelids growing heavy.

Dante shuffles around a bit so they can cuddle with a small chuckle before falling asleep.

Toya shuffles closer and rolls over, pressing her back against their front before falling asleep as well.

Chapter Text

The next morning comes, the sun rises once more, painting the sky in orange and gold, with beams of sunlight creeping through the gaps in the curtains.

Dante wakes with a face full of hair, they chuckle to themself, pressing a kiss to the top of Toya's head.

Toya mumbles, rolling to face her and pulling her closer, in her sleep, like a pillow. Dante smiles and pets her hair, trying to discern what she was mumbling about in her sleep.

"Chu... Churros." Toya mumbles again, snuggling even closer.

"We could make some, but I'm not sure it's a good idea for breakfast..." Dante whispers softly. Toya lets out a little snore in response.

Dante nudges her lightly.

"Hey. Sunshine...We have to wake up!" It wasn't like they wanted to wake up, but they needed to train, and surely someone was going to knock at the door eventually to summon them for breakfast.

As if their thoughts had summoned the servants, there was a knock at the door.

"Oh shit." Toya gasps, startled by the knock and falling backwards right off the bed, taking the sheets with her. Dante bursts out laughing and looks down at Toya on the floor, tangled in the sheets.

"Are you okay?" They asks before glancing at the door. "One moment, please, we'll be right there!" They call out before their gaze falls on Toya once more.

Toya blushes with embarrassment.

"I'm fine." She grins tiredly. She rights herself and stands up, untangling herself from the sheets and glances at the door.

"I'll get dressed for breakfast." Dante pauses for a moment, then presses a quick kiss to her cheek before rushing through the adjoining door to their room.

They grin as they get ready for breakfast, they were actually looking forward to the day ahead.

They follow the servants to the Villa Dining Room and enter. Illario and Amika are sitting in the corner. Illario is feeding Amika whilst she feeds the baby.

Lucanis is sitting at the head of the table, talking to Altara softly. While Spite is quietly sipping his morning coffee.

"Good morning, everyone." Dante greets them happily before sitting down.

"Good morning, you seem to be in a high spirits this morning." Lucanis chuckles.

"Good morning, you two, sleep well?" Altara asks, clearly she has had her morning coffee, because she was never this happy in the Morning until she has had at least two.

Spite looks up from his coffee, looks at Toya, then looks at Dante before sniffing the air, a knowing grin spreading on his lips.

Dante nods, smiling.

"I slept very well. How about you?" They asks as they grab two mugs and prepares two coffees, handing one to Toya.

"Good morning, Kitty and Birdy." Spite purrs glancing between them again.

Lucanis glances at Spite, wondering what has him so amused. Then his gaze falls on Toya and Dante with a raised eyebrow.

"I slept fine, my husband's are excellent pillows. " Altara grins, Lucanis blushes, and Spite simply snickers at her comment.

Breakfast today consisted of the usual fresh and dried fruits, sweet pastries and pancakes with a fresh pot of coffee and tea.

"Okay, spit it out, Spite. You've been glancing at us since we came in. Let me guess...Cinnamon?" They comment, picking a pastry and pulling it apart.

Spite looks puzzled for a moment.

"Why mad, Spite didn't do anything?" He pouts. "Thought you were happy, now sour." He sulks.

"What's going on? Did I miss something?" Lucanis asks, glancing between the three of them.

"I didn't do anything." Toya panics.

"I didn't mean to sound mad...I'm just curious. I'm not mad at all, promise!" Dante laughs.

Lucanis continues to look puzzled and sips his coffee with rolled eyes. Before resuming reading the morning newspaper.

"Birdy and Kitty are happy, it's nice." Spite smiles, grabbing another pastry.

"Yes, we are." Dante grins.

Lucanis chuckles but doesn't comment.

"Oh, I see." Altara laughs, pouring another cup of coffee. "I'm happy for you both, but make sure it doesn't affect your training, ok." She warns with a smile.

"It won't. If anything, we'll be more sure to have each other's back. But Spite...That's what the cinnamon smell was about, isn't it? You knew before we even did?" They smiles.

He tilts his head.

"Cinnamon is kitty. Altara, wild cherries. Lucanis, coffee." He grins. "Illario is ginger, Amika coconut. Birdie cloves." He nods to himself as if listing smells was perfectly normal.

Dante was starting to get the impression perhaps they were just smells he Associated with certain people.

"Ooh! Uh. So when you said that Toya was smelling of cinnamon and clove, there are just smells you associate with us" They took a bite of their pastry. "That's kind of cute." They smiles.

"Everyone has a scent." He nods. "Can find by scent if nearby." He grins.

Even in the dark, hidden in shadow, he could sense a person's scent, which meant he was very difficult to take by surprise. His unique sense of smell had saved Lucanis's life a few times when there had been attempts on his life during his first year as First Talon.

"I thought it was tied to feelings or emotions at first...But it was just because we've been close enough that it mixed right?" Dante tilts their head.

Spite nods, finishing his coffee.

"Emotions, too, not always." He tilts his head. "Different when it's feelings." He sniffs the air again.

"Honey, sweet, herbal spice. warm, new." He smiles, glancing between them.

Dante looks at Toya and giggles. "That sounds nice, actually." They sighs happily, and take another bite of their pastry.

"So what are we training today?" They asks, glancing at the First Talon.

"I will be teaching Toya some basic techniques for fighting mages while Spite will be teaching you how to fight more effectively with your magic." Lucanis smiles, finishing his coffee and leaning back in his chair.

"And I have a contract in Minrathous, so I will be back later," Altara says, getting up and leaning down to kiss Lucanis. He returns the kiss. "I will return safely, do not worry." She smiles, pressing her forehead to his.

"Good, I will see you later." He cups her cheek, then lets her go.

She walks over to Spite and kisses him like she did Lucanis. He sighs into the kiss and smiles up at her when she leans back.

"You behave while im gone, ok," She warns.

"Always Behave." He pouts.

"Badly, I know." She chides, and he grins. "See you two later." She waves at Dante and Toya before leaving.

"He can't behave too badly while he's training me, right? Unless..." Dante pauses and looks at Spite nervously.

He grins at them but says nothing.

"Mischief." He grins wider.

"Training first." Lucanis chuckles.

Dante laughs and nods.

"Toya, have you been preparing mischief of your own? You're awfully quiet..." They turn to her with a smile and gently squeezes her hand under the table.

"Who me?" Toya shakes her head. "I'm concentrating on being ready for training with the First Talon." She says, trying to look serious.

"Why do I feel like I have my work cut out for me?" Lucanis chuckles.

"Toya, good student, can tell." Spite nods.

"We shall see." Lucanis yawns before getting up. "Alright then, come along, Toya, let's see if we can make a mage killer out of you." He chuckles. "Meet me in the courtyard while I change into something more suitable." He says before walking out of the dining room.

"Right, yes, of course, First Talon." She gets up and leaves as well.

"We train to, outside." Spite says, leaving the dining room through the open patio doors. "This way, kitty." He grins, walking down a path.

They follow, becoming a bit more serious and focusing on the task at hand. He walks to an area They haven't seen before.

A small rock garden, raked sand in intricate swirling patterns, rocks positioned at cardinal points, strange miniature buildings with pointed roofs, jasmine flowers and strange trees that twist in weird ways. It almost seemed like it was based on a foreign land, but from where they couldn't ascertain.

"It's so pretty." They say softly, not wanting to break the sense of quiet contemplation of the place.

"Good place, can think here." Spite nods, kneeling on one of the cushions provided by a small fire pit, he starts a small fire and gestures for them to sit.

They sit down and take a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the roses and jasmine. They look at Spite, wondering what he has planned.

"Magic from fade, yes." He says with a tilt of his head.

"Yes. It's the essence we shape magic with. That's what I've been told." They reply.

Spite nods.

"Watch fire." He says, closing his eyes.

They stare at the fire, watching the flames dance. Spites brow furrows, and they watch as the fire turns blue, becoming ethereal. When he opens his eyes, they are glowing brighter than usual.

"Fade, fire." He says, his eyes dim, and the flame returns to normal. "Now you." He grins, watching them intensely. His intense gaze was a bit unnerving. They closed their eyes and took a deep breath.

They reach out to the wisps of the fade surrounding her, the whispers of magic like a trickle against their senses. They willed them to form into something bigger.

They frown as the fade slipped through their fingers like so much water and then...It felt like stepping into a cool stream on a hot summer day, the current stronger than the mere trickle they were used to.

They opened their eyes and concentrated on the fire. Watching as it turned blue, just like Spite had done.

It startled them, and as soon as it changed, a second later, the flames were a bright orange once more.

"Good first try." Spite nods. "Again." He said, watching them closely, his eyes glowing like he was staring into their soul, or perhaps he was watching their connection the fade.

It was easier this time around to find the flow, to hold the wisps of the fade in their hands.

"Good, make brighter." He says with a proud smile, curling his lips.

They understood why a quiet place like this was a good place to practice stuff like this now. They concentrate to maintain and strengthen the connection and managed to slowly but surely makes it brighter.

"Make small but not go out." Spite grins, whatever He was seeing when He gazed at them with those strange eyes of his, seemed to please him, they were making progress.

They gasp, The blue flame flares out big and bright and almost goes out completely before it turns into a tiny flickering flame, like a candle. Their hands shake. It was harder to go from a flood to a trickle than the other way around.

"Now hold it." Spite grins. "Control important." He nods. "Control, stronger magic." He explains.

Why was it harder to control the smaller flame? they frowned deeper. Perhaps it was because they were used to quicker bursts of magic. This was a sustained effort, and the energy it took from them felt bigger somehow.

"Restraint harder than power." Spite explains. "Mages always push too much, small sometimes bigger." He smiles.

"I'm feeling that, yes." They chuckle.

"Maintain magic, you will last longer." He tilts his head. "Conserve energy for bigger magic, for bigger enemies." He grins.

They take a deep breath and smile.

"I need to practice more... Why wasn't I told this before? " They sigh, so many lessons about magic, yet none mentioned anything like this.

"Learned from mages, not spirits like me." Spite grins.

"True. " They look thoughtful for a moment. "My connection to the fade feels stronger now. As if I'm Closer to it somehow," They say, watching the flames.

"Yes, tapped into fade, stayed connected, stronger." Spite says. "Mages cast too quickly, no connection, only touch fade, so weaker." He nods to himself. "Can ask more questions." He says, watching them.

"Sooo...As I know it, a fade step is a short displacement into the fade, right? How far could I get if I got better control of it?" They ask, genuinely curious.

"Fade step is a step into fade, further means longer in fade." He starts to explain. "Longer in fade means more danger from demons, other spirits." He warns. "Could do it, but risky." He says. "Can't protect you." He adds.

"Ah, okay. I think that makes sense. Yeah." Dante nods along.

They stare at the flame once more.

"So...I'm closer to the fade when I use my magic that way, but not directly because my resources are still limited, right? So what I've learned so far is just me dipping a toe in." They smile.

"Yes." He nods his head. "I teach you. Have more resources, can do more." He smiles, his gaze watching the flames as well.

They concentrate on the flame again, making it turn blue and go small again, focusing on it. It feels more meditative this time around, less strained, like they were drawing less mana.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it." They grin.

"yessss very good." Spite grins back. It takes a little longer before they let go, and the flame turns back to orange. Spite grins.

"Are we adding a step, or do I just keep doing this exercise?" They ask, keen to learn more.

"Enough for today, we go see Lucanis and Birdie." He says, his tone teasing.

"Kitty likes Birdie." He sings songs.

"Yeah, I do." They say with a blush. "I... I didn't expect it would go both ways." They laugh.

"Just like Lucanis and Rook." He smiles warmly, "And me." He grins.

"Torn away, forced into fleshy prison, but Lucanis loves Rook. Spite loves Rook. Now Family." He sighs happily. "Your family now, too." He nods, walking to the exit and waits for her to follow.

"It's nice to have family again. I'll always miss mine but..." They sigh, shaking the sad thoughts away. "It's nice." They sigh and follow.

He leads her back through the path to the courtyard, they hear the sound of swords clashing.

"Excellent dodge." Lucanis praises as Toya weaves out of the way of his attack.

"When fighting mages, you must always be moving. make it harder for them to hit you with spells." He explains as they move through a series of sword manoeuvres.

"Right, can't hit me if I'm always one step ahead, right?" Toya flips backwards and lands on her feet, darting to the left, ducking under Lucanis' arm as he swings his practice sword.

"Excellent." He praises only to spin on his heel, catching her back leg with his foot. She stumbles, he uses it to his advantage, and she gasps, finding his sword at her throat once more.

"You also need to watch your balance." He chuckles before lowering his sword.

"That's enough for today." He smiles, spotting Dante and Spite.

"Ah, Spite, how was training?" He asks, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Hey, learn anything cool?" Toya asks, stepping closer to Dante as she dabs at her forehead with a towel.

She had removed her usual cloak and was just in a loose shirt, leather breaches and her knee-high boots. Her hair was sticking to her face slightly with sweat.

"Kitty, quick study, learn fast." Spite grins. "How is Birdie?" He asks in return.

"Not bad, though they still have a lot to learn." Lucanis chuckles.

"I learned a different way to use my magic. It was interesting. Like I wasn't doing it wrong, but I didn't know how to do it right either. It's kind of hard to explain." Dante laughs, blushing. "Want some ice to cool down?" They grin.

"Yes, please." Toya grins back, still panting to get her breath back. They had been training for several hours.

Dante takes a step back, concentrating on forming ice instead of fire. Concentrating on keeping it small, just a little frost on their fingertips. their eyes turning blue and shining for a second.

"There you go." They smile, stepping forward and placing there ice hand on the back of Toya's neck, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek as they do so.

"Ooh, that feels nice." Toya sighs with relief. Then blushes at the kiss on the cheek.

Lucanis chuckles.

"They really are learning fast." He comments, patting Spite on the back. Spite grins with pride.

"Good teacher." He smirks.

"I have no doubt," Lucanis whispers in his ear, before kissing his cheek, making him blush.

"I'm glad I caught the tail end of your practice. It seems you're doing well. I would have loved to have watched the whole thing." Dante says as they keeps running their hand along Toya's shoulders before the ice melts.

"Well, why don't you join us tomorrow? We can see what you have learned. After all, Toya will need to practice against a mage to show me what she has learned." Lucanis chuckles.

"It would be my pleasure." Dante smiles.

"Excellent." He nods.

Suddenly, He turns sharply towards the villa with an audible gasp as if something had startled or shocked him. Spite clutches his arm as if pained, and they exchange a look before running inside.

"Altara is back, she is injured," Lucanis calls over his shoulder in explanation as they rush inside.

"Want us to go get the Doctor?" Dante calls after him, followed by Toya.

"Yes, quickly." He shouts, his tone a little demanding due to his worry as they rush down the hall.

They understood his urgency, they would have been the same if something had happened to Toya, they think. They quickly splits off to go get the doctor.

They rush down the hall of the guest house and stop at the doctor's door. They knocks at the door.

"Doc! We have a situation!" They call out through the door, hoping he is inside.

Dr Frances looks up from his notes in surprise hearing a knock at the door, who could that be? he thinks.

"Is something wrong?" He asks as he opens the door, already reaching for his briefcase.

"Contract gone awry. Altara's been hurt." Dante replies, bouncing from one foot to the other nervously.

"Lead the way." He says, closing his door quickly and rushing down the hall to catch up with them. Several servants were huddled outside the drawing room, whispering and looking worried as they reached the room.

Inside Altara was sitting on a sofa, with a few cuts and scrapes on her face. Clutching her arm with a grimace. Lucanis and Spite look mortified, clutching their arms to, sharing her pain.

"Dr Frances, her arm, I think it's broken." Lucanis groans in pain.

"Definitely broken." Altara curses.

Spite lets out a low whine, his eyes watery.

"It was a good thing she asked me to help out. We were ambushed, those damn blood mages, they're working together, Lucanis, they're trying to bring back the Venatori. using Demons." Neve growled from her perch.

"In my city, they were making an attempt on the archon's life. Dorian is on the war path, as you can imagine. You crows are going to be busy." Neve laughs bitterly, watching the doctor work.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Toya asks shyly.

"Can you make coffee?" Lucanis asks only half serious.

"Su....sure." She smiles, moving to the coffee maker, her hands shaking.

Dante was a bit out of breath, having run the entire way from the guest house to the main villa, not knowing how bad it was. They let the doctor deal with the situation and walk over to Toya, noticing her shaking hands.

"You okay?" They ask in concern.

"They're talking about Venatori, Dante! Demons? What are they planning? They went after the Archon they wanna take over Minrathous, they won't stop there, they never do." She felt her eyes watering, she was an orphan thanks to the Venatori, they were how she ended up a slave.

"They never do, but neither do we. They hit the fledglings because they're scared of our strength. I can't say I know what's going on, what their plan is, But I know we can be the thorn at their sides, one demon at a time. We literally found despair and turned it into hope again. It's gonna take time, but as long as we have each other's backs, we'll see this through." They say, trying to reassure her.

Toya nods weakly, her hands shaking a little less as she makes the coffee.

"I'm going to need to set the bone. Are you ready? On the count of three, ok." Dr Frances takes her arm, and she flinches. "Try to relax." He warns.

Spite glances at Lucanis, a look of determination on his face. He nods as if in agreement and grits his teeth, watching the doctor work as they bear the brunt of her pain.

She breathes a sigh of relief. Spite had taken all the pain now. She glances at Lucanis, his eyes pained, they were sharing it between them so she wouldn't suffer from the bone being set.

Lucanis was gripping the back of a chair he was next to in a vice grip, his arm was agony, but he knew it wasn't real, it wasn't his pain.

"One." Dr Frances straightens her arm out. "Two!" He jerks her arm, the bone snapping back into place without warning.

Lucanis and Spite cry out in pain. Dr Frances quickly gives her a healing potion as he places a glowing hand on her arm, healing the fracture.

"Fuck, it's never on three." Lucanis chuckles.

"If I actually set it when I said I would, she might have tensed, and it would have set wrong." He chuckles. "I would advise staying at home for a while. I have healed the break, but it might be wise to rest it for at least a week." He warns.

"You know I hate sitting around." Altara sighs, but nods reluctantly. "I will do as you advise, thank you, Frances." She smiles at him.

Dante gives Toya a hug.

"See? They've got each other's back. And I've got yours. We're all in this together." They say softly as they help with the coffee.

Toya offers a cup of coffee to Altara first.

"Well, whole and bored is better than the alternative, I'm sure they'll find interesting ways to keep you busy," Dante says with a snort, glancing at the First Talon and Spite.

Spite snickers at her comment. Whilst Lucanis rolls his eyes at him, knowing exactly what Spite's idea of taking care of her would be.

"Don't encourage him." He sighs, but a grin is curling his lip despite himself.

"I'm not trying to encourage him!" Dante laughs.

"Believe me, it does not take much." He laughs before kneeling in front of Altara with a look of concern.

"What happened exactly, what of your Target?" He says, kissing her hand.

"You had us worried." He says as Spite joins him in front of her.

"Hurt, bad, worried." Spite frowns, and she smiles, kissing his cheek.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you." She smiled.

Dante made themself a hot chocolate.

"Want some? We could bring it to our room, what do you think?" Dante asks with a smile.

Toya nods.

"Yeah, let's give them a moment." She smiled and was about to look for a servant to guide them back to their rooms when Lucanis spoke first.

"We can discuss more at dinner." He says, turning to them both.

"No escort, trust them." Spite says with a smile.

"You're right, Spite. I trust you both, you can find your own way back to your rooms, no need for escorts, you have proven yourselves to me, I shall have dinner served for 7 pm in the dining hall, don't be late." He warns with a smile.

"We won't. Thank you for trusting us." Dante smiles back. they hold their hot chocolate in one hand and wrap an arm around Toya's shoulders. "Let's go." They smile.

Toya nods with a grin, holding her drink.

"Alright, let's go," she nods to the group before following them out.

"Do you need anything, Mi amore?" Lucanis asks, touching Altaras shoulder.

"A hug would be nice." She pouted, she hated resting. He chuckled.

"You can have as many as you like, Mi Vida." He hugs her as Spite sits down next to her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Will be ok, Spite take care of you." He grins.

"Spite, please behave." Lucanis chuckles.

They take a slow walk to the guest house, careful to not spill there hot chocolate.

"Hot chocolate makes everything better, don't you think?" Dante muses.

"Sure, but so does coffee." Toya laughs in reply "Or good company." She adds with a grin.

"Ooh, next time I'm gonna make a mocha." Dante grins. "Am I good company? For all you know I could be three gremlins in suit." They laugh.

"Your wonderful company." Toya laughs. "And I think I would notice if you were three gremlins in a suit." She chuckles.

"what would be the signs?" Dante smirks.

"Well first of all your face wouldn't be so pretty." Toya grins kissing their cheek. "Plus your armour would be all lumpy." She says poking their ribs.

"Hey!" Dante pouts playfully.

"Oooo are you ticklish." Toya grins poking their ribs again.

"Careful! I don't want to spill my drink!" They laugh.

"That bond Lucanis, Spite and Altara have sure is useful huh." Toya says changing the subject, being able to share pain so someone you loved didn't have to feel it was a pretty amazing gift.

"Could have used it during that battle yesterday...I... It was really scary." Dante said, remembering their fear when Toya got hurt.

"Yeah my ribs would have appreciated it to but I think Spite was a little busy to share the pain around." She grinned, he had been quite violent with that magisters, which was a good thing as he scared off the other guards.

"Yeah...That was something else. Do you think..." Dante shook their head.

"Think what?" Toya asks with a tilt of her head.

"Just...Just thinking about the attacks...Three in Minrathous. one here, and our last job... Minrathous makes sense because if you're wanting to get your old glory back, you aim for the most powerful seat. and I guess here makes sense too, we've been a thorn in their side. But why the last one, beside just wanting power? Like what's the bigger picture here?" Dante says thinking out loud.

"That last attack according to Neve was for the archons seat right, It could be unrelated to the attack on the diamond." Toya offers.

"Its hard to guess when the Venatori are so scattered, they are disorganised, it almost felt like two factions that are not communicating and want different things, one wanting revenge on the crows the other just wanting there power back." Dante replies.

"You don't think they'd be stupid enough to attack us again, here, do you?" Toya asks sounding a little worried.

"You mean here at the villa?" Dante looks worried to. "I don't know there are a lot of guards on the parameter and Spites here to, he would sense it if they sent a demon here." They say, though weather that was to reassure Toya or themselves they couldn't tell.

"I mean I definitely hope not, but they already attacked the Diamond..." Toya sighs warily.

"I doubt they would attack the crows twice, they know the Crows are on high alert now." Dante says crossing their arms and glancing around the hallway. "We should probably have a bath before dinner." They say walking towards the door to there rooms and opening it.

"You're right I'm probably just worrying too much again" Toya smiles. "Yeah, let's finish these hot chocolates and take a bath." she nods.

Dante sits on their bed and slowly finishes her drink before picking up what they need, they walk to the threshold between their two rooms.

"What do you think will come next?" They asks softly.

"What do you mean, for us or the Venatori?" Toya asks holding a bundle of clothes.

"Both? I mean...I don't intend to give up the fight any time soon but it does mean we will both in danger..." Dante didn't like to think about it, if they were honest.

"Being a crow, your always in danger." Toya shrugs. "We just keep training, and help the First Talon fight them right?" She smiles walking to the door and looking over her shoulder. "You coming?" She grins.

Dante nods and follows. How easy it was for Toya to just shake her earlier fears. They hum to themself as they walk to the baths. As usual, fresh towels and robes were supplied, the soap baskets refilled, and the laundry baskets empty waiting for dirty laundry.

"You know I could get used to living like this, not having to do my own laundry is awesome." Toya grinned, stripping off her armour and placing it in the laundry bin.

"My leather armour always get delivered to my room smelling wonderful, I don't know what leather oil they use but its great." She says before slipping into the water with a happy sigh.

"With enough contracts, we could buy a place as big as this, or something like this." Dante chuckles.

"You think so? I dunno I kind of like living with the First Talon, He feels almost fatherly." Toya muses. "It feels like I having a Family again." She sighs.

"I would rather stay here too. It's nice to have family, you're right. and If Spite can teach me cool stuff, even better. They chuckle. "But nothing stops us from thinking about a place of our own. maybe with a little patch of garden to take care of, maybe." They smile.

"I bet if you asked Altara nicely she would let you help her with her garden." Toya smiles.

"maybe, she might even appreciate the help, what with her needing to rest that arm of hers now." Toya says lathering up her hair.

"Ooh that's a good idea, I'm gonna ask." Dante grins.

They concentrate their magic for a moment, eyes turning blue, full of mischief. They form a large sphere from the bath water.

"What are you doing?" Toya backs away from you looking worried.

their concentration breaks, sending the water splashing as if someone cannon balled in the bath.

"Practice." Dante chuckles. "Oh, I didn't meant to worry you, are you ok?" They ask, swimming a little closer.

"I thought you were going to dump it on me." Toya giggled.

"Well the idea is to control right? So I could try and turn it into a trickle so you can rinse off your hair if you like." They giggle back.

"You think you could?" Toya asked curiously.

"I can certainly try." their eyes go blue again and they lift a rather large globule of water out of the bath once more. It wobbles a bit like jello and eventually becomes a trickle over Toya's head. They smiles, it was actually working, that's interesting, they think to themself.

"This is so cool." Toya said running her fingers through her hair, letting the water rinse away the suds. "And Kind of relaxing." She giggles.

"Don't take too much time though, I can only control this for so long...But it's nice you find it relaxing." They smile softly.

"All rinsed." Toya grins "That's so much nicer than dunking my head." She laughs, ducking down to rinse the rest of the suds from her body.

"Can I wash your hair?" She asks, wanting to return the favour.

Dante's face scrunches up cutely as they smile, a small blush spreading on their cheeks as they nod and giggle again.

Toya moves behind them getting the soap and lathering up their hair, massaging their scalp.

"This ok?" She asked gently.

Dante absolutely melts at her touch, leaning into it hard like a cat when you pet them between the ears. They close their eyes and just lets themself sink a little in the water, making a small pleased noise.

"It's very nice." They sigh.

"Good." Toya continues to massage their scalp and neck before using a jug to gently rinse the suds away, when she was done she sinks into the water behind them and hugs them pressing a kiss to the top of their head.

Dante makes another pleased noise as some of the tension in their neck slowly eases. They giggle at the kiss.

"You spoil me." Dante says as they turn around and press a soft kiss of her own right on Toya's lips with a giggle.

Toya smiles, tracing their cheek.

"You spoil me to." She smiles before Dante kisses her.

The kiss isn't chaste. It's messy, full of eagerness. They reluctantly breaks the kiss a little breathless as they press more small kisses along Toya's cheek and right below her ear.

Toya sighs her eyes falling closed.

"That feels nice." She whispers, afraid if she spoke any louder it might scare them away.

Dante chuckles, trailing more gentle kisses across Toya's cheeks and nose until they reach below her other ear.

"It does, does it?" They whispers back like it's a secret between them, then rests their head on her shoulder with a happy sigh.

Toya nods her head, feeling a little shiver run down her spine when she nearly caught the tip of her elven ear.

"I still cant believe we live with the First Talon." She grins "That I got to meet you, that....that you like me." She rests her head on their shoulder on the opposite side to her.

"It's hard to believe when it happens so fast..." Dante sighs before planting a small kiss at the base of Toya's neck and nuzzles there for a moment.

"We are going to get all wrinkly if we stay in the water any longer." Toya giggles pressing a kiss to their neck, and letting out a happy sigh. As much as she was enjoying this they needed to get dressed for dinner it would be served soon and Lucanis had told them both not to be late.

"Oh no, not the wrinkles!" Dante brings her hand to her forehead in a silly dramatic gesture and giggles. "As much as I'd rather stay here, you're right. And...I am getting rather hungry. It's weird how trying to concentrate on magic to make it small sucks up so much energy." They smile and shrug.

"Come on lets get dressed and head to the dinning hall." Toya grins.

Dante follows and hums happily as they get ready. They keeps stealing kisses when they can, which makes the whole process take more time than it should.

"Cut it out, we are going to be late." Toya says pulling on a loose tunic and leather breaches, before reaching for her thigh high boots to pull on.

"I can't help myself, you're too cute!" Dante giggles but relents as they finish getting dressed.

"Not as cute as you." Toya retorts at the door open. "Come on, we don't want to be late after the First Talon trusted us to be on time." She laughs.

Chapter Text

They remembered the route to the dining hall, so it didn't take them long to reach it. They knew they were not late when they overhear a conversation echoing down the hall from the dining room.

"You said to take care of her."

"You do know Sex doesn't solve everything, right?"

"But she felt better after."

"Everyone feels better after sex Spite."

"Only if it's good sex."

"If it makes you feel any better, you can take care of me after dinner.

"Mierda."

Toya goes bright red and covers her mouth trying not to laugh.

As they enter the dining room, they see Spite looking very happy with himself, Altara looking very amused and more relaxed with Lucanis looking flustered.

Illario is smirking at him while his fiancée Amika, is covering her mouth to hide her laughter.

"You're just in time." Lucanis smiles. "Please join us." He gestures to their usual seats.

Dante looks at Amika and Illario. "How's the little family?" They smile.

"They are doing wonderful, already sleeping through the night." Amika smiles.

"Thank the maker," Illario says playfully.

"They will make a fine First Talon when I retire." Lucanis chuckles proudly.

"That they will." Amika grins.

"I still cannot believe you chose our child as your heir." She smiles, "I have not even married your Cousin yet." She chuckles.

"Yes, well, the lower houses complicated matters, didn't they?" Lucanis said with a frown.

"Let us be thankful it was resolved relatively peacefully." Illario sighed. He had nearly lost both his fiancée and child that night, had it not been for Spite's timely intervention.

"Let's not talk of such things, let us eat first, no." Lucanis chuckles as dinner is served.

Dinner tonight was lasagne with a fresh herby salad and a nice vintage red wine.

Desert was a Raspberry tart as he promised.

"My boys are spoiling me." Altara grins.

"Of course they do, they love you." Dante laughs, then grabs a portion before Spite gets to it.

"There's enough for everyone, and I made extra just for you, Spite." He chuckles as Spite takes a huge portion as usual.

"I just don't understand where he puts it all. If I ate as much as him I would be as big as a whale." Amika chuckles.

"It goes in my stomach." Spite says, confused by her statement.

"It's a figure of speech, Spite, she knows you eat it." Lucanis sighs. Spite still struggles with some turns of phrase.

"Why say they don't know then?" Spite tilts his head.

"It's.... never mind, Spite, you just enjoy your food." Altara smiles at him, and he does just that.

"Illario," Lucanis says, his voice suddenly serious.

"Yes, first Talon?" He replies, sensing he wished to talk of crow business. He eyes Dante and Toya for a moment as they speak.

"You heard what happened on Altaras' contract, correct?" He asks, tucking into his food.

"Do not worry, cousin, I'm already looking into it, but I honestly do not think it's related to those demons you're hoping to save or kill." He frowns. "It almost feels like a different organisation orchestrated the attack on the Archon." He says as he dabs at his lips with a napkin.

"But didn't Neve say they used demons to attack the archon?" Toya comments.

"Yes, but nothing special, just common demons like rage and pride. nothing like these modified demons from the list." Lucanis replies. "I trust Illario will figure it out, he's pretty good at this sort of thing, it's why I chose him as my Spymaster." He smiles.

"Hopefully, it's nothing we can't deal with..." Dante muses as they take a bite of their food, making a small happy noise. "How do you even have the time to cook like this?" They laughs.

"I always have time for cooking. It pays to indulge your hobbies, it's good for the mind." Lucanis smiles.

"Dr Frances says, mental health important." Spite nods.

"Sounds like great advice." Toya grins, eating another mouthful and moaning at the taste. "I'm glad cooking is your hobby, this is amazing." She sighed happily.

"Thank you." Lucanis grins proudly.

Dante chuckles at Toya's reaction and then looks to Altara. "Talking of hobbies, you have a garden, right? Can I help with that?" They ask.

"Of course you can, it can be a little difficult to manage on my own." She smiles.

"Perhaps if they help, I won't have to fight with the roses for your attention." Lucanis teases her.

"I much prefer you and Spite to my roses." She grins at him with chuckle.

"Sometimes I wonder, those lilies you fussed over the other week, or the orchids." He begins to list all the flowers in her garden until she shoves him playfully.

"Which flower is the most finicky to take care of? Which one is your favourite?" Dante asks with curiosity.

"I suppose the Orchids can be hard to look after, if you water them too much, they die, but the same can happen if you water them too little, as for my favourite, I would say the snow lilies have a special place in my heart." She smiles, glancing and Lucanis.

He blushes but says nothing and picks up his wine to try and hide it.

"Smells like first snow, warm touches and stolen kisses." Spite whispers.

"That's cute. I love chive flowers myself. You can pickle them, and the whole jar turns pink." Dante smiles.

"I have not heard of this. What do they taste like?" Lucanis asks curiously, perhaps he could use it as a new ingredient for his cooking.

"It gives a mild onion taste to both the pickled flowers and the vinegar." They explains.

"Hmm, maybe it would be nice with a seasonal salad." He says, thinking out loud, trying to come up with a recipe.

"Now look what you've done." Altara giggles. "He will be thinking about this all night." She smiles at him full of affection. She always found him adorable like this, when he forgot about his responsibility and all the stress he was under and worked on a recipe.

"I mean, surely it's not the only flower we can grow and use in recipes, no?" Dante smiles.

"Could you make a list? I would like to try them," Lucanis asks, leaning forward in his seat excitedly.

"We can go shopping to buy seeds and plant them with the other herbs." Altara grins when Lucanis looks at her a little too eagerly. He loved using fresh herbs in his cooking.

"I absolutely will!" It was fun to see this side of the First Talon. Also, the idea that they had taught him something he didn't know? It made them happy.

Lucanis clears his throat when Illario laughs at him. He had been so excited to hear about new ingredients he had forgotten he was in a room full of people for a moment.

"You are adorable, cousin, pinning over ingredients, you would think he was talking about coffee." Illario chuckles, then gets elbowed by Amika. "Ouch," He pouts, and she laughs at him, making him smile.

Baby Caterina begins to fuss in her pram for a moment, and Amika quickly gets out of her chair to check on them. Cooing at her and stroking her chubby cheek.

Illario watches with a smile and sighs happily.

"It's moments like these that remind us why we do what we do, isn't it?" Dante smiles, finishing her food.

"Protect the ones we love." Spite nods. "Our home, our family." He says, glancing at Toya and Dante before looking away.

Dante nods, gently nudging Toya as she grins. She had noticed the way Spite had looked away when he said that. "Something smells funny?" She smirks

"What?" Lucanis looks up at you, confused and glances around, looking for a threat, his eyes wide as if he was seeing something that wasn't there, like he was stuck in a memory as he heard those words.

Altara tenses immediately sensing his panic. A flashback flashes across her eyes through the bond.

A ship bobbing in the water, purple mist creeping under a door, waking in the Ossuary.

"It's alright, Lucanis." She soothes, touching his arm.

He closes his eyes and lets out a tired breath, frustrated at himself. "Forgive me, I might have overreacted." He chuckles, trying to make light of his reaction.

Illario looks down with a guilty expression. He remembers when Lucanis spoke of the Ossuary, of his capture on the boat, and Amika rubs his shoulder comfortingly.

Dante looks down at a spot between her plate and the edge of the table. "Sorry... I didn't mean to... upset you" they were not quite sure how to finish the sentence.

Trauma had ways of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. They understood what it was like, a certain smell, a turn of phrase, anything could trigger it.

they feel bad, like they had shoved their foot in their mouth, with just a few words.

"Please do not feel guilty, Dante. I know you did not mean to stir up painful memories. I am still working through what happened to me." He looked down, he was frustrated, it had already been 3 years since the Ossuary, yet it still haunted him sometimes, even after all his sessions with Dr Frances, trying to work through it.

"It's frustrating, but it is easier than it was." He sighs. "Forgive me." He fidgets with his wine glass, and Altara smiles softly, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"You don't need to apologise, Lucanis. We know what you went through," Altara says softly, though her eyes shoot to Dante and Toya as she speaks, well, perhaps nearly everyone. Even Amika only knew what Illario had told her.

"Some wounds, hidden, heal slower." Spite nods, "But better now." He sighs. "Family makes it better." He smiles.

"It does." Lucanis smiles, glancing back at Dante and Toya. "Let's not dwell on painful memories any longer, let's talk about nicer things, hmm." He smiles, already feeling better as Spite and Altara offer him comforting thoughts through the bond.

"Like raspberry tart?" Dante grins,

"Exactly." He grins, slicing it into even slices and giving a large portion to Spite first. He laughs at Spite's happy grin.

He then divides the rest amongst everyone. "I tried a different recipe this time. Let me know what you think." He smiles.

Dante laughs and takes a bite of the tart. "Oh, that's good. That's so good. Hmm...Do you have strawberry or raspberry plants in the garden?" They ask with a chuckle.

He nods,

"I grow most of the ingredients I use, it's better fresh, all of our potatoes, carrots, cabbage and beans are grown here in our garden." He smiles, proud of his vegetable patch. "We also grow a lot of fresh herbs, coriander, chives, parsley, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and ginger." He smiles.

"And you didn't know about the chive flowers? I'm surprised." Dante grins. "I would love to see them all." they say, pleading with their eyes.

"It's still early, and we do need to water the plants. You're welcome to join us once I've finished my coffee." He chuckles at their eagerness.

Amika yawns, having finished feeding the baby.

"I think we shall go to bed early. I will continue my investigation in the morning." Illario bows before helping Amika with the baby as they leave.

"It should be nice and cool this time of evening." Altara smiles. It was still the height of summer, so it was very warm during the day.

"Do you grow anything poisonous?" Toya asks excitedly.

"Of course." Altara grins. "I may be a Dellamorte now, but I'll always be a De Riva when it comes to poisons." She chuckles.

"It's a useful tool in a crow's arsenal. What do you have? How far should we stay from those plants without proper gear?" Dante enquires.

"Oh, most are harmless as long as you don't eat or touch them. They're more deadly when distilled and combined with other reagents." Altara smiles.

"Right, I'm finished with my coffee, shall we?" Lucanis grins, getting up and gesturing for them both to follow him.

"Right this way." Altara smiles, walking down the hall once they leave the dining room.

Dante follows happily, holding Toya's hand.

The first Talon and his wife lead them out into the courtyard and down a path, and the smell of blooming flowers and herbs greets them as they pass a trellis archway into the gardens.

On one side of the gardens were flower beds full of a variety of lilies, orchids and roses of every colour and a single lily that looked like nothing they had ever seen before, the petals almost iridescent.

On the other side were two rows, one of vegetables.

Cabbages, Carrots, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Courgettes and pumpkins.

And one of herbs and fruits.

Coriander, Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley, Garlic and Spring onions.

And fruits.

Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries and Blackberries, as well as a lemon, orange and apple tree.

All neatly arranged and cultivated, some with strange irrigation contraptions set up around them.

In a separate patch away from everything was a selection of poisonous plants.

Wolfsbane, Deadly Nightshade, Princess kiss, Grave Lilly's and more.

"What do you think?" Lucanis grins proudly. He and Altara had worked hard to get it to where it was now, even Spite had helped.

Dante takes a deep breath of the flowers.

"It's wonderful! Are there any edible flowers... or Lavender? Raspberry lavender lemonade is wonderful." Dante smiles, looking at all the plants, then they stop at the single lily, kneeling to look at it with curiosity.

"I see you've noticed my prized possession. a gift from my friend Lace." Altara smiles, kneeling next to her.

"It's made from a flower that usually grows in Orzammar near Lyrium deposits. Our friend Lace cultivated it and crossbred it with a Snow lily. It's the first of its kind." She smiles fondly, remembering when she had been gifted it on her name day.

"It's beautiful. And it thrives on its own, like that? Does it shimmer like that because of the Lyrium?" Dante enquires as they look at it in fascination.

"It doesn't require much help at all to thrive." Altara smiles.

"It's special." Spite says crouching next to it.

The flower seems to lean towards him, its petals emitting a light that throbs like a heartbeat when he touches it.

"It always reacts like this to you. I wonder if it's to do with how you got a body." Altara muses to Spite.

"Maybe." He says with a tilt of his head.

"Uh. I... I wonder..." Dante wondered if they should continue their line of thought.

"Something on your mind?" Altara asks curiously.

"Has thoughts." Spite comments, watching them.

"I wonder if...Uh...I don't know quite how to put this into words...And you can stop me anytime...I was wondering if the lyrium is reacting to his magic? Like, I've been told to never get close to the raw Lyrium, that it could kill me if im not careful. Yet refined Lyrium acts as a conduit during the harrowing. So maybe it kind of seeks traces of Fade the same way sunflowers seek the sun? I'm not sure if I'm making any sense." Dante watches Spite as they speaks.

"Lyrium." Spite nods.

"Makes sense. It was Lyrium that gave him a body, just like the first elves." Altara quickly covered her mouth. "You cannot repeat that to anyone, Dante." She looks panicked, she had not meant to blurt that out, everyone had agreed to leave that be when they let the Archive go.

"It's ok, Dante can keep secrets, yes?" Spite grinned.

"The trick is the holes you see," Lucanis explained to Toya, showing her the watering can as they stood by the vegetable patch, unaware of the conversation by the snow lily hybrid.

"So it evenly distributes the water right." Toya nods, watching him water the tomatoes.

"Of course I can." Dante nods.

Dante turns just a little, catching the tail end of the conversation between Lucanis and Toya with a soft smile. they turn back to the lyrium flower.

"It's a beautiful gift." they smile.

"It is." Altara smiled back before standing up and turning to Toya, "You wanted to see the poisonous plants, shall we swap?" She calls over to her.

"Oh, yes, please." Toya follows her over the poisonous plants.

"I've just finished watering the vegetables. want to help with the herbs, Dante?" Lucanis asks with a kind smile. "I think theirs some weeds that need pulling." He says, putting down the watering can and kneeling next to the herbs, pulling the clover that was trying to grow between the herb plots, humming as he works.

Dante kneels beside him and starts carefully pulling weeds. they smile at his humming. It was nice, his voice was warm, a soft baritone.

She plucked a bit of chive and ate it with a chuckle. Then planted their fingers in the soil and took a deep breath, enjoying the smells of the various herbs.

"It's relaxing, isn't it?" He says softly, then he frowns, noticing some aphids on his plants. "Hmm, you little guys can't stay here." He pouts, flicking them off the leaves of his parsley. "Pesky pests." He finds some vinegar and water and sprays a little around the herb patch, being careful to avoid the plants.

"It keeps the pests away." He explains.

"Good to know." They reply, "It's nice to take care of something like this, it's a nice change of pace, from you know" They chuckle to themself.

"To nurture life rather than to take it." He chuckles in agreement. "Yes, it is a nice change indeed." He glances at Altara and sighs happily. She was talking animatedly about her poisonous plants to Toya, and he chuckled, noticing Spite was watching her too.

Dante looks in their direction as well, the softest smile on their face.

"Not just nurturing life...But this sense of family. It's sweet. I've been on my own and self-sufficient for so long, even before becoming a crow. It's easy to forget what it's like to have people care about you." They muse.

"You know how big it is for me to know that my sister is still alive, or at least was seen alive recently? Just that. It's a small hope." They sigh happily.

"Your sister is alive? that's wonderful news, though I didn't know you had a sister, surprisingly, Illario didn't find much about you." Lucanis grinned.

"Or Toya, at least outside of your time with the crows." He chuckles.

"There wasn't much to find. Her name is Manuelle. She's two years older than me. I never tried to get my hopes up that I would see her again, not after we got separated...But, seeing that fear demon becoming hope once more and then seeing Nemo with my sister's locket...It feels like a sign, you know. That there are still so many things that could happen." They sigh.

"Don't lose hope, I am sure you will see her again. Have you asked Neve? She is pretty good at finding people." Lucanis smiles, standing up.

"That's why you should always mix it two parts nightshade one part wolfsbane, it makes it way more potent." Altara chuckles, walking over to Dante and Lucanis as they finish their conversation. "Hey, you all done?" She asks with a smile.

"Want a bath." Spite says, brushing his hands on his pants.

"We can have a bath when we go back to our rooms, Spite." Lucanis chuckles.

"Together, yes." He grins, glancing at Altara.

"I won't complain." She waggles her eyebrows, and Lucanis blushes.

"I do not know who is more trouble you or Spite." He laughs at her.

"I have no idea what you mean." She purrs then clears her throat, her cheeks going slightly red, remembering Dante and Toya were standing right there.

"Bathing together is nice," Toya says, then blushes, glancing at Dante.

"Naked and soapy." Spite grins, then gets elbowed by Altara, making him pout.

Dante giggles, blushing as they glance back at Toya.

"But then, you end up getting pruney if you stay too long..." Dante says with a smile.

"Pruney." Spite grins.

"Right, I think that's enough talk about that," Lucanis says, shoving Spite playfully.

"You two go get some rest. You will both be training with me tomorrow. I would like to see what you have learned." He chuckles.

"I'm heading back to our rooms. I'll run us a bath, don't keep me waiting too long, my boys." Altara purrs before sauntering off as Spite and Lucanis exchange a grin.

"See you in the morning. Have a good night." Dante calls after them, taking a moment to enjoy the view of the garden a little before nudging Toya slightly and heading back toward their rooms.

"The garden's nice, isn't it?" Dante says as they walk.

"Yeah, it sure is. Did you see the poisonous plants, Altara promised to teach me about making poisons." Toya grinned, taking her hand as they walked back to their rooms.

"I got a bit distracted by the shimmering lily, you think she will teach me to?" Dante asks.

"Of course." Toya grins, leaning closer as they walk.

Dante can't help herself and stops for a hug as they near the part of the Villa that leads to the guest wing. Before giving Toya a kiss.

"We are outside still. What if someone sees us?" Toya giggles.

They hear a crow call from the outer walls, two guards were watching them and elbowing each other.

Toya goes bright red when she notices.

Dante blushes as well, but instead of hiding, they decides to drag Toya into an impromptu dance, happily humming. A silly, joyful thing, they were in a silly mood.

"What's got you so cheerful?" Toya laughs, letting her twirl her around.

Suddenly, two figures leap from a balcony from one of the upper floors of the villa, in familiar cloaks, they rush down a path near the wall, wait for the guards to pass, then purple wings spread from their backs and they fly over the wall.

Dante shrugs, "Just happy, I guess." They laugh before they notice the pair departing.

"Apparently, we're not the only ones out tonight...Think we can follow without being noticed? See what they're up to?" They grin with mischief.

"You think so?" Toya says, glancing at the wall guards. "I'm game if you are," She grins.

"We need to hurry then." Dante laughs, running to the wall where they flew over and begins to climb.

Toya grins right back at her and follows. Once at the lip, Dante checked the guards' positions, they were still far enough away that they could sneak past as well.

They look around, spotting them soaring further into Treviso.

"Come on this way." They grin, jumping onto the nearby roof and giving chase, using the angles of the roof to keep hidden.

Dante gives chase, grinning from ear to ear.

The figures they were following had settled on some steeples by the cathedral, perched and watching the streets below.

Toya stops and lays down on a roof, keeping low while still being able to watch them and the streets below.

"What do you think they're looking for?" She asks when Dante catches up.

"Probably stray Antaam or Venatori who decided to stick around like idiots and have no sense of self-preservation." Dante jokes.

"Why do it in secret, though?" Toya ponders watching them closely.

The figures seemed to be bored, the streets were quiet tonight, no activity, at least not on street level.

They leaned closer to each other at first, they thought they might have been discussing something, but then one of them rolled the other on their back, the other leaned over them.

Dante sees a flash of purple eyes from the one on its back. The other figure glances in their direction for a moment before leaning down over them as if to whisper something.

Toya's cheeks flush pink.

"What are they doing?" Toya squeaks and then covers her mouth. "Oh shit, I think they're onto us," she giggles.

"That might be our cue to go back home," Dante says, covering her mouth as well.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Toya rolls onto her back and stares up at the stars.

"The stars are so pretty tonight." She sighs. as the figures separate and head in their direction.

Dante looks up. "They are. Not as pretty as you, though." Dante smirks.

"Flatterer." Toya giggles.

"What are you two doing out at this time of night." one of the robed figures says as they land on their rooftop, their hood still obscuring their face.

The other figure lands a moment later.

"Sneaking." The other growls. Purple eyes flared in the shadows of their hood in amusement.

"We saw you leave. Thought you were gonna fight some Antaam or something like that, like last time when I was on the rooftops with Marina. How close did we actually get before you noticed?" Dante laughs.

The one on the left sighs and lowers his hood.

"From the moment you left the Villa, Spite could smell you." Lucanis chuckled.

The other figure lowers their hood as well.

"Followed to watch?" Spite tilts his head.

"I knew it." Toya grins. "You're the Angel of Treviso." She laughed as if uncovering a big secret.

Lucanis pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I can't exactly hunt Venatori or Antaam as the First Talon now, can I?" He says, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, we followed to watch. But hey, we learned something here," Dante chuckles for a moment. "It's extra hard to sneak up on you." they say, tapping their nose and looking at Spite.

"Why, good to know." Spite growls.

"Well, we now know not to try again, because you'll do exactly as you did tonight. I wasn't going to try to pull a prank or anything, I swear. I don't think I could ever pull one on you anyway, you're too fast." They say their hands are palms out, with a sheepish half smile.

"Pranks?" Lucanis says with a smirk, curling his lips as he rubs his beard in thought.

"You know, maybe you can help me with something." He chuckles.

"Mischief." Spite grins.

"Oh? What kind of mischief are we talking about?" Dante was all ears, very much like the Cat that got the cream.

"I have a little prank war going on with my Cousin, Illario." He chuckles.

"Cheating." Spite growls.

"Only if he finds out." Lucanis grins.

"We would have to be really careful about it, though. He's still your spy master, I feel like he'll figure something is fishy rather quickly, and there's only so much Toya and I can play off as practice." They grin.

"If you can prank my Cousin, I'll cook your favourite food." He offers.

"Bribery, Naughty Lucanis." Spite chuckles.

"Hmm that is tempting, but won't we get in trouble?" They ask with concern.

"Just tell him the First Talon sends his regards. He'll understand." He grins.

"I think it's worth getting in trouble." Toya laughs. "It sounds like fun." She smiles.

"Who's leading the prank war so far?" Dante asks out of curiosity.

"Me, of course." Lucanis chuckles.

"Not fair though, Illario was distracted." Spite grumps.

"If Illario can use help, so can I," Lucanis says, crossing his arms with a playful scowl.

A guilty look flickers on Spite's face.

"Only one time." He pouts.

"It took me hours to clean it all up." Lucanis complains.

"Said I was sorry, I made up for it." Spite purrs, making him blush.

"Why am I not surprised that Spite decided to be an agent of chaos?" Dante chuckles.

"Not always." Spite says, crossing his arms.

"You have plenty of moments." Lucanis chuckles. "Not all of them are mischievous, though." He smiles.

"We should return to the villa. Altara will worry if we stay out too long, and you two need to get some sleep, we have training tomorrow." He says, covering his face with his hood once more. Spite does the same and nods.

"Sleep well, kitty and birdie." Spite grins catching up to Lucanis when he starts heading for the Villa, he presses his forehead to his quickly, and they're wings spread before he flies ahead.

"Hey, wait, what about us?" Dante pouts. "Guess we get to sneak in on our own." They sigh.

"From here we're closer to my old tiny hole-in-the-wall of a place. Maybe we could go there and sneak in tomorrow morning before breakfast? I do need to go check up on the strays sometime... Unless you'd rather go back to the villa." Dante says, looking at Toya.

"The guards will spot us during the day easily, and we would be late for breakfast. We could maybe visit your old place and check on the strays after training tomorrow, though." Toya smiles before racing across the rooftops towards the villa.

"Fair enough...that's probably a better idea." They laugh before taking off as well

Toya makes it to the wall first, smiling, as Lucanis and Spite make it over the wall. The guards were on their way around the wall, so it was the perfect time to climb over.

She jumps up to the wall and helps Dante over as she climbs after her before they go down the other side.

"This was fun." She grinned, taking Dante's hand and guiding her back to the guest wing and their rooms.

"It really was. Today has been great." Dante let themself be guided back to their room. As soon as they reach it and the door is closed they start changing into their nightshirt.

Toya quickly pulls on her chemise and climbs into bed with a yawn, watching Dante sleepily.

Dante yawns right after in reflex, and climbs into bed as well, cuddling close.

"I wish Days like this would never end, you know?" Dante muses softly.

"Yeah." Toya smiles, cupping Dante's cheek and leaning in to kiss her softly.

Dante kisses back just as softly and pulls the covers over them both. She kisses the top of her head.

"Love you," They say before yawning again, there tiredness getting the best of them.

"You...love me?" Toya whispers, then smiles, noticing they had fallen asleep. She stares at them in wonder for a moment before her eyes drift close to, a soft smile on her face as she falls asleep.

Chapter Text

Bird song and the scents of Jasmine flowers waft in through the open window. Toya yawns, stretches and watches Dante sleep for a moment.

they were twitching in her sleep, muttering something about giant jellyfish taking over before snuggling closer to Toya. She giggled, kissing her nose.

"Dante, quick, the Jellyfish are trying to kidnap me!" She says next to their ear, trying not to laugh.

"Nnnnnn...Bad jelly...You...Fight you..." they muttered and kept twitching for a moment before waking up with a gasp as if startled.

"You talk in your sleep." Toya giggled, hugging them.

"It was such a weird dream..." Dante smiles. "What did you hear? " They ask, still wiping the sleep from their eyes. "Anything funny?" they smile, blinking slowly.

"You were talking about Jellyfish attacking." Toya laughs. Such a strange thing to dream about.

"They were mean! And gigantic! And....We were somehow fighting them on a giant construct. It was weird...I mean, you could probably make a construct that big, but." They trails off, realising they were rambling.

"I dreamed I was flying like Spite does." Toya grinned. "He can give Lucanis wings, do you think? When he shares the bond with us, he could give us wings, too?" She asks excitedly.

"I mean...I don't know? I think that's something that just the three of them share, but I guess you could always ask? Maker that would be fun though. How far up do you think we could go?" Dante grins.

"Probably above the clouds, but any higher, the air would be too thin, right?" Toya chuckles, cuddling closer.

"Someone's feeling extra cuddly this morning." Dante smiles and moves so Toya was halfway on top of them like a blanket.

"You said you loved me last night." She grinned. "You know I love you to right." She leans down and kisses her, then leans back and smiles, her cheeks pink.

Dante runs their hand along her back, just enjoying the moment. They are reluctant to say that they should get ready for the day, too happy in their tiny warm cocoon.

"You think they have the same problem of not wanting to get out of bed in the morning?" She chuckles.

"I bet Spite is the cuddler." Toya laughs. "Altara hates mornings until she has had coffee, but I bet the First Talon is an early riser." She sighs, resting her head on Dante's chest. "What do you think?" She says, playing with a loose thread on the covers.

"I see it." Dante chuckles. "I think they both cuddle her. One on each side." They smile.

"An Altara sandwich." Toya giggles. "I can imagine." She says with a blush.

"We should probably get out of bed and head down for breakfast." Toya sighs, pressing a kiss to their forehead before climbing out of bed to get dressed.

Dante makes a sad noise and stretches.

"Five more minutes?" They bargain.

"Spite will eat all the pastries if we dont get there quickly, come on " Toya pouts her hands on her hips.

"We need our strength, we are training with Lucanis today, remember." She grins. Lucanis was fair, but he wouldn't go easy on them.

Dante makes a noise of mock annoyance and stands up, stretches with a yawn, then sighs.

"Ok, fine, I'm up." They chuckle. "I'm actually looking forward to training." They smile, training with magic was fun, but a chance to train with Lucanis, not many could boast they had trained under the First Talon himself.

"Me too, Lucanis taught me some tricks for fighting mages." Toya grins, heading for the door. "Come on, get dressed, I'm hungry." She giggles.

"Are you two gonna gang up on me? Is that the plan?" Dante laughs as they hurry to put on their clothes.

"I mean, it's a valid strategy, but no." Toya laughs as they head to the dining room.

It was quiet in the dining room this morning. Illario and Amika were not there.

Lucanis was sitting in his usual spot in a loose shirt open at the collar. He was trying to tug it to hide the fresh bruise on his neck, whilst glaring at Spite, who was grinning, showing far too many teeth.

Altara was trying not to laugh at them.

Toya elbows Dante and nods at Lucanis before grinning.

"You look a little grumpy this morning. Everything is alright." Dante teases, earning her a scowl from the First Talon, there was no anger in it though, an amused grin was tugging at his lips despite his attempts to look annoyed.

"Morning, Kitty and Birdie." Spite smiles.

"Good morning." Dante chuckles, then looks around, noticing who is missing. "Oh, is everything alright? Has the baby been fussy?" They enquire.

"They're both fine, just tired." Lucanis chuckles.

"Babies are loud, and smell funny." Spite grumbles, Illario didnt seem to have much time to train with him anymore, and it was making him grouchy.

"Spite, want to train with me today?" Altara asked, sensing that he was upset.

"Yes." He grins.

"She does mean actual training, you know." Lucanis teases.

Spite pouts playfully before filling his plate with pancakes.

"Hey, dont eat them all." Toya grins, grabbing a few for herself.

"Babies are pretty loud for their size. I don't know how they manage." Dante chuckles.

They pick up two and tops them with some of the fresh raspberries from the garden and some syrup.

"Spite can eat as many as he wants. But I know if I eat as many as I want, I won't be able to train." They laugh.

Spite grins and scoffs several down before going for seconds. Lucanis shakes his head in amusement. Spite's appetite was endless.

"It would be nice to just take a catnap in the garden. It seems like a very nice day out today." Dante muses.

"Perhaps after training." Lucanis smiles. "The apple orchard will be well shaded by that time of day." He adds.

"That sounds like an amazing plan." They nod.

"Alright then, let's finish breakfast, and we can begin." Lucanis smiles, sipping his coffee.

Dante's taps their feet with nervous energy as they finish their pancakes and fruit quickly, maybe a bit too quickly.

Toya finished her breakfast and grinned at Dante before glancing at Lucanis as he finishes his coffee and gets up.

"Alright, you two, let's see what you have learned." He says, giving Altara and Spite a kiss before heading to the door and the courtyard.

Dante tried to focus on the practice ahead as they walked to the courtyard. She was well aware that sustaining her spells the way she had been newly taught would be different whilst being in a fight rather than standing still.

"Alright, firstly, Dante, I want you to attack Toya with a spell. Toya, I want you to use what you have learned to stop them." He smiles, stepping back to the side whilst Toya circles Dante.

They let Toya circle for a moment and then strike, sending a jet of water in an outward circle, her eyes turning a solid, vivid blue.

Toya flips out of the way, then darts to the side. When Dante follows her with their eyes, she moves again, continuing to stay in their peripheral vision but out of their main eyeline, keeping them off balance and unsure where to cast their next spell.

"Excellent, always keep moving, they can't cast a spell on you if they can't track you." Lucanis says proudly.

"As a mage crow, if you come across an enemy that knows this lesson, look for spells that slow movement, create obstacles. Dont aim for where they are, anticipate their movements." He explains

Dante kneels and slaps a hand on the ground, covering it with a large area of slippery ice.

Toya slips.

"whoa!" She gasps, then catches herself using her dagger to stop her skid, before spinning and throwing a dagger at them, catching their sleeve and pinning it to the ground, knocking Dante off balance.

"Excellent, Dante. If you can not manipulate the environment to your advantage, change the environment." He Praises.

"Adapting to changes in the environment and using the tools at your disposal, excellent work, Toya." He nods, looking very impressed.

Dante pulls the knife out of their sleeve, then fade steps to the closest rooftop, sending the knife back toward Toya before quickly fade stepping further away to keep in motion and make themself less of a target.

Toya grinned, flipping into the air and catching the dagger with far more finesse than Lucanis expected, before tossing it again right where she anticipated Dante would appear next, knocking a tile loose under their foot to making them slip, then winced, realising she had damaged the villa roof.

"Impressive, anticipating your opponent's movements is vital in a fight." Lucanis chuckled, making a mental note to have that roof tile repaired.

Dante slipped and fell down on the tiles, banging their elbows and head in the process. "Mierda!" They yelped as they rather quickly slipped down the roof. they had the presence of mind to fade step again to land safely back on the ground.

"Excellent, I see you have both taken on board what you have learned. Tomorrow we shall do what we did last time, Spite will help Dante with Magic, and I shall continue to train you Toya." Lucanis smiles, looking between them.

Lucanis swallows thickly, his spine going ramrod straight as if someone had just touched him. A second later, he glances towards the villa and shakes his head in amusement.

"That will be all today. Please enjoy the Orchard and relax. Dinner will be late today." He smirks. "If you will excuse me." He bows his cheeks slightly flushed before he walks briskly towards the villa.

"Mierda!" they hear him curse under his breath before he's out of earshot.

"Didnt Altara ask Spite to train with her today?" Toya grins. Waggling her eyebrows at Dante before glancing at the villa.

"Well, judging by his reaction, they're done with their training too." Dante laughs and then winces. They summon some ice to their fingertips and gingerly presses them to the spot where they hit their head when they slipped on the tiles.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, did I hurt you earlier?" Toya rushes to their side, checking them over for any more injuries.

"I'll probably just get a nasty bump from the slip. I'll go see the doctor if anything feels worse. It's okay." Dante smiles as she fussed over them.

"So, how about a catnap in the apple orchard?" Toya grins.

"Sounds good." Dante smiles, taking her hand and walking towards the gardens and the orchard.

Dante leans in for a quick kiss as they walk.

"Hitting that tile was a smart move. Most people don't even think to look up. Also, I feel like you already know me too well." They laugh. "Am I that predictable?" they ask.

"Maybe a little." Toya grins, nudging them with her shoulder. "You just need to do something unexpected." She grins.

"You're literally training to expect the unexpected. That makes things difficult." Dante laughs as they enter the orchard and look for a suitable tree.

Dante sat down at the foot of a sturdy tree and leaned against its trunk. "Predictability is not so bad either, I suppose," She muses with a smile.

"I guess so, but surprises are fun too," Toya says, resting her head on their shoulder and letting out a happy sigh.

"I mean, if we know each other well, it will be easier to back eachother up right? You know where I'll step, I know where you'll step, and our contracts won't see either of us coming." Dante chuckles, then lets out an equally happy sigh.

"I wonder if that's why Lucanis is training us like this, letting us learn from him and Spite separately, then together so we become a team like they are, though they have the bond, they literally do hear each other's thoughts." Toya giggled.

"I wouldn't mind knowing your thoughts." Toya blushes. "Or you knowing mine." She says, watching a bee settle on a flower nearby with a smile.

"Well, I definitely know one thing," Dante says with a cheeky tone and a huge grin.

"What!....know what?" Toya asks, trying not to sound flustered, pretending to look at something on her shoe.

"You love me." they whispered in her ear. "You're happy." They chuckles. "And I love you." They finish with a grin.

Toya shivers at the whisper, then blushes.

"Right...Yes." She nods her head and swallows.

"I don't think I'll ever get bored with that," Dante smirks, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

"Bo...bored of what?" Toya stutters.

"I'll never get bored of that blush on your cheeks when I kiss you, or the way you fit against me. I'm..." Dante trails off with a laugh, their own cheeks turning red as well.

They take a deep breath, smelling the flowers and greenery around them.

"I'll never get bored with this little slice of happiness I get to share with you." They sigh.

Toya smiles and presses a kiss to their lips, trailing her fingers through their hair, before pulling back.

"I feel the same." She says as she lies down, resting her head in their lap.

"Why did Lucanis say dinner was going to be late. He seemed to be in a hurry. Do you think something happened?" Toya asks curiously.

"I think something happened, yes, but nothing serious." Dante chuckles, petting her hair with gentle, slow strokes. "I think two people might have been really cheeky over the bond they have." They laugh.

"Oh...?" Toya looked confused for a moment. "...OH!" A look of realisation flickers on her face, and she cups her cheeks trying to hide the redness as she blushes an even brighter red.

"I mean, when you said you wanted to hear all my thoughts, that would be part of it too." Dante grinned.

"You think about Lucanis, Altara and Spite?" Toya asks, her cheeks still pink.

"A little bit? I mean, you'd have to be blind not to, they're hot. At this point, I think hot is a prerequisite to being a Crow." They laugh and gently run a finger along one of her elf ears and cheek. "I'm thinking more about you, though." They add.

"I mean, they are Sooooo hot." Toya giggles, her eyes fluttering closed when they touch her ear. She gasps, her eyes flicking to Dante's again. "You...do you think im hot?" She asks shyly.

"Of course I do. Actually, I might have been a little distracted because of that today." Dante giggles.

"You really think so?" She looks down, "My ears dont bother you?" She sniffs, remembering all the times someone had said she would be beautiful if she weren't a knife ear. Or that she would only ever be whore because she was an elf.

"People dont normally like us elves, only as something exotic, a plaything, I know you're not like that, but." She trails off feeling suddenly self-conscious.

Dante gathered her in their arms and hugged her tight.

"Your ears don't bother me at all, in fact..." They planted a soft, quick kiss at the top of her ear. "It's just more space to kiss." They chuckle and become serious again.

"Don't let this world make you think less of yourself. Nobody ever gets to choose how they're born. We didn't get to choose the circumstances that led us here and now. But we can choose to ignore the hate, or punch the hateful idiots right in the face. We can choose to carve ourselves a space where we're happy, no matter what others say." Dante says with conviction.

"Yeah, you're right." Toya has a look of determination now. "Maybe I should be more like Spite, he's so different from everyone, his skin, his eyes, his ears, all of it, people are always staring, he has to hide himself during contracts, but he never seems to let that bother him." She smiles.

"And if it ends up still bothering you too much, I'm here to listen and tell you how much I love you." Dante smiles softly.

"You're so lovely." Toya grins, pouncing on them to hug them, knocking them to the ground as she showered them in kisses.

"Careful, careful! my heads! Still pretty tender!" Dante manages to say between giggles. She yelps at a particularly ticklish spot.

"I'm sorry, are you ok?" Toya checks their head, feeling for the sore spot "I'm sorry I hurt you." She frowns, looking down, feeling guilty, "I just wanted to impress Lucanis." She sighs, feeling even more guilty.

"I'm okay, it's okay. I told you, if it feels worse, I'll go see the Doctor." Dante shrugs. "Don't worry about it. You could have banged yourself up too, when I made you slip on that ice. It's practice, of course, we'll get bruises. I think those bruises are worth it more than any other bruise or scar we got before. We can fight back now! Aaaand that also means I have to figure out a way to get back at you." They chuckle and delicately lift her chin with a finger.

"Honestly, I think only a genuine backstabbing would make me hate you right now, and that would probably be on me. If it gets to that point, it means I've gotten sloppy for not figuring it out sooner." Dante smiles, kissing her.

"I could never stab you in the back," Toya says, the truth of it in her eyes, that she would rather die than betray Dante or the crows.

Dante nods, loosely hugging her and smiles.

"I couldn't either. If something happens, assume I've been possessed by a demon at that point." Dante laughs.

"I mean, being possessed isn't always bad, right? Lucanis was possessed by Spite right, and they fell in love." Toya smiles wistfully as if it were some fairy tale. It was romantic and sweet, though she only knew the end of that story, not the beginning, but from the way Spite and Lucanis reacted sometimes, it must have been hell for them at the start.

"I feel it's more an exception than the rule." Dante sighs.

"You're probably right, but if despair can become hope, maybe there's hope for Demons, maybe they're not as evil as the chantry likes to claim." Toya smiles, stroking their cheek.

"True! Hopefully, we'll be able to help the others, too. We just have to remind them of what they were." Dante smiles.

"It must be so frightening for them, pulled from all they know, forced to go against their nature, used like weapons." Toya looks down, feeling sad. "I want to help them, not just because it needs to be done, but because they deserve a chance." Toya nods her head as if agreeing with her own statement.

"You're already helping." Dante smiled.

"I mean, I got pretty banged up last time, if Nemo hadn't healed me." Toya trails off with a curse. "I need to be stronger, I dont want to be a burden on a contract." She sighs in frustration.

If she had been faster, maybe the fight wouldn't have gone on so long, maybe she wouldn't have gotten so hurt.

"You're not a burden. I don't think I could have helped Despair turn back into Hope without you being there." Dante looked thoughtful for a moment, trying to gather their thoughts. "You know how magic connects to the Fade, right? How spirits and demons are drawn to it? Mages are basically catnip to them. But...Caring about you, loving you, it's my tether back." They rub their face. "I'm not sure I'm making sense right now..." Dante sighs.

"I'm your tether? that's....I dont know what to say." Toya's eyes brim with tears. Nobody had ever called her something like that before.

Nobody told her they loved her, she had never really had a relationship before Dante, and she had no idea what she was doing to make her stay, for her not to change her mind.

"Dante, I..." She can't find the words for what she was feeling, words didnt seem enough. "I'm not good at this." She said, gesturing between them.

She wasn't good at much, picking locks, killing. But being in love? She wasn't sure, she didnt want to mess this up. didnt want to lose one of the good things in her life.

"I dont know what im going, I'm not good at this either! But isn't half the fun not knowing? We'll figure things out. Maybe I'm being naive and all too optimistic, but if we want this to work, we'll make it work." Dante smiles.

"Together, I'd like that." Toya smiles, kissing them softly, then pulling back to watch them.

She blushes. "I want..." She trails off and looks away. "I...." She touches her own lips and closes her eyes.

She felt warm, not because of the sun, but because of Dante. What was this feeling? She has kissed people before, as a dare, because she was curious what the fuss was about, but none of those kisses felt like this.

The sun was starting to set, and the birds began their next song. Echoing in the trees as afternoon crept into evening. The sun was casting deep shadows as it slowly crept downwards, the sky turning orange and red.

Insects chirped in the long grass as a soft breeze carried the scent of lemons and chives from the herb garden.

"You want?" Dante asks softly.

Everything felt so nice, so perfect.

"It's uh nothing." Toya blushes, extremely flustered, and she stands abruptly.

"I um, I'm going for a walk." She blushes, trying not to freak out and hurries down the hill and into the gardens at the bottom, disappearing from sight.

What was she doing? Why was she running away? She didnt know herself, she just needed air, she tells herself, her eyes brimming with tears.

She was ruining it like she always did, but her feet just didnt listen and she kept walking.

The birds continued to sing, oblivious to what was happening. The sun dipping lower on the horizon.

The Villa was quiet, peaceful. Dante could hear the balcony doors open on the right-hand side of the building, long curtains now billowing in the breeze. Lucanis was leaning against the railing, shirtless. A moment later, Spite joined him, handing him a cup of coffee a kissing his cheek before glancing into the gardens with a tilt of his head, perhaps spotting Toyas' escape.

"Toya?" Dante didn't know what to think of her sudden change of mood. They looked in the direction Toya went, unsure if they should follow or give her some space.

They decided to give her space. They felt like the whole thing might have been a bit too much for Toya. They stood up, looking at the purple, orange and pink of the sky for a moment, before making their way toward the kitchen.

The kitchens was quiet, the staff moving about cleaning paid them no mind. But the head of staff smiled as they entered.

"Good afternoon you must be one Senore Dellamortes new proteges, welcome, I am Tanja head of the kitchen staff, did you need anything?" She asks a look of curiosity and concern on her face as if sensing they was uneasy about something.

"Would it be possible to get a hot chocolate?" Dante asked watching the staff as they worked.

"Of course." Tanja smiles, calling one of the cooks over. "Could you make some hot chocolate for them please." She asks and the cook nods

"Yes ma'am" They bow then begin to make some.

"You seem troubled my dear, is everything ok, I hope senore Dellamorte is not working you to hard." She chuckles.

"No, no, he's...They have been nothing but welcoming since we got here, that's not the problem." Dante sighs.

Dante kept glancing back at where they came from, holding themself.

"I feel like I've been too much again..." They say looking at the floor. "I... Shouldn't bother you with my problems. You are all so busy." They say watching a servant rush to help someone carrying the laundry to the wet room.

"Nonsense, I always have a ear for Señor Dellamorte, I am happy to extend that to his protégés." Tanja smiles. "Come sit, tell me what's on your mind." She smiled kindly sitting with her in one of the high backed chairs by the fire.

Dante curls up in the chair, knees to their chest and arms around their knees. they watched the fire for a while, the dancing flames catching their attention as they gather their thoughts.

"Why are matters of the heart so complicated?" They ends up saying, their tone mostly confused but also a bit sad.

"Oh my, what happened? did you have a falling out with your beau?" Tanja asks.

"I... I don't know?" They rub hard at a spot just below their collarbone with the meaty part of their palm.

"We were talking and everything was perfect and then she said she needed a moment and walked away. And I want to give her her space but...I feel like I'm too much again. I... It must have been something I said?" They sigh watching the flames.

"What did they say before they walked off?" Tanja asks with a tilt of her head.

"She said she wanted something... She didn't say what. And then suddenly she said she was going to take a walk and she was gone. I must have scared her. The moment I start caring about someone, I scare them away." Dante frowns.

"I dont think you scared her away, It sounds like She scared herself away." Tanja pats her shoulder. "I take it this relationship is new to you both?" She smiles kindly.

"It is but... " Dante trails off.

"Communication can be hard sometimes but its necessary for a relationship to work." Tanja sighs, young love was always so fickle.

"They didnt say anything else that might have eluded to anything?" She asks. "I am sure it was nothing to do with anything you said, perhaps they just needed a moment to figure it out what they wanted for themselves." She smiles.

"I know...I hope you're right. It's just...I've been made to feel like I'm too much before and...". Dante rubs at the spot beneath their collarbone again before taking a deep breath. "It's nothing right? I'm just overthinking things." They stare once more into the fire.

"Try not to worry dear." Tanja rubs their shoulder and quickly gets up when the door to the kitchens opened, and Lucanis strolled in, in a lose shirt open at the neck, his sleeves rolled up. leather pants and knee high boots, more casual then Dante has ever seen him before.

"Tanja." He smiles kissing both her cheeks and holding her at arms length. "I have an Idea for dinner." He chuckles before his eyes settle on Dante and a look of concern flickers in his eyes.

"Dante? are you alright?" He asks, dinner forgotten as he strolls over to where they were sat.

"I don't know...Toya said she wanted to take a walk. I might have been too much again. It's probably nothing..." They reply with a small shrug.

"To much?" He tilts his head in confusion. "What makes you think that?" He kneels in front of them. "Did Toya say that to you?" He frowned.

They vehemently shakes their head in a no.

"She didn't say anything besides saying she wanted to take a walk but clearly she's been overwhelmed, clearly I've been too much." Dante says avoiding his eyes.

He smiles remembering a similar situation between him and Altara, he has a sneaking suspicion He knows what has happened now.

"Did she kiss you before she walked away by any chance?" He asks with a tilt of his head.

Dante quickly became flustered at the question.

"She did..." They trails off wondering what he was talking about.

"I see." He stands and tilts his head like he is having a silent conversation and smiles. "Spite is talking to Toya, She is like me, you are a first for her." He chuckles.

"You haven't done anything to upset her, she is just a little overwhelmed with things she hasn't felt before." He blushes.

"I was a little overwhelmed when I first developed feelings for Altara, Do not worry Toya will figure it out just like I did." He pats their shoulder reassuringly.

"Why don't you help me prepare dinner." He offers before talking to Tanja, She nods and busies herself peeling potatoes.

"She's a first for me too.". Dante says blushing deeply. "How did you handle it? I mean, if you don't mind me asking." They asks as they uncurled from their spot on the chair. "I'll help out." They smile.

"Spite told me I was being an idiot." He chuckles handing her some carrots to cut. "Cut these for me please." He says handing them a knife. "Believe it or not, Altara was helping me cut up carrots when I finally worked up the courage to kiss her." He smiled at the memory.

*"Rook," He whispered brokenly before he kissed her, really kissed her. It was like a puzzle piece slotting into place, it was perfect.

Warm and full of longing. She sighed kissing him back, he tilted his head deepening it YESSSSSSS Spite purred, Lucanis ignored him, he was kissing Rook, he was actually kissing her.

he never thought he would find the courage*

"He's not telling her she's an idiot, is he? Because she's not." Dante chuckles.

They took a knife and looked at the carrots.

"How do you want them? Diced? Kind of those half moon shapes? Juliennes?" They ask waiting for his instruction.

"Two inch pieces will be fine, just make sure there even so they all cook at the same time." He explains as he prepares some Venison.

"As for Spite, do not worry, he has a bit more tact now." He chuckles. "He has learned alot since getting a body, I think Altara has been a wonderful influence on him to." He smiles.

To be Continued

Chapter Text

The Garden

Toya was sitting on a bench staring at the crow fountain when Spite found her.

"Sour notes, racing heart, you're troubled." He says softly, sitting next to her.

She lets out a bitter laugh, "I ran away." She sighed, wiping at her eyes.

"From feelings?" He asks, leaning forward to catch her eyes. "Like Lucanis." He grins.

"Huh?" She looks up at him in confusion.

"You feel things, didn't before, scary, yes." He nods his head, knowing he was right. "Lucanis ran from Altara, wanted to kiss, but was scared." He smiles, patting her shoulder.

"Lucanis, scared? no way." She shakes her head, and he nods at her with a grin.

"Spite had to push him, make him see he was being foolish, feelings are good." He smiles, "Nothing to be scared of." He smiles.

The Kitchen.

"Can you pass me those herbs please." Lucanis asks pointing to a collection of herbs on a linen cloth to Dante's left.

"So... Altara waited right? She gave you your space to think about it. I...I know how to be patient but..." Dante focuses on the carrots, cutting them into even pieces, still quite red in the face.

"It's all new to me too. How do I know if I'm pushing too hard? I wouldn't do it on purpose but..." They trail off and nearly cut their finger.

"I still do not know what I did to disserve her." Lucanis sighs. "She was more patient than the divine." He chuckles. "Perhaps you could speak with Altara, I'm probably not the best person to ask for relationship advice." He smiled.

"Do not worry, Toya will be fine, but you should talk to eachother about what you both want." He says cutting the last piece of fat from the meat before cutting it into cubes and adding it to a pot full of water, with salt and pepper.

"How are those carrots coming along." He grins.

The Garden.

"I've never felt like this before Spite, the butterfly's, the warmth in my belly when she kisses me, Its so much." Toya says wringing her hands.

Spite nods understanding completely.

"Desire." He says simply, looking at her with a soft smile. "Scared Spite to, Lucanis helped me understand." He smiles. "You want more than kisses." He grins.

She blushes bright red at that.

"But I've never...What if they don't want that. What If I disappoint them, What if im not enough." She sniffs her eyes brimming with tears.

"Wont know unless you ask." He says pulling her into a hug and rubbing her back. "Little bird, don't be sad, its ok." He soothes.

The kitchen.

"Add them to the pot when you are done." Lucanis instructs before collecting the potatoes from Tanja to add to the pot.

Once added he turns on the fire and began to sauté onions, garlic and spring onions in a pan over the stove, humming happily as he worked.

Dante carefully adds the carrots to the pot.

"You would think so, but if you say your situations are similar, then I got some good insight from what you just said." They grin.

They make a small pile of the peels and carrot tops.

"But yeah, I definitely want to talk to her. It's just...I don't want to seem pushy about it." They sigh.

"Believe me she is probably worried about the same things you are" Lucanis chuckles, He had been terrified of stepping a foot wrong, that he would scare Altara away, that he wasn't aloud to want things, something Caterina had drilled into him at a young age, it have taken Spite pushing him to act, to realise it was ok to want things, to want her.

He places the aromats in the pot before adding stock and bringing it to a boil.

"This needs to simmer." He says, before walking to the coffee maker, he prepares his coffee with practiced ease then leans against the counter while he waits for it to be done.

The Garden.

"You give good hugs." Toya smiles pulling back.

Spite blushes slightly.

"Altara says so to." He grins "Better now?" He asks softly.

"I think so, but how do I talk to her about it, I don't want her to feel rushed, I don't want to be pushy." She sighs.

"Tell the truth." He smiles

"Feeling new things is scary, better to have someone to share it with." He sighs, Having his own body had been so different from being in Lucanis's head, so many new sensations he had panicked more than a few times, every new sensation, every new smell had overwhelmed him.

But Altara and Lucanis helped him understand, showed him the joy of exploring those feelings with them, he hoped Toya would have that with Dante. He wanted his Little birdy and Kitty to be happy.

The kitchen.

Lucanis smiles when the coffee machine finishes and pours himself a cup and sighs happily, nothing beat a fresh cup of coffee. He checked on the stew and smiled.

"What should we have for Desert this evening?" He asks Dante with a smile.

They grabbed the hot cocoa they had left and sighed. It was lukewarm now, so they warmed it up with a tiny bit of magic.

"Churros are a classic. I could use more practice making them." They smile.

"I see, and that wouldn't have anything to do with the fact Toya loves churros." He teases her before grabbing ingredients to make the batter.

"You know I made Altara's favourite desert just for her as a way of showing my affections, It was a Hazelnut torte, it's very complicated to make I hoped it would show my dedication to her." He smiled fondly at the memory as he whisked the batter.

"Can you fetch the oil and a pan to fry the batter in?" He asks leaning his hip on the counter as he whisks.

"Did she like it?" Dante asks picking a good sized pan and oil and settling them on the counter.

"Well, um yes she did." He blushes bright red remembering just how much she liked it. He clears his throat adding the oil to the pan and heating it up, before adding the batter to a pipping bag.

"Let's see how well your Churros turn out." He chuckles holding a knife ready to cut what they piped into the oil.

Dante chuckles as they take the piping bag and carefully make rows of dough in the oil.

"I guess I understand why you love cooking so much. It's easy to show you care through this." They smile.

"I like to think so to." He smiles, cutting the dough as they piped it into the oil "Your doing well." He praises, each churros came out even and cooked to a lovely golden brown colour.

He quickly took out the first batch from the oil with tongs and tossed them in the sugar and cinnamon.

"Perfect." He smiles broadly before checking on the stew. "Almost done, I hope I made enough extra for Spite." He ponders as he stirs it.

"Lets make extra Churros just in case." He chuckles.

"Extra churros couldn't hurt." Dante nods as they look at the even rows in the oil.

"I'm getting better at this " They smile. " I hope she likes them." They sigh.

"I am sure she will." He smiles adding a little extra seasoning to the stew. "You should head to the dinning room, there is nothing more to be prepared here." He says, patting their shoulder.

"Remember, be honest with Toya, I am sure if you talk it will clear everything up." He says before talking to Tanja briefly about serving dinner in the dinning room.

He glances at them one last time.

"I need to clean up before dinner see you soon." He offers a polite bow before leaving the Kitchen.

The garden.

"Dinner is ready." Spite grins standing up and cupping her cheek. "You should clean up before dinner." He says wiping her tears away with his thumb. "See you later little bird." He smiles before heading towards the Villa to wash up.

"Thanks Spite." She calls after him, he waves then continues walking.

She sighs before heading back towards the villa to wash up.

"I wonder what's for dinner." She ponders, trying to ignore the anxiety in her chest, how was she going to face Dante after running away. She sighed, one step at a time, she repeats in her head.

one step at a time.

The kitchen.

"Right, we need to prepare for dinner service, would you like us to make some more hot chocolate to go with dinner when we serve?" Tanja asks Dante with a smile.

"Oooh, with dessert, yes. That would be awesome. Thank you!" Dante grins before walking out of the kitchen towards the dinning room, feeling more and more anxious. They shouldn't be this nervous, there was no reason to be.

The dining room was quiet as they entered, Altara was fussing over baby Caterina with Amika whilst Illario was going over documents at the table.

"Good evening." Illario greeted them with a raised eyebrow. "Unusual for you to show up without Toya." He comments. "I trust everything is alright?" He asks rolling up the scrolls he had been reviewing before Amika scolded him for working at the dinner table again.

"Nothing you need to worry about spymaster." Amika scolds him for prying, Spite had filled her in. "Come see the baby." She smiles waving Dante over.

"Isnt she adorable, definitely gets her looks from her mother." Dante grinned when Illario pouts at Amika. "Definitely going to be a red head just like her mother." Illario chuckles.

"Oh stop." Amika gushes.

"Hello little one." Dante smiles and coos. "You're so small." They says with a smile.

"They are still growing of course she is small." Amika chuckles letting the baby grip her finger, she smiled at the baby as she gurgles happily before making grabby hands.

"Does someone want a cuddle." Amika smiles picking her up as the baby starts to fuss. "Oh I see how it is, your hungry." She laughs softly as they try to latch on before she can bare her breast.

"I don't blame them." Illario chuckles watching in amusement and grins when Amika scowls at him. "Behave." She scolds as the door opens and Lucanis walks in with Spite.

"Is my cousin misbehaving again." Lucanis grins heading over to Altara to give her a kiss. "Mi vida." He purrs taking his seat next to her.

"How was training today?" She asks her brow furrowing when she didnt see Toya.

"They are doing well." He smiles before glancing at the door as Toya walks in looking sheepish.

"Hey, I hope I'm not to late." She says shyly.

Spite offers her a smile of encouragement and nods his head in Dante's direction. She walks over to her seat.

She looks at Dante before taking her usual place. She keeps giving her side glances, nervous to break the ice.

"Can we....Can we talk after dinner." Toya asks shyly.

"Of course we can." Dante replies just as quietly.

"..Ok." She offers a shy smile just as the doors open and servants begin to serve dinner.

Lucanis smiles as Spites eyes lit up when he realises what's for dinner, he loved venison.

"You keep spoiling Spite, when is it my turn." Altara pouts playfully.

"Despues mi amor" He purrs serving her a bowl of the stew.

Toya blushes furiously and busies herself adding some stew to a bowl and handing it to Dante, before getting some for herself.

Illario grabs a bowl of stew and feeds Amika whilst she feeds the baby, he would eat his in a moment.

"So I hear you two are doing well in your training, you impressed Lucanis today." Altara says in conversation.

Dante looks at Toya with a grin and nodded.

"We did! My head is still feeling that slip off the roof a little. That was a good shot." They smile.

"And you nearly put me on my ass with that ice." Toya giggles.

Spite looks between them and smiles, exchanging a look with Lucanis before eating his food.

"She's already really good at anticipating my moves too." Dante continues.

"That is because she knows you, she needs to put what she has learned into practice against an opponent she doesn't know, both of you do." Lucanis says. "Be mindful you do not get over confident." he warns.

"But if we're fighting together, I know she's got my back and I've got hers. but you are right of course." Dante agrees.

"Continue as you are and you will be fighting like me and Spite soon enough." Lucanis chuckles.

"Your not just training them in combat surely, there are other skills they should learn." Illario says tucking into his own food now that Amika was fed.

"Is that an offer to help train my Protégés?" Lucanis grins watching his cousin.

"That depends do they wish to learn seduction." He smirks then winces when Amika slapped the back of his head.

Dante vehemently shakes their head as soon as the word seduction came out of Illario's mouth. They knew full well he was joking, but the mere idea of it left a sour taste in their mouth.

"I was only joking." He said raising his hands in his defence.

Lucanis bursts out laughing at the look on Illario's face.

"It seems your wife to be thinks you should stick to being my spymaster." He grins sipping his wine.

"When is the wedding, if you don't mind me asking." Toya asks, changing the subject.

"We feel it is wise to deal with this demon problem first, but dont worry your both invited." Illario grins.

"We've got what, three of them to deal with still?" Dante asks, glancing at Lucanis.

"Yes, we still have Lust/Malice in Feraldan, Contempt/Hate in Revian and Desire/Envy in the Anderfels." He sighs, Feraldan could be a problem, the crows have not stepped foot in Feraldan since Zevran Arainai embarrassed the crows by abandoning his contract and the crows.

Though if he had not the blight would not have been ended by the warden, it will take time to re-establish contacts in that part of the world.

"My suggestion would be Contempt/Hate, The opposite of that would be love would it not." Illario suggests.

"I think you might be right, I should contact Taash see if any of the Lord of fortune seers know something." Lucanis says rubbing his beard in thought.

"Looks like we have our next course of action then, once we know more of course, I think I will go with them on this one. It will be nice to see Taash again." Altara smiles.

"As long as Dr Frances gives you the all clear." Lucanis warns, his eyes full of worry.

"Don't worry I'm already healed up, but Ill see the good DR if it will ease your worry." She smiles taking his hand.

"So I guess that's the plan." Dante's says looking at Toya, then back towards their plate. "When would we leave? Are we still having practice tomorrow?" They ask, looking at Lucanis.

"It will take time to track Taash down, It wont be for at least a couple of days, plenty of time for more training." Lucanis reassures them.

"Good much to teach." Spite nods.

"Alright then, for now, you two keep up your training, once Taash let's us know a location we can plan our next move." Altara grins.

"This brings back memories." Lucanis chuckles, remembering all their meetings in the lighthouse.

"It does, only this time your in charge." Altara smirks.

"Lucanis likes it better when your in charge." Spite snickers.

Lucanis nearly chokes on his wine and goes bright red.

"Last I checked so do you Spite." She laughs.

"Not embarrassed." He smirks.

Dante nudges Toya.

"Hey, wanna grab dessert and have that talk in our room? I think the conversation here is a bit too much." They laugh.

"Desert, good idea." Lucanis stutters thankful for the change of subject.

"What's for desert." Toya asks curiously.

"Why don't you tell her Dante, after all you helped me make them." Lucanis grins.

Dante closes their eyes and smiles, their face scrunching up cutely.

"We made churros." They finally say.

"Really?" Toya gasps excitedly, her eyes lighting up.

Altara glances at Lucanis and raises an eyebrow at him and he shrugs and brings a finger to his lips.

"You made Churros." Toya says her lower lip trembling.

Dante nods.

"I know you like them." They whispered.

"I don't know what to say." Toya looks down at the table, feeling guilty.

"Go on take your churros to your rooms, I'll have Tanja send someone with hot chocolate for you. " Lucanis smiles warmly.

Spite nods to Toya and she nods back.

"You don't have anything to say. Just enjoy them." Dante says softly. "I'll go grab a plate, okay? Meet me in our room, I'll be right there." They Smile.

"Alright." Toya nods glancing at Spite nervously, looking for encouragement, He grins and nods his head to the door. She smiles then leaves the dinning room to head to their rooms.

Dante asks Tanja if they can get a plate, gathering some churros and quickly following after Toya to their rooms.

5 minutes later Dante makes it to the door of there rooms and knocks.

Toya answers the door and steps aside shuffling on her feet.

Dante presents the plate of churros with both hands.

"I come with gifts." They chuckle as they step inside. They settle the plate on the nightstand and sit on the bed.

"So...." They start awkwardly.

"So...." Toya repeats sitting on the bed next to them, fiddling with the hem of her blouse.

"Talking... It's apparently a thing we need to do more of..." Dante smiles.

Oh this is like twelve levels of awkward right now.

"I'm sorry I ran away." Toya says looking down. "Its just I was feeling all these things that I've never felt before." She blushes.

"It's okay. I understand." Dante toys with their necklace. "I've been told I'm a lot sometimes, so I don't blame you for that." They sigh.

"What? No its not that, your not too much, I'm too much, I want too much." Toya frowns.

"Why would you say you want too much? You're not too much." Dante says touching her shoulder.

"Because I want more." Toya says looking away in fear of rejection. "When you kiss me, I feel all warm inside and I want things and I didn't know what do to, I've never felt like that with someone before." She trembles tears stinging her eyes.

Dante hesitates for a moment before reaching out, wanting to brush away the tears.

"It's okay to want more. It's okay to take your time to figure things out. I'm new to all of this too. I'm figuring it out just as much as you. There's no shame in that. We've probably been shamed enough for a lifetime before we even got here. I don't want you to feel ashamed of what you want, or what you don't want for that matter." Dante sighs.

"Spite said what I'm feeling is desire but I don't know what to do with that. I want more than kisses but what does that even mean." Toya hugs herself. "I don't want to scare you away." She cries.

Dante blushed bright red.

"I can't say I know what to do with that either and I mean...My own...But...We can try? What would you like to try?" They ask leaning closer.

"I umm well I don't know." Toya blushes just as red. "I've never been with anyone before I don't know what im doing." She admits.

"Maybe we should um eat desert first, I mean you made the effort to make it I wouldn't want it to spoil, I mean they look so yummy and..." Toya trails off realizing she is rambling.

A knock at the door startles them both.

"Oh, that's probably...". Dante goes and opens the door.

Tanja is standing there with kind eyes and pitcher of hot chocolate and two cups on a silver tray.

"Señor Dellamorte told me to deliver this." She smiles warmly offering them the tray.

"Thank you so much!" Dante takes the tray and smiles as Tanja leaves.

They close the door with their hip and gingerly walks over to set the tray by the plate of churros. They pour hot chocolate in one of the cups and offer it to Toya. They indulged in one of the churros before pouring thier own cup of hot chocolate with a smile.

"Did you really make these for me?" Toya asks picking up a Churros and eating it, she smiles the dough still slightly warm surprisingly. the sweetness of the cinnamon and sugar had her licking her lips

Dante nods.

"It makes me happy to make you happy. And it's a small thing that we get to enjoy together too." Dante smiles warmly. Toya finishes her Churros and sips their hot chocolate.

"Were they good?" Dante asks, finishing their own share.

"Yeah they were tasty." Toya smiles moving closer.

Dante steals a kiss sweetened with sugar.

"I'm happy you enjoyed them." They smile at her.

"I did." Toya whispers. She didn't know what to do at that moment. They still had so much more to talk about.

"I can definitely make more. But it's not what we were talking about, is it?" Dante whispers back with a small chuckle.

"Can you kiss me like before, on my um neck....I uh want more of that." Toya blushes and looks away from them.

"The way you touch me..it makes me feel good. I want to make you feel good to. I...uh..I want to explore that." She wrings her hands and blushes even brighter, her heart pounding in her chest worried she was asking to much to soon that she was being pushy and annoying, that Dante didnt want her that way.

It takes all but a second to close the distance, to press a kiss just bellow Toya's ear and then trail more down her neck, gentle and unhurried.

"Like this?" Dante asks as their hand settles against the small of Toya's back and rests their head against Toya's shoulder.

"ye...yes." Toya stutters leaning into it. She shivers the same sensation warming her, making her flush.

"Can...Can I?" She reaches up touch Dante's neck before leaning down to do the same, her kiss more hesitant and unsure.

Dante lets out a breathless chuckle, baring more of their neck for her to explore. They run their hand along Toya's back, under her shirt, keeping their touch light but wanting to feel more of her little shivers.

"You tell me if it gets too much okay? I'll do the same." Dante asks softly.

Toya nods, a tiny gasp escaping her lips when they touched her under her shirt. She tries to do the same, her hands shaking.

Dante presses closer, tensing and unsure if they want to move away from the touch or lean into it.

"Feels strange... Before... Before all this, before the crows...It's the first time...You're the first with whom touch feels safe." Dante sighs.

They leans into the touch more, letting Toya explore even though they shiver and have to take a deep breath.

"Is ..is this ok?" Toya asks as her palm presses against their ribs her thumb stroking a little higher under one of Dante's breasts. She leans back to watches Dante for a moment before leaning in and pressing her lips to theirs.

"I'm safe with you to right?" She whispers before kissing them again breathing a little deeper than before. It felt strange touching someone like this, to be touched but she liked how soft Dante's skin was.

Dante nods.

"It is." their chest felt tight but in a good way, in a way that was just shy of overwhelming.

"Of course you are. " They add, the tension that they held from the touch melted with the kiss. They deepened it softly, wanting more. They gently nudge her, not wanting to break the kiss yet, but wanting to lie down.

Toya lays back bringing them with her not wanting to break the kiss either, she makes a small sound in the back of her throat.

Dante is panting when they finally break the kiss.

"Oh. I want to hear more of that." Dante toys with the edge of Toya's shirt for a moment, blushing brightly again. "May I?" They ask softly.

"yes." Toya breathes staring at them in wonder, that she wanted this, wanted her. "I umm, have scars they are not pretty." She whispers.

"But I...want you to see." she adds cupping Dante's cheek and offering a shy smile. "Will you show me to?" she asks.

"It means you've survived." Dante sighs as they nuzzle her before gently pulling up her shirt, just enough to be able to plant kisses on her stomach.

"And it means, I get to kiss every single one of them." They say between soft reverent kisses.

"It means I get to kiss and love every part of you that went through all those hardships to get here, sharp edges and all." They smile.

Dante trails kisses to her ribs and rest their head there for a moment before nodding.

Toya was breathing heavily as she lifted her top, a small moan escaping before she covered her mouth as if the sound had surprised her.

She had a few scars on her hip, a pink line possibly a knife slash and a puncture scar most likely not related to each other.

A small patch burn scar on her ribs on the right side, it looks like a deeper wound that had been cauterised by a heated blade judging from the shape of it, an emergency measure to stop bleeding most likely.

"Dante." Toya whispers her name running her fingers through her hair when they rested their head.

Dante looks up, a wide smile on their face. How sweet their name sounded on Toya's lips. They closed their eyes and nuzzled her for a moment more before sitting up with a giggle.

"My turn, right?" Dante smiles, pulling their shirt off. They felt more exposed, somehow, than they had felt in the baths.

There were ropey scars along their stomach, not unlike the ones on their back.

Toya reached out to touch the scars gently, she glances up at Dante making sure they were ok with it.

Dante gasps sharply, tensing under the touch. They has to remind themself that they are not back there again, that this is safe and this is Toya, that nothing bad will happen.

"So many scars." Dante chokes up and Toya leans back.

"Did I do something wrong, are you ok?" she asks cradling their face her eyes searching hers full of concern.

"It's not on you, it's absolutely not on you. I..." Dante worried their bottom lip.

"I thought I was...It's just...I thought I was over the whole thing, but apparently not. But I swear it's not on you, you've done nothing wrong." They shiver.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Toya asked letting them go, becoming shy again.

"I don't know." Dante sniffles, tears gathering at the corner of their eyes. "I want you to have this, I really do. We can...Try again? I don't know, I love you, I really do." Dante sniffles.

"No it has to be that we both want it." Toya shakes her head. "You don't need to force it for me, I want you to want this." She says her lower lip trembling. "I love you to." She cries.

Dante sobs

"I want this too, I really do. I just... the... The..." They try to brush Toya's tears away but their hands are shaking. "Too much... The memories are too much...I wish they still didn't have such a hold on me..." Dante hiccups.

"Maybe we should talk to Dr Frances." Toya suggests. "Or Spite, he gives really good advice." She jokes trying to lighten the mood.

"Maybe..." Dante chuckles and sniffles at the same time. "If it happens again, because it most likely will...I just want you to know it's really not on you okay?" They smile.

"...o..ok." Toya sniffs. "We should get ready for bed." She smiles, feeling a little self conscious, as she fiddles with the bed sheets.

Dante presses a gentle kiss on her forehead. "We should..." They sigh.

Toya finds her night shirt under the pillows and pulls it on, her cheeks still slightly pink

"Are you sure your ok?" She asks shyly.

Dante wanders back to their room to put on their night shirt and comes back.

"Honestly? I'm not sure. What I'm sure of is I want to cuddle and I want to forget the bad memories." They reply with a small shrug and a sigh.

"I like the sound of that." Toya smiles. "You really should talk to Dr Frances, he might be able to help you work through them, I'll try and help to." She says pulling the covers back so she could climb in with them.

Dante climbs in and curls up close to her like an overgrown cat. "I will. Tomorrow after training and if I chicken out you have the permission to drag me over there." Dante jokes.

"I will, I promise." Toya grins.

Chapter Text

The cloud cover was thick in the early hours, the birds still sang their songs, but they could tell today would be cooler, it seemed summer was starting to tip into autumn.

Dante awoke from the tail end of a nightmare and groaned, hiding under the covers.

Toya stirred, sensing their distress, feeling it in the way they shifted under the covers.

"Hey, it's ok, I'm here." She whispers, gently stroking her fingers through Dante's hair. "Did you have a bad dream?" She asks softly.

"Yeah, but im not surprised." Dante sighs, then leans into the touch. "It sucks. " They pout.

"Not surprised?" Toya asks with a guilty look on her face, Was it her fault? Did she make them have a nightmare because she brought back a painful memory?

"Hey, hey...I told you, it's not your fault, don't give me that look. It's not the first nightmare, and it won't be the last. Don't tell me you don't have nightmares of your first contract, I won't believe you.". Dante chuckles.

"It sucks, but it's like the scars, like the weird hang-ups my brain is having a hysterics over. It's okay." She reassures her.

"Ok." Toya smiles, kissing them on the nose.

Dante smiles softly, kissing her back.

"See? I'm ok. Let's go. As much as I'd rather sleep in, we gotta start the day, don't we?" They smile.

"You're right." Toya nods, climbing out of bed to pull on her clothes. "Come on, we dont want to be late for breakfast." She grins.

Dante follows at a more sedate pace. Once they can get their hands on a cup of coffee, they will feel better.

They file into the dining room, and Dante pours themself a coffee, and then stares at the brew for a moment before gulping it down.

"You're not as chipper as you usually are," Altara comments, sipping her coffee.

"Smells like smoke and raindrops in a storm." Spite comments.

"Did you not sleep well?" Lucanis asks softly.

"Bad dreams, that's all." And as if on cue, she yawns, leaning against Toya with a smile. "It's okay, really..." Dante sighs.

"Nightmares and bad memories." Spite murmurs with a tilt of his head.

Toya frowns, she still found Spite's uncanny sense a little unnerving.

"Spite!" Altara warns.

He sulks but doesn't say anything else.

Lucanis chuckles.

"He means well, Altara." He sips his coffee and sighs. No matter how many cups of Andora's breath he has, it always tastes perfect.

Dante looks more intently at their cup of coffee.

"I was doing fine, not thinking about that." They say, sulking as well.

"Sorry." Spite sighs, sometimes he couldn't help it. He had always been sensitive to emotions and nightmares.

"I am sure training will take your mind off whatever is bothering you." Lucanis smiles.

Dante sighs and nods.

"That's the idea." Dante looks at Spite. "It's okay, I know you meant well." They smile.

"Will train, help you forget." Spite nods.

"Alright then, come along, Toya." Lucanis orders heading for the door.

"Right, of course. First Talon." She bows and follows. Pausing briefly in the doorway to look at Dante over her shoulder.

"See you later." She smiles before disappearing through the doorway.

"We go to." Spite nods, standing from his seat.

"Have fun," Altara calls after them, raising her coffee mug.

Dante chugs the rest of their coffee and follows Spite.

"So... What's the lesson today?" They asked, it was sure to be interesting.

"Know to control fade fire, what about water?" He says as they walk.

"Water in fade different." He explains, guiding them to the same meditation spot as before.

"How so? Less predictable?" Dante enquires.

"Sometimes there, sometimes not, sometimes doesn't listen." He chuckles, taking a seat.

"Close eyes, dream with me." He says.

Dante sits down and takes a deep breath, closes their eyes and lets the trickle of the fade in, Spite's voice becoming distant as they feel themself being pulled somewhere.

They awaken somewhere new, the sky shifts like the aurora borealis, greens and blues swirling in random patterns, stone structures drifting in the distance, a huge stone archway with strange wisps of magic creeping at its base.

Spite emerges from the archway in his true form, his large frame stoops to pass through the archway, his dark purple skin glistens like starlight, constellations flicker in black wisps around him like flames, and they shift around him like shadows.

"Hello, Dante." Spite greets her, his voice deep and melodic.

"Hello!" She lets out a small huff of air in amazement. His true form really was breathtaking.

"Wait... Are we..? Didn't you say it was dangerous for me to be here for an extended period of time? Or is this different?" They ask, looking around before looking back at Spite.

"Spirits stay away when I'm here." He growls.

He walks closer, his large frame dwarfing theirs. He chuckles, wisps of black starry smoke drifting behind him.

He guides them to a pool, the surface like a mirror, like glass, not a single ripple, just a reflection of the sky above, a starless sea of green and blues.

"Maker, you're tall!" They giggle. "I can almost taste the magic all around us, it's so much." They look at the pool, stepping closer but unsure of how close they should get.

"Can touch, won't hurt." He laughs, the sound vibrates around them, echoing in the fade around them.

"You said it also might misbehave." They reply with a chuckle. They dip their fingers in the water, and nothing happens.

"If you keep the other spirits at bay here, do you keep the nightmares at bay too?" Dante asks curiously.

"Can eat them here." He purrs with a grin, showing sharp teeth.

"Eat them? How does that even work? How does it taste?" They ask excitedly

"Nightmares creep like shadows, lingering, waiting. Drawn to bad memories." Spite explains. "Hunt them, keep them away, eat them, tastes bitter sweet, like fear and regret." He nods.

Dante takes a deep breath, sighs, then looks around again.

"I'm glad that if they show up, they won't have time to creep around then, I had enough of them last night, to be honest." They sigh warily.

Their mind returns to the water, to the magic of the fade around them and how it both ebbed and flowed.

"Pick up water, make ball like this." He says, reaching out a hand, the water begins to move towards him, coalescing into a perfect sphere that floats above his clawed palm like a ball of glass.

Spite watches them, tilting his head, all six eyes blinking independently, wisps of pink trailing from them like starlight.

Dante willed the water to listen, moving their hands to shape the water like a conductor shaping music. The sphere wobbled just a little before settling down just above their open palm.

"Good." Spite purred. Three of his eyes watched them while the other three watched the sphere in his palm as his sphere became a perfect cube.

"Change shape, don't spill." He says his voice is light like a musical note.

It takes a moment, and for a while, Dante's cube has very rounded edges, but it gets there, a perfect cube. They grin proudly. This was fun.

Spite chuckles, a playful grin spreading on his lips as the cube in his hand becomes a spiral that spins slowly.

"Tricky shape." He leans down, casting a long shadow, all six eyes focused on Dante once more. The pupils are like small stars.

"Control, important." He nods.

In the distance, a creeping darkness drips like ink from a crack in the rocks, distant, turning to smoke as it creeps down the cliffs behind them, shifting between liquid and gas as it lingers, watching. Waiting.

Both of them seemingly unaware that they were no longer alone.

It takes far more concentration for Dante to make the shape this time around. The water tries to push against the magic, as if it were a bowl too full. It threatened to spill, but slowly the spiral took shape.

"Yes, good, clever kitty." Spite grins, the spiral in his hand returning to the pond.

He snarls, suddenly turning, a large black wing that ombred to purple with glowing purple bones sweeps down in front of Dante protectively as Spite reaches down and plucks a creeping shadow from the ground with his claw.

It shrieks as he opens his fanged mouth and inhales it like smoke, the scream cutting off abruptly as he closes his mouth.

"Nasty nightmare." He growls, the wing lifting now that the danger had passed. He turns back to her, his many eyes wide like he was expecting Dante to scream at him in fear for what he just did.

He steps back from them slightly and waits.

Dante feels lighter, like a burden has been lifted, like that shadow had been haunting them for a while.

The water had spilled out of control when they had been startled by Spite's wing suddenly in their field of vision, and then the shriek of the nightmare.

There's an expression of curiosity and confusion on their face. They feel a bit stunned witnessing him devour a nightmare.

"That was...?" Dante brought a hand to their mouth.

"Nightmare, haunting you." Spite smiles, "Tastes like bitter like tears and pain." He made a face like he didn't like the taste.

Dante got the impression that even though he disliked the taste, it he gave a sliver of power, like consuming it in the fade, was like eating a snack when you needed calories from working too hard in the waking world.

They let out a small chuckle.

"Too bitter?" They smiled a little. "Is it gone, gone? Can it ever come back? It feels so weird, just poof! Gone!" Dante laughs.

Spite lets out a basey chuckle.

"Always bitter." He nods. "Gone for now, more will come, bad memories draw them to you." He explains.

"I wish I knew how to deal with the bad memories," Dante replied, forlorn. "I said to Toya that I'll go talk to the Doctor today and that she has every right to drag me there kicking and screaming if I try to chicken out, but..." They sigh.

"I wish it wasn't like this to begin with," they lament.

They return their concentration to the water again, willing it to dance between their hands.

"Can't change past, only change present." Spite says crouching low, so he was more their height. A wing comes down behind Dante like a hug.

"Frances helps Spite." He sighs. "Talked about Ossuary, how they cut, made me small." He whispers. "Makes it hurt less." He says, voice low and mournful, but there is a softness to it, like the pain of talking about the ossuary still hurt, but it was now bearable for him.

Dante looks at the wing surrounding her with amazement. They reach out towards it but stop mid-movement.

"May I?" They ask softly.

"Gentle, sensitive." Spite smiles, tilting his head, his six eyes focused on their hand. "Spite will never hurt. Will protect." He says, reassuring them.

Dante carefully brushed their fingertips along the wing. They were aware of how rare and precious this moment was.

"Thank you." They giggle. "They're so soft!" They sigh in wonder.

Spite shivered at the touch at first, nearly jerking his wing away as if expecting pain, but settled when Dante was gentle.

"Little kitty." He whispered, stroking a clawed finger through Dante's hair.

Dante chuckles and smiles.

"I probably should practice more while we're here, shouldn't I?" They lower their hand.

Spite nods, standing to his full height, his wings curling behind him. He scoops up some water, letting it drip between his fingers.

Dante watches as the water freezes mid-drip like a frozen waterfall.

He tilts his head in a grin.

"You try." He laughs.

"Come on..." Dante Laughs, each test was more challenging than the last. How were they supposed to stop time? Should they freeze it?

They scoop up some water and try to concentrate on the as it drips back into the pond, sticking their tongue in concentration.

Spite chuckles, the sound reverberating around them as he siphoned the water slipping through Dante's fingers into the frozen water in his palm, it twisted and swirled in his claw, becoming a bird that took off and soared over the pond before diving into it.

Spite glanced around the fade, sensing curious spirits, before his gaze settled on Dante once more.

"Enough for today." He says as the fade begins to blur around them.

Dante's vision goes dark before they open their eyes and find themself kneeling in front of Spite in the real world once more.

"Did well, more control." Spite smiles proudly.

"We need to do this again sometime soon. I want to make the water dance. It's..." Dante exhaled slowly, grinning. "I've never felt the Fade like that before, never felt magic like that before either. The Crossroads magic feels tame in comparison." They laugh.

Spite smiled, amused by their reactions.

"Let's see Birdie and Lucanis." He grins, getting up and rolling his shoulders before stretching, having been sitting down for too long.

They could hear swords clashing as they approached.

Toya met Lucanis's swords, making sparks fly before they broke apart again. Lucanis moved like a dancer, flipping over her and landing behind her. Toya spun on her heel, blocking his attack, and Dante realised they were no longer using training swords.

Lucanis's rapier and dagger reflected the light of the sun as he moved. They watched Toya for a moment, the way she bent out of the way of another attack, using her palm on the ground to spin as she kicked out with her leg, nearly catching Lucanis off guard. He chuckles, hopping out of the way a second later.

"Well played, use every opportunity to get your opponent off balance." He praises spinning sharply and catching her sword arm when she glanced at Dante, using her distraction against her, her sword clanging to the ground with a sharp sound, the tip of Lucanis's foil at her throat.

"Don't get distracted." He warns, lowering his blade and handing her the sword back to her.

The spar continued for another 5 minutes. It was incredible the way Lucanis moved, a smile on his lips as he spun, his swords coming forward only to be deflected as Toya reacted. She was breathing hard, sweat gathering at her brow, but Lucanis looked fine, as if this was a casual stroll.

"I need a minute." Toya panted, and Lucanis nodded, lowering his blades.

"I think that's enough for today. You must work on your stamina. A blood mage will not give you a minute if you get tired." He says, sheathing his swords and dusting off his palms.

"Spite, Mi amore, how was training? Did Dante do well?" He asked as he approached them.

"Good control, learning." Spite nods. "Ate her nightmare." He grins.

"You should be careful, in the fade Mi Vida." He warns, pulling him closer as he pressed his forehead to his and smiled before pressing a brief kiss to his lips.

"Always careful." Spite purred before stepping back from him.

Dante smiled, watching Lucanis and Spite be affectionate made her think of her time with Toya exploring touch last night.

"Hey." Toya smiled at them. "Are you going to see Dr Frances like you promised?" She grinned, stepping closer and kissing Dante's cheek. "Did he really eat your nightmare?" She asked curiously.

Dante's smile turned into a grin at the kiss, they nodded to both questions, kissing Toya's nose in return with a small chuckle.

"It was like a shadowy wisp? And it screeched when he ate it? It was weird. But it made me feel better when it was gone. Apparently, they all taste bitter. I mean, it makes sense in a way, I suppose." Dante laughs

"Wait, how did Spite eat it?" Toya tilts her head. "Like how big was the nightmare?" She watches Spite, unable to picture him eating it.

He was speaking with Lucanis, animatedly making him laugh, but she couldn't hear their conversation from where they were, as they had moved away to talk.

"He just picked it off the ground and swallowed it in one." Dante chuckles. "It's hard to tell how big it was exactly? You should ask Spite. It was kind of wispy, and I was concentrating on my magic at the time. But it wasn't small. " They grin.

Toya glances at Spite again and smiles when Lucanis whispers in his ear, and his purple cheeks turn pink.

"What's the fade like?" Toya asks, changing the subject, not being a mage, she has never seen the fade, until her first contract, she had only ever seen normal demons, nothing like the creature she had faced, something twisted, dark and wrong.

She knew the fade existed, of course, and that mages drew power from it, but something told her it wasn't like what the chantry described.

"Alright, you two, take the rest of the day off. Dinner will be at 7 pm." Lucanis smiles, taking Spite's hand and walking towards the Villa. Spite waves with his other hand as he glances over his shoulder at them.

Dante's entire face lit up as they started explaining as best as they could.

"The sky is full of light like you see in the north. There are also floating stones and structures, and...It's strange and beautiful, and magic runs wild. I could feel it dance around me, ready to be plucked and shaped. Like it could take me over as much as I could change it. It felt like stepping into cool water on a hot day. It was like, you know, what the crossroads feels like? Like that but wilder and... and..." They trailed off, having trouble putting it into words.

"That sounds so cool, I wish I could see it." Toya sighs wistfully, "Training with Lucanis is cool, but you get to train in the fade." She pouts playfully.

"I wish I could show you." Dante smiles. "I get why one has to be careful, though, and why mages are like catnip to spirits. I could have stayed forever in that dream." They sighed.

"You had Spite to protect you, though right, like he did with the nightmare." Toya smiled. Glancing at the Villa. "Shall we go see the good doctor?" She asks softly.

Dante nodded and then sighed softly.

"Yeah, let's go." They sigh, they knew they needed to visit the Doctor, but they still felt nervous about it. But there was no point in stalling.

"Alright then, do you want me to come in with you? I could...uh...hold your hand, or if you prefer, I could wait for you in our room?" Toya says, fiddling with her sleeve nervously.

Dante didn't know why they suddenly felt so nervous.

"I... I feel like it's something I need to do alone." They say softly. They toyed with their necklace. "But I want you to stay close. I need to know you're not far. I... It feels silly but..." They trail off, suddenly shy.

"I could wait outside, would that help?" Toya offered, taking her hand as they walked towards the Villa.

"I think it would. Thank you." Dante stays quiet during the rest of the walk. Toya squeezes their hand reassuringly as they reach the door to Dr Frances's office.

Dante knocks.

"Why am I so nervous about this? It's just talking, right?" They whisper, waiting for him to answer the door.

"You will be ok, Dr Frances is nice." Toya smiles, hoping to reassure them as they hear movement inside before the door opens.

"Oh, hello, are you in need of assistance?" Dr Frances greets them, adjusting his glasses.

"Uh, yes, yeah. I've been told you're great with the talking stuff and uh..." Dante stutters nervously.

"Oh, would you like some counselling?" He asks, opening the door further and glancing between them.

Dante nods.

"Yeah, that. Yeah, definitely." They nod again.

"Both of you or?" He trails off, unsure if they wanted a group session or not.

"Just me for now? Although if at any point you think it's pertinent that she's there, I'm fine with that too." Dante smiles.

"I will wait outside, ok," Toya says, kissing their cheek and sitting on one of the window seats in the hall.

"Right, of course, come in, please take a seat." Dr Frances gestures with a hand. Dante steps inside, nervous as all hell.

"How does it work exactly?" They ask curiously.

"Well, usually the patient lets me know what is bothering them, what they wish to talk about, and we go from there." He smiles, sitting in a plush chair in front of them. A small scroll with a quill is on a table next to him, the quill floating as if ready to take notes.

Dante takes a seat, nervously toying with their necklace. They take a deep breath, looking at everything around the room but the doctor. Their gaze eventually settles on their own hands.

"How...How do you deal with bad memories? How do you stop them from hurting you? I know in my mind that the person who is responsible for those bad memories can't hurt me anymore, not physically, I made sure of that." They start.

They wring their hands for a moment.

"But... I tried something with a person I know who cares about me, and the memories came back, and...Did you know Spite can eat nightmares?" They blurt out, as if they were avoiding the subject.

"When dealing with bad memories, I'm afraid first you must talk about them, sometimes just telling it like a story can help them become less painful." Dr Frances smiles kindly. "As for Spite eating nightmares, no, I did not know that, but I am somehow not surprised." He chuckles.

Dante smiles weakly.

"You want the long version of the story or the short one?" Then they snort. "He ate one of mine in the fade." They grin.

"The full story, if you please. You may take a break whenever you need, if it becomes difficult." He smiles.

"Spite is indeed fascinating. Perhaps after our session, you can tell me more about that." He chuckles, sensing they might be trying to delay having to tell their story.

Dante was absolutely stalling. As much as they wanted to talk, to get it out, there was a part of them that was afraid of poking at the memories. They removed their necklace to use as a worry stone.

"The story starts in Orlais. I was born there. My parents were travelling merchants with a caravan that usually made its way from Italia to Nevarra. My whole childhood was spent travelling between those two places, and it was fun. My sister and I were happy. I learned my magic on the road." Dante smiles softly, and then that smile fades.

"The caravan was attacked. My parents were killed, my sister and I tried to run away, but we were captured. I was sold to a slaver. I didnt know what happened to my sister until a couple of days ago." They continue.

"Oh my." The Dr exclaimed. "That must have been horrible. Who attacked you? Did you ever find out?" He asks gently, his quill moving, jotting down notes.

"Sometimes talking about the initial cause or perpetrators, how you felt, what you think or know motivated the attack can be a step to getting closure." He explains.

"In the confusion, I didn't notice who they were. I guess they were after money or after any goods, anything they could use for themselves or resell, including any of us they didn't slaughter," Dante sighs.

"I see." He rubs his beard in thought. "How many were lost in this attack? Were you able to give them a proper burial? Were you able to mourn them?" He asks, leaning back in his seat.

Dante shook their head in a no, curling in on themself.

"I suppose...I've mourned my parents in a way, but I'd need to go back and..." They sniffled, brushing stray tears.

"I want to find my sister first, now that I know she could be alive. Either I'll find her whole and we can give our parents a proper marker back in Orlais, or she's dead and I get to do that for all of them at once." They sniff.

"Going back to the scene could help, though you would need the First Talons' Permission for a leave of absence for that." He nods his head. "I don't believe Lucanis would have a problem with granting you that, though." He smiles.

Lucanis was an honourable man, his rule over the crows was fair. There had been far less infighting since he had won over the lesser houses after the coup attempt by the false Talon last year.

"Tell me more about your sister." He asks, the quill jotting down a few more notes as he spoke.

Dante offered a small smile. "She was...is, two years older than me. She wasn't a mage, but she wanted to learn how to heal people. We were like two peas in a pod. She would read everything she could get her hands on and then explain what she read to me when we were younger, when I didn't know how to read yet. She would find cats and sneak them into our caravan wagon I...I still feed strays I find because of that." They explain.

"She sounds wonderful, a little like myself, if you don't mind me saying." Dr Frances chuckles as a cat jumps onto his desk as if summoned by their conversation.

"Biscuit, get down, you menace." He scolded the black and white cat, had markings making it look like it had a little white moustache. It seemed unbothered by his human's annoyance and blinked at him, making him sigh in resignation.

"Forgive my cat, he truly does whatever he wants." He chuckles.

"As I was saying, even though I have magic, I studied to heal people without it, after all, the possibility of running out of mana could prove fatal for my patients, if I didn't know any alternatives." He smiles.

"Your sister sounds like they studied very hard, they sound like a survivor." He says softly.

"What happened after the attack? You said you got separated in the chaos when you were captured?" He asks, trying to get his cat to get off his desk.

Dante held a palm out toward the cat. "Hello there, beautiful!" They smile.

"I hope she managed to survive. I don't know for sure yet, but yeah, we got separated. It's been years...since I last saw her." They sigh.

"I assure you, nothing you say leaves this room. Patient confidentiality is very important to me. I want you to be able to speak to me with confidence." He crosses his legs.

"I can only assume something else happened after this incident, something personal?" He asks, leaning forward.

Biscuit hops off the desk and onto the arm of the chair Dante was sitting in and tries to headbutt them. They chuckle at the cat's antics, petting it under its chin before becoming serious again.

"I mean, being sold into slavery was definitely personal." Dante took a deep breath, gathering their strength.

"I can only imagine the horrors you must have gone through." Dr Frances sighs, he has always found slavery abhorrent.

"I know it is unpleasant, but could you tell me about that time?" He asks standing up.

"Shall I make some tea?" He asks, hoping a herbal tea might help them, he had a few blends Emmrich had brought him for just such occasions.

"Please." Dante wanted to stall again. Biscuit curled up in her lap, and Dante petted the cat gently.

"Professor Emmrich assures me this blend is quite relaxing." He comments as he makes tea.

A few minutes later, he places a cup and saucer on the coffee table to their left, then takes a seat with his own.

"Please tell me what happened. Every detail, please, take as much time as you need." He smiles.

Dante notices the quill is no longer taking notes, they had his undivided attention. The expression on his face was professional, but they could see a flicker of concern. While he was their doctor, they were not just a patient to him.

It was something that set him apart from other doctors, something that he had been ridiculed for in the past while he had been studying physiology.

He had never been good at emotionally distancing himself from his patients, he believed that to truly help someone with trauma, you had to be open emotionally.

Dante sips at their tea, trying to stall again, and stays silent for a while.

"I don't exactly know where I ended up. I know we crossed the Silent Plains, and we were somewhere in the Imperium, but exactly where? I couldn't tell you. There were five of us, including me. Two he used straight up as blood sacrifices. Because, of course, it had to be a blood mage who bought us. The three of us left were beaten up as a show of strength and branded like cattle." Dante hissed out the last part.

They took another sip of their tea and curled up even more, dislodging the cat from their lap.

"The moment he learned I had magic, I became his favourite toy," They spat angrily.

"I see, I am afraid that is usually the way of it." He sighs. Mages always seemed to get the short end of the stick.

"I do not ask this to be unkind, but it is necessary, did he..." He trails off, trying to think of a way of asking that wasn't insensitive.

"Did he make you do anything against your will, anything...Inappropriate" He looks down, feeling foolish. Anything a slaver made a slave do was inappropriate, but he hoped they understood what he meant.

Dante's breath hitches, and they nods slowly. Their magic flared in little, tiny sparks danced around them as they remembered.

"I tried to fight back when he wanted...That. I kicked and punched, and then I hit him with lightning." Their voice was flat, now like it was easier to speak of if they just didn't feel anything.

"It was the worst thing I could have done. He got so angry, I... From knee to navel he... Well, he made sure I couldn't sit or lie down for a while. I've still got the scars across my lower back and front. Then he took what he wanted from me anyway, laughing at me, like I was nothing." They sniffed.

Dante growled angrily. "He relished in the blood he spilt. I...He was..." They burst out crying, years of pain and tension spilling out of them like a torrent.

Dr Frances stood and quickly knelt in front of them.

"None of that was your fault, you must understand that." He says softly, His green eyes were furious at what they had been through.

"You are here now and you are safe." He says before retaking his seat. "How did you escape? Is your ex master still alive?" He asks with a tilt of his head.

Dante startled out of her spiralling at his kind words and nodded.

"I know I'm safe. But my heart still hurts." They sigh, finishing the last of their tea.

"He was an idiot. He...He kept me close on the nights he wanted to have his fun. I waited until he fell asleep. And choked him in his sleep and sent as much lightning as I could into his body, he was spasming so hard he nearly threw me off of him. I watched the life fade from his eyes as he realised who was killing him. He trashed around, but I held on out of sheer spite. I wish....I wish his death hadn't been so quick. Then I just ran into the night without looking back." They say, looking down at their hands.

"Rightly so." The Dr nods. "He didn't deserve mercy for what he did. You did the right thing." He smiles, leaning back in his chair. "It can be hard remembering something things like this, but the telling is the first step to healing." He explains.

A knock at the door interrupts him, and he frowns, wondering who it could be.

"Excuse me, one moment." He says getting up to see who it was.

"Hey, Frances." Altara smiles, then she notices Dante. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude, I was uh hoping for a check up on my arm, My Husband won't let me back out in the field until you clear me." She sighs.

She loved Lucanis deeply, but he was sometimes a little too overprotective of her, Spite to if she was honest.

"Oh, right, of course, I shall stop by your rooms later and give you one last check-up. I am sure you will be fine to return to work." He smiles.

"Thank you, Doctor." She nods her head at Dante, then leaves.

He closes the door behind her and returns to his seat.

"My apologies. for the interruption." He smiles, finishing his tea.

Dante must have looked a mess. And Toya was probably still outside waiting too.

"It's okay..." They sniffled.

They were petting Biscuit again after he came back to headbutt them as if wanting to comfort them. They smiled a little at the cat.

"Perhaps we should call our session here for now, give you time to process what we have talked about so far. Come see me tomorrow after training." He smiles kindly, and his Quill writes a few more notes before landing on the table.

Dante nods.

"Uh...Can I have more of that tea?" They ask polity.

"Of course." He smiles, getting up to make some more. He hummed softly, putting some tea leaves in his teapot and heating the water with a gesture of his hand.

"You think wisps of curiosity are cats after their ninth life?" Dante asks suddenly.

"Quite possibly." He chuckles as he finishes making tea and hands her a cup and saucer before sitting in his chair and sipping his.

Biscuit jumps up into his lap and purrs, nudging him with their snout until he petted them with a smile.

"That cat loves you." Dante smiles. "Do you think Biscuit would be fine if there was another cat around?" They ask curiously.

"I do not know, cats can be very territorial. It could be amusing to have another cat around, though. Spite is fascinated by them." He chuckles, remembering Spite's reaction to his cat, he had spent the first hour of his first session just playing with Biscuit.

"Might be worth asking Lucanis about...Oh! Did you know there's actually a cat spirit around? I've actually seen it a couple of times hanging with the strays in town!" Dante says excitedly.

"A spirit cat, that's fascinating." Dr Frances grinned, stroking Biscuit. "I am sure if you ask, Lucanis, he would allow you a cat. He pretends not to, but I know he secretly loves Biscuit if only because he makes Spite happy." He chuckles.

"That's so funny. Do you have any idea why he's fascinated by cats?" Dante asks, smiling, whilst sipping their tea. Their eyes are still red from crying, but cats always make things better.

"I imagine he likes that they get into mischief, especially Biscuit, he also says he likes that they have knives in the paws." He grins. "His words, not mine." He laughs.

Dante chuckles. "Oh yeah, they really do. The smaller the cat, the sharper and more needle-like the knives." They say, thoroughly amused.

"I would have said there were more like needles than knives myself, regardless, Cats seems to relax Spite when he has his counselling sessions, so I can't complain, Spite tends to get easily distracted without something to occupy his hands." He smiles.

"Right, I really must go check on Altara and give her a check-up on her arm, then I have to get ready for my date tonight." He grins with a blush. Getting up after finishing his tea.

"We can have another session tomorrow after your training if you like." He opens the door, and Biscuit immediately leaps out of the door.

"BISCUIT!!" He calls after the cat, but Biscuit ignores him, rushing down the hallway and skidding around the corner. Frances sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I'll go make sure your cat stays safe." Dante chuckles. "Thank you for the tea and the talk." They say, then stand up to leave, stepping out into the hall.

"Oh, hey, you're finished with the Dr?" Toya looks down the hall. "I um saw a cat run down the hall that way." She points.

"That would be Biscuit, my cat." Dr Frances smiles, leaning against the door frame. "Perhaps you two can find him." He sighs, closing his office door behind him. "I have to check on Altara. I'll leave my office unlocked, just drop him inside and close the door if you find him. I will check on him before I leave for my date." He bows, then walks down the corridor.

Dante nods. It's easy for Toya to notice they've been crying, they grin. "We should hurry. You said the cat went that way?" They ask, turning in the direction Toya pointed.

Toya notices Dante's eyes are a little red, but doesn't comment, sensing they probably didnt want to talk about it.

"Come on, let's go find him." Toya grins, running down the hall in the direction Biscuit went.

Dante happily follows. Letting out a chuckle, with the size of the Villa, finding one cat was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Still, it was much better to run around after a cat than have their thoughts running in circles.

Toya rushes down the hall and skids to a stop at the end of the hall.

"Come on! he must have gone this way." She grins.

They hear a loud crash and shouting coming from the kitchens.

She laughs.

"I guess someone wanted a snack!" Dante laughs, following after her.

"We should check the kitchen." She chuckles.

Chapter Text

As they enter the kitchen, it's complete chaos, flour is everywhere, every single surface was dusted in white, including Lucanis, who did not look amused at the current situation.

They notice paw prints on the kitchen counter, leading to the floor and out of the door at the back.

"Por la sangre del hacedor!" He sighs, dusting himself off.

"Guess we know Biscuit has been this way." Toya giggles, earning her a glare from the First Talon.

"I take it Biscuit escaped again." He says, shaking more flour out of his hair. "Now I look even more grey." He sulks. "What a mess." He sighs, and that was the last of the flour too.

Dante laughs.

"I guess it would be a bad time to ask if I could have a cat then?" They grin.

Lucanis looks at them like they had grown a second head for a moment before he sighs.

"That depends on whether it behaves better than biscuit." He says, his hands on his hips. He still had flour on his cheek and looked frustrated, so it was hard to take him seriously.

"How am I supposed to make fresh pasta without any flour?" He sighed, he had wanted to make carbonara for dinner tonight.

"We should follow the footprints and see where Biscuit went," Toya says, watching the conversation.

"Please, before he breaks something expensive." Lucanis groans, rubbing his beard, trying to think what to cook for dinner, he didn't have time to go to the market for more flour.

Dante laughs again, looking around to see where the floury paw tracks went.

"That way." They say spotting more paw prints leading through the back door towards the herb garden.

"Good luck finding him, he's a menace." Lucanis chuckles, trying to clean up the mess.

"Wait...Is there mint in the garden by any chance?" They ask.

"There should be as long as biscuits hasn't dug it up." He says, finally noticing the flour on his cheek and wiping it off.

"We should go look there first." Dante says, leading the way out of the kitchen with a chuckle

"Why mint?" Toya asks following them.

The herb garden looked mostly intact, but there were a few plants damaged as if something had trampled through them. Some gardening tools that had been left out and were now scattered on the floor. Something had knocked them from the work table they had been left on.

"Because mint is the same as catnip for cats. They love it." Dante grins as they look at the mess of tools. "Well, some cats seem to be hell bent on chaos." They laugh.

"Biscuit!" Dante speaks softly with the most Orlesian accent Toya has ever heard from her. "Biscuit, kitty, where are you?" They speak softly, trying to coax it out.

Toya grins, picking up the tools and putting them back on the work table. Then they hear a Hiss followed by a loud crash by the shed.

As they get closer, they hear a caw of a crow as it flies from around the shed, towards the Villa, leaving behind a few White feathers like something had tried to catch it and caught a mouthful of feathers instead.

"What the hell? never seen a white crow before." Toya says, watching it fly into the kitchen.

They faintly hear Lucanis curse once more. Followed by a feminine laugh that was probably Altara coming to see what all the noise was about.

"You think the crow's okay?" Toya asks, when they hear more laughter from the kitchen.

"It's probably fine." Dante laughs, looking behind the shed, no sign of the cat.

A rake had been knocked over, there were a few more white feathers scattered on the ground, but no blood, which was a good sign that the bird was ok at least.

The flour paw prints had ended, but there was a path leading to the orchard with some cat hair snagged on some bushes along the path.

"Oh look!" Dante points out the bits of cat hair.

"Where are you leading us, silly cat?" They giggle, following the path.

The evening sun was creeping closer and closer to sunset, but it was still warm outside. The orchard is quiet. With only the subtle sounds of crickets in the long grass, for a moment, that's all they hear before they hear a familiar laugh.

Spite was lying on his back under an apple tree, holding Biscuit above him and laughing as the cat swatted at his nose.

"Mischief maker." He grins, lowering the cat back down as he sits up.

The feline immediately curled up in his lap and purred as he stroked it with a look of pure joy and fascination.

Dante chuckles as they watch. They clear their throat, making themself known.

"Hello again! We're looking for a mischief maker. have you seen one lately?" They giggle.

"Birdie and Kitty." Spite grins his eyes never leaving the cat as he stroked it.

"Biscuit is friend." He grins, tilting his head at the cat as he tickles it under the chin. A look of affection on his face.

"Not meant to leave Dr Frances's office." He grins, "Naughty biscuit." He says, continuing to fuss over it.

Biscuit seemed very happy to be in Spite's lap and was enjoying the fuss, seemingly unbothered by the trail of destruction he had left in his wake.

"I always have time for my birdie and kitty." Spite smiles warmly. There was an almost fatherly warmth to his smile as he looked between them.

Biscuit let out a disgruntled meow when Spite stopped stroking them and began pawing at one of Spite's braids, batting at the silver bead on the end of it, making Spite laugh.

"I should bring you to see the strays I used to feed. You could help me pick one." Dante says as they sit down.

He looks up at them, his eyes wide.

"Pick a cat?" He tilts his head curiously. "Lucanis doesn't like Biscuit." He sighs. "I wanted a kitty, he said no." He pouts.

"What did he say exactly?" Toya asks, stroking the cat.

"Said I was enough mischief." He grins.

"I mean, that's not really a no." She grins back.

Dante giggles.

"He did make a face when I asked, but he was also covered in flour at the time because that one made a run for it across the kitchen counter." They grin, petting Biscuit between the ears. "As long as it's a quieter cat than this one, it should be fine." They smile.

"Another kitty, friend for biscuit?" He smiles down at the cat fondly and boops its nose with a finger, the cat swats at the finger and meows.

"Dr Frances will be upset if Biscuit is out." He says, standing up, Biscuit immediately claws up his chest and settles on his shoulder, clinging to him as his hand holds the cat's back legs to hold him securely. It seems Biscuit really liked Spite, perhaps all the chaos had just been Biscuit looking for his friend.

"I swear, cats are truly curiosity spirits given shape...You know, there's a spirit cat hanging around? I've seen it a couple of times, not far from the Golden nug statue, and it came to hang with the stays once." Dante says.

"I know curiosity, made of bones." Spite grins walking towards the villa. Biscuit clung to his back with its paws, staring at Dante over his shoulder. There yellow eyes watching closely like it was curious about them.

"Well, technically so do cats. all creatures do." Dante laughs, trying to slow blink at the cat. The cat slowly blinks back, its tail flicking at the end happily.

Spite enters the kitchen, and Lucanis regards him with his hands on his hips.

"Oh, I see how it is." He says, crossing his arms.

Altara was sitting on a stool, helping Lucanis with dinner prep. The White crow from earlier was perched on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. As soon as it spotted Biscuit, it cawed and flew up into the rafters.

"Poor Snow is traumatised." Altara chuckles, looking up into the rafters.

"Birds and cats don't typically get along." Lucanis chuckles, glancing between Dante and Toya.

"Though there are exceptions." He grins.

"Biscuit wanted to play." Spite sulks.

"He usually does." Lucanis chuckles, his expression softening as he reaches out a hand to scratch Biscuit under the chin. He picks up a piece of meat he had been cutting and feeds a piece to the cat.

"You know, for all your complaining, you still spoil that cat." Altara teases him.

"I do not." He sulks.

Dante chuckles, seeing both Lucanis and Spite's sulky expressions.

"Come on, we need to return this little mischief maker to the doctor's office instead of spoiling it rotten." They grin.

"But..." Spite rails off and nods reluctantly. "Fine." He sighs before walking to the door. Biscuit seemed content to be held by Spite and lets him carry him towards the Dr's office.

Lucanis's expression softens at the look of disappointment on Spite's face as he leaves and turns to Dante.

"Perhaps a friend for Biscuits will calm him down." He sighs.

"Is that permission to get a cat?" Dante grins excitedly.

"It's permission to trial one." He warns. "If they cause any trouble..." He trails off and looks to the ceiling. "Yes, it's permission to get another cat." He returns to dinner prep, trying to hide his smile.

Altara giggles.

"You love biscuit, you want another cat, admit it." She teases him again.

"They make Spite happy." He comments.

"They make me happy, too. I'll make sure to pick one of the quieter ones. I've known the strays around my old place for a while now. I know which one is less rambunctious." Dante smiles.

"Alright, I trust you." He smiles.

"They really had to convince you huh." Altara laughs, and he shoots her a playful glare, making her laugh even harder.

"We should make sure Spite returns the cat." Toya grins, following him out of the door.

"Yes, right!". Dante chuckles and follows.

As they enter the hallway, they spot Spites retreating form, Biscuit still clinging to his shoulder, their yellow eyes watching.

"Spite sure loves that cat, huh." Toya comments as Dante follows her.

"Seems like the cat likes him a lot, too." Dante chuckles in reply. "It's cute. " They smile.

"Yeah, it's kind of sweet." Toya sighs, following him down the hall to the doctor's office.

Spite pushes the door open, and Biscuit begins to fuss on his shoulder.

"It's ok, will visit soon." He whispers fondly, setting them down on Dr Frances's desk. The cat sits down and looks up at him, and purrs when he tickles him under the chin. "Good Kitty." He grins before walking to the door.

The cat meows loudly, and Spite sighs, looking sad.

"Be Good." He says before closing the door and leaning against it.

"Hey, don't be sad, you can see Biscuit whenever you like, right?" Toya soothes, coming to stop in front of him.

"I know." He sighs, stepping away from the door. "Dinner ready soon." He says, turning to look at Dante as they approach. "Another kitty?" He asks, tilting his head, referring to them asking Lucanis if they could get one. They nod.

"And once I show you where they hang out, you could also go visit the strays whenever you want. We can go after dinner, if you want." They offer with a smile.

"Promise?" Spite asks, his purple eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion.

"Promise." Dante says with a grin.

"Deal." He grins, seeming to be in higher spirits.

"I wonder what's for dinner. It was supposed to be pasta, but Biscuit destroyed all the flour." Dante giggles.

"Naughty biscuit." Spite snickers. "Luca will cook something nice, always does." He beams.

"You really have nicknames for everyone, don't you?" Dante chuckles. their smiles falter, a bit melancholiacs they take a deep breath.

"It's nice. It's sweet to have this familiarity again." They sigh.

"Everyone has name, yes." Spite nods with a grin.

"But I'm just birdie, you call every fledgling that." Toya pouts.

"Fledglings are little birds, you are birdie." He frowns, not understanding why she couldn't understand the difference.

"We usually describe little birds as birdies as well. Not the same, but feels the same." Dante explains.

"But different." He pouts, "Words confusing, too many rules." He grumps. "Birdie is not little bird, they are birdie." He crosses his arms stubbornly.

"Ok, ok, Birdie is fine." Toya sighs in resignation.

"You want a language with too many rules? Try Orlesian. The amount of rules is ridiculous, and then you get exceptions to those rules and then exceptions to those exceptions. It's ridiculous. Trade is definitely more straightforward." Dante grins.

"Spirit speech better." Spite grins, why use words when you could just know what the other wanted, emotions were easy words, where difficult.

"Spirit speech?" Dante asks, curiously. "Is it like that telepathy thing on our mission together?" They enquire.

"Not spirit, won't work, but close." He nods, "No words, just feelings." He explains. "Just know." He furrows his brow, not sure if he is explaining it properly.

"Okay, I think that makes sense." They nod. "I think we should get ready for dinner. Then more cats.". They chuckle. "I at least need to wash my face...Still feels like Ive been crying." They pout.

Spite grins and starts walking towards the dining hall.

Whilst they head back to their rooms.

"We'll catch up in a few minutes!" They call after him. He nods and carries on down the hall.

"We should clean up before dinner." Dante smiles, taking Toya's hand as they both walk back to their rooms.

Dante stops them for a moment and goes for a hug, sighing softly.

"What's this for?" Toya smiles, hugging her back.

"I'm glad you're here, that's all. The talk with the doc might have been a lot right after training. It's Just...I'm glad you're here." They sigh happily.

"Did the talk help?" Toya asks, kissing them on the cheek. Dante nods.

"I realised a few things and it just helps to fully have it out in the open..." They explain.

"Good, I'm glad." Toya smiles as they reach their rooms.

"What did you realise?" Toya asks shyly as they enter the room.

"That I never really got to mourn. That part of letting go of the past is being able to mourn and fully let it go. I've been too busy surviving to let myself do that until now." They sigh.

"Yeah, that makes sense." Toya nods. "Do you feel a bit better now?" She asks, touching their arm hesitantly. Dante kisses her cheek and nods.

"Good." Toya smiles. "Come on, let's clean up and head down for dinner." She says, tugging them to the baths. Dante let themself be dragged to the bath with a chuckle.

"Then more cats!" Dante laughs.

"Yeah." Toya giggles.

They open the door to the baths, and Toya strips quickly before stepping into the bath with a sigh. The temperature was always perfect. She grabbed some soap and began to lather up. She glances over to Dante and smiles shyly.

Dante feels a bit self-conscious this time around as they undress and step into the water. They smile back.

"Need help?" Dante offers, and Toya nods with a blush.

They take the soap and start by scrubbing in small circles and taking their time with it. Toya could feel a kiss on her shoulder, and suddenly Dante sputtered with a laugh.

"You ok?" Toya giggles.

"I forgot to rinse the soap off first, bleh.. " Dante says between giggles.

"I guess, though the soap smells nice, it doesn't taste nice" Toya laughs.

"Nope, not at all! Can confirm!" Dante grin, laughing at their own misfortune.

"You're so funny sometimes." Toya grins, nudging them with her shoulder playfully.

This time, Dante carefully rinses off her shoulder before kissing it.

"I'm glad you think so." They grin. "Just sometimes? I thought I was hilarious all the time!" They laugh.

"Sometimes you're just you," Toya says softly, before letting out a sigh. "I wonder what's for dinner." She thinks out loud.

"Just me? What does that mean?" Dante chuckles. "As for dinner, I don't know, but I'm starting to get hungry..." They say, their stomach grumbling with perfect timing.

"I don't know how to explain it, you're just you." Toya giggles, turning to kiss Dante on the lips quickly before getting out of the bath.

They both dry off and get changed before leaving the baths. Dante wraps an arm around Toya's as they walk towards the dining hall.

As they enter the Dining hall, they notice a new face, a Qunari wearing a lot of gold and what looks like Dragon scales, one of there horns is broken and has been repaired with Jade, they are sitting on a chair next to Altara.

"Still cant believe a Demon was hiding in Revian so long without us knowing." They look a little angry or perhaps more accurately frustrated.

"I'm sorry to bring you into this Taash, I know your busy but I didn't know who else to call, your my only contact in Revian." Lucanis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, this felt like his mess to deal with, but once again he had to ask others for help.

"Hey its not all bad, its nice to hangout with you again, We missed you." Altara grins, nudging them with her shoulder playfully.

"Missed Goldy." Spite grinned.

"Back at you big guy." They laugh.

"I thought you would jump at a chance to kick some Venatori ass." Illario jokes.

They let out a bark of laughter.

"Maybe." They sigh. "It feels like ages since I had a decent fight." They glance up noticing the two new crows.

"Oh new crows, Sup?" They tilt there head, there gaze following them both as they walk in.

Dante looked around, a bit stunned at the newcomer and not sure how to react.

"Uh, hello. Not much, you?" They say shyly

"Oh there polite." They grin before their gaze turned to Toya.

Toya grabbed Dante's arm.

"That's Taash, there a hero like Lucanis and Altara." She says staring at there Qunari in awe.

"Hey don't forget Spite." Taash laughs.

Spite preens but says nothing watching the conversation with interest.

"I know! I think it just hasn't sunk in yet that they..." Dante chuckles a little. "Uh..." They point at Toya. "This is Toya and my name is Dante. It's nice to meet you." They smile.

"Names Taash, Dragon expert and Lord of Fortune." They wave.

"Taash helped us track down our next target." Lucanis explains sipping his cup of coffee.

"Our Demon its going to be tricky." Altara says staring into her cup. "Taash will be our backup." She says looking at them both.

"Dragons are always tricky." The Qunari grins.

Dante looks confused for a moment.

"The demon we're after is a dragon?" They gasp their eyes wide.

"Yeah, it possessed Dragon." Taash laughs, like it was a perfectly normal thing to happen.

"Wouldn't be the first time, remember that undead Dragon in the necropolis." Lucanis laughs.

"That was a great fight." The qunari grinned.

"Are we still trying to soothe the demon and turn it back into its spirit form? Because I don't know about you but I'm not sure it even would be doable with a dragon." Dante says taking her seat.

"Can try but might not work." Spite says looking down at his hands with a frown.

"That's all you can do Mi amore." Lucanis pats his shoulder trying to reassure him.

"Didn't ask to be here, torn from fade like me." Spite says sadly.

"I know Spite, I know." He rubs his shoulder and looks to Taash.

"We can try to capture it first, sedate it maybe." Taash offers.

Spite looks up, hopeful. "Ok." He nods.

Dante frowns, empathetic.

"Spite, are you coming with us?" They pause for a short moment. "I'll do my best to make sure we get the spirit back." They smile.

"Yes." He nods.

"Its all hands on deck when it comes to Dragons." Altara chuckles.

"So we eating or what." Taash asks, glancing at Lucanis. "You promised me fried peppers." They say with a grin.

"Of course don't worry, I cooked plenty of peppers for you." He chuckles, before calling the servants to serve dinner.

A massive plate of fried stuffed peppers was brought in first, followed by large salad bowl and a selection of roasted meats.

Spites eyes light up at all the food.

"Is that enough peppers." Lucanis grins.

"Your the best Lucanis." Taash laughs filling their plate.

Dante piled Toya's plate and then their own. They took a bite of the stuffed pepper first curiously.

"My favourite time of the day." Dante grinned tucking in and letting out a delighted sound. "There so sweet and spicy." They smile.

"I'm glad you like them." Lucanis smiled.

"You sure you cant come with us." Taash asks Lucanis after swallowing their mouthful of peppers.

"Not this time." He says sounding a little disappointed.

"Oh this is so good. I feel like I say that every diner but I swear!" Dante grins. "I still can't believe we're gonna go fight a whole dragon." They laugh.

"Fighting there first dragon, They grow up so fast." Lucanis jokes making Taash snort with laughter.

"By the time we are through, you can add Dragon slayer to your resume." They smile.

Spite looks worried for a moment.

"I mean if it comes to that." They say looking sheepish.

"Only if." Spite says crossing his arms.

"I promise we will try to save them but Contempt/Hate is going to be hard to reason with, I mean there a dragon for starters." Dante smiles at him hoping to reassure him.

"We try anyway." Spite nods and they nod back.

"We will try." They say then turns to Taash. "Anything we should know about the dragon itself?" They ask, it was always good to gather as much information as possible before a mission.

"Its an ice dragon, there pretty aggressive and territorial, they have taken a cave near the coast as there liar, we need to lure it out, fighting it in the cave will be a death sentence." They explain between mouthfuls.

"So, if someone were to enter in their territory and act like they're the boss of the place, would it be enough to lure them out or do we need something more substantial?" Dante enquires curiously.

"That could work, though not sure how you would convince a dragon your in charge, no offence." They grin.

"Taash can breath fire." Spite says excitedly, as if he had been holding it in and the words just came spilling out. Lucanis raised an eyebrow at Spite and he blushed.

"Damn right." The Qunari laughs.

"No offence taken, I know at best I'm probably just a snack for it." Dante laughs. "Breathe fire? that's kind of cool! Is it magic? Maybe between your fire breath and my fire spells we can definitely get its attention." They laugh again.

"I'll get its attention you just worry about convincing it to calm down, or whatever it is you need to do with Spite." Taash says finishing there food.

I had the servants make up a guestroom next to Toya and Dante's room for you Taash, they can show you the way." He smiles.

"They can show you the way to bathhouse to." He teases with a smirk.

"You saying I smell." Taash laughs.

"Smells like salt, sun and leather." Spite grins.

The Qunari locks eyes with Spite, there is a moment of tense silence and then they both burst out laughing. Altara wipes at her eyes holding her sides.

Clearly there was history there that neither Dante or Toya knew about but it still amused them a little just watching there banter. Lucanis smiles warmly it was just like the lighthouse, the Villa felt alive, lived in.

He looks down at his food suddenly feeling a pang of sadness, He missed Caterina, the last few months before her passing had been like it was before he lost his parents to betrayal, the Villa had been full of laughter and a hope for the future.

Spite notices the turn in Lucanis's mood and sighs, He glances at Lucanis and tilts his head.

"I miss her to." He comments softly.

Lucanis takes a deep breath and stands.

"I need to clear my head, please, excuse me." He says before leaving through the open patio doors.

Spite looks over to Altara and they exchange knowing look, Lucanis sometimes chose to run rather than face painful memories, it was something Dr Frances had been working with him about but sometimes he still fell into old habits. They nod, before following after him.

"Shit was it something I said." Taash ask looking at the patio doors.

"Do not worry, Its not anything you said." Illario says "I think all this excitement has just reminded him of what it was like in the villa before, well you know." He sighs.

"Oh." They trail off. "Altara and Spite will take care of him." They smile.

"Things like that hit you when you least expect it, don't they?" Dante sighs.

"That they do." Illario says softly. Amika smiles touching his arm comfortingly.

"Yeah shits hard sometimes." Taash nods. "Well If We're hunting a demon dragon tomorrow we should get some sleep." They say standing up.

"You going to show me to my room yeah?" They ask turning to Dante.

"I promised something to Spite...We were supposed to go see the stray cats I took care of. But I guess we can still show you to your room first, right?" Dante smiles.

"Spite wont forget a promise, he will hold you to it like a contract." Taash laughs following them out of the dining hall with Dante leading the way heading back towards there rooms.

"Good, because I don't forget either." Dante chuckles. "Beside, I get to bring back one of the strays, so I wouldn't want to miss out on that." They joke.

"I knew he loved Biscuit and wanted another one." Taash laughs, remembering the last letter Altara had written them.

"Our rooms are here." Toya says gesturing to the two doors, then she runs to the door next to hers to check.

"Your rooms this one." She grins.

"Thanks, so where's the baths?" Taash asks looking around.

"This way." Toya says gesturing for them to follow her.

"Biscuit is a great cat. So are the ones around my old place. I wish I could adopt them all but, it took some convincing and I'm pretty sure Lucanis only said yes because he knows they make Spite happy and I said they make me happy too." Dante chuckles.

"Oh he's lying, he loves that cat, he's just to stubborn to admit it." Taash laughs.

"Yeah he was giving biscuit treats despite there bad behaviour." Toya agrees.

"Think we can sneak in a third one?" Dante laughs.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Taash grins.

"Here's the baths, think you can find you way back to your room from here?" Toya asks turning to the Qunari.

Sure no problem, go get your cat." They laugh.

"Well you have a good evening then." Dante waves.

"Sure see you around." The Qunari waves them off with a grin.

"Should we look for Spite, you think Lucanis is ok?" Toya asks softly as they walk back down the hall.

"I think we should go look back in the dining room first. If anything Spite will find us if we don't find him." Dante says tapping her nose.

"Yeah that's true." Toya giggles following them.

The dinning room had been cleared, the table cleaned there chairs all pushed in, the patio doors closed but nobody seemed to be around. They check the kitchen next to see if there's anyone still there.

As they enter the kitchens they spot Lucanis sat at the table with Altara drinking hot chocolate, Spite was hovering nearby by the fire watching the flames.

"Ah. Hey. I hope we are not interrupting, I just wanted to ask Spite if he still wanted to see the cats tonight." Dante said, looking toward Spite by the fire.

Lucanis looks up, his eyes looked tired.

"No. your not interrupting anything." He reassures them, before glancing at Spite.

"I'll be ok, Go see your new cat." He chuckles.

"Sure?" Spite asks timidly, he could still sense an air of melancholy around him.

"Altara is with me, I'll be ok." He nods to Dante and Toya and Spite sighs.

"Ok, call if you need." He says softly before turning to Dante. "Kitty show me cats?" He asks tilting his head and grinning.

"I did promise, didn't I?" Dante says with a smile.

"Yes a promise." He nods following them.

"I hope you feel better soon First Talon." Toya bows and he nods.

"I will don't worry." He smiles watching them both leave with Spite.

Dante waits until they're out of earshot.

"Is he really okay? Are you?" Dante asks Spite softly as they walk.

"Misses his Nona." He says following her closely. "I miss her to, scary but was nice before they died." He says solemnly.

"I miss my mum and dad too. They were really nice too. It's hard to miss family like this...At least he's not alone with his grief. He's got you and Altara." They smile.

They lead them out of the Villa and into the streets of Treviso, heading toward a simple looking building.

Toya follows with a smile, taking Dante's hand.

Spite smiles noticing and follows quietly behind, on the look out for cats.

"Just one moment. I want to say hi to Eleanor. The cats are usually nearby if they're not in her house." Dante knocks at the door. A little old lady opens, looking more like a turtle than a person with how her back is curved.

"Dante! How are you my darling? Who are your friends? Are you here for long? Can I get you some tea?" She offers and Dante chuckles.

"This is Toya and this is..." She chuckles as she sees one of the strays already curling up around Spite's ankles.

"I swear Spite you must be made of catnip..." They laugh. "I'm not here for long, I just came to see if you were doing ok and also to see if the cats are around. Is Beth helping you with the chores?" They ask.

"Yes, she is. She's a good soul. She's been very helpful. If you want to see the cats, Sir Tom has been missing for a couple of days, probably wandering. But Lady Bean, is around with her kittens! I've been feeding them daily." She nods.

"Thank you so much. I'll be back later, okay?" Dante smiles. with that they wave goodbye and wander off to the little alleyway beside the house.

Spite grins at the cat at his feet, bending down to pet them before following after Dante.

"You really do attract cats." Toya grins as a few more strays follow after him.

"I swear it must have something to do with the traces of the fade around him." Dante says thinking out loud.

A small fully grey cat comes up to her and starts rubbing around her ankles. "Hello Mademoiselle Lady Bean!" Three kittens follow her, each various shades of pale grey. The black cat that been hanging around Spite starts to purr loudly. "My my, Monsieur Barbara. That's quite a welcome." Dante giggles.

There's was also a grey tabby cat.

"Spite look!". Dante points down the alley where there's a white but slightly blueish looking cat curled up and sleeping.

He follows the direction they were pointing and smiles as his purple gaze meets icy blue eyes. The cat blinks at him as it sits up as if recognising him.

He crouches down as the white cat trots over and nuzzles his hand affectionately. He tilts his head as it looks up at him, as if they are having a conversation. Pink tears gather at the corner of his eyes, his lower lip trembling as he pulls the cat into his arms.

"Passion." He sniffs and the cat seems to nod and nuzzles him again. "I missed you." He cries, sitting Cross legged on the ground with the cat in his lap.

"Passion? hmmm I suppose a city like this might attract passion, we are Antivan after all." Toya chuckles.

"Old friend, from before....Ossuary." He explains through tears, holding the cat close and laughing as the cat head butts him on the forehead.

Dante finds herself tearing up as well, grinning at the touching reunion.

"Passion, huh?" Dante sits beside him. "I'm glad you found your old friend again." They smile.

Monsieur Barbara comes up to them and curl up in Dante's lap, purring up a storm. They pet the black cat under the chin and it purrs even louder.

"Want to follow?" Spite asks passion softly, the cat looks up at him its eyes glowing brighter.

"Determination." It whispers. "You have more friends." it comments sounding happy.

"Big family, home." He nods.

"I wish to see." it whispers back.

"Yes. I show you." He nods before looking at Dante.

"You picked your cat?" She grins.

"Passion not cat, passion is passion, they don't count." He smiles, his eyes crinkling.

"Yeah, I thought as much." Dante says, grinning back at Spite.

"Well, it's more like the cat picked me to be honest. But uh...Toya? How do you feel about this one?" They pick Monsieur Barbara and settle the cat in Toya's lap. The cat just rag dolls there and keeps purring happily.

"They do seem pretty chill." Toya grins looking down at the cat and petting it softly.

"Good kitty." Spite nods in agreement before fussing passion more.

"Well. Monsieur, I guess you are coming home with us. I feel a bit bad about Lady Bean and the kittens though. But Eleanor will take care of them." Dante smiles softly.

"Eleanor seems really nice, I'm sure she takes care of them all." Toya nods petting Monsieur again. "Your coming home with us right." She grins and the cat meows like they agree.

Toya smiles and stands up lifting the cat into her arms before handing them back to Dante

"Eleanor is nice, she took me in when I first came here." Dante says as they settles the cat so its front paws are on their shoulder. "Somebody is going to live their best life now, aren't you? Gonna be spoiled rotten." They grins. The cat bumps its head against theirs and purrs.

Spite grins standing up, and Passion hops up onto his shoulder like a parrot.

"lets go home." He smiles softly, feeling happy to have found his old friend.

"Yes, Let's." Dante chuckles and starts leading the way back home. "Hmmm...So...Passion, right? How is it that you've been here for a while but you haven't spotted Spite until now?" They ask.

"Determination hides away." It says "They are good at that." It adds.

"Oh...Okay. How did you end up being a cat, of all things? Is it something you picked?" Dante asks with a chuckle. "I'm sorry, for asking so many questions I'm just fascinated by all of this." They smile.

"I like being a cat." it laughs musically in their head.

"Cats are fun." Spite nods.

"Cats are indeed lovely." Dante grins.

"I cant wait to see Lucanis's face when we bring back two cats." Toya Laughs.

"Passion isn't cat, they are passion." Spite says, the spirit in question purrs nuzzling the side of Spites head making him laugh.

"Well, Passion does look like a cat, so we'll have to forgive Lucanis if he thinks we got two cats for a moment." Dante chuckles. "I'm glad you two found each other again. Must feel great for the two of you, doesn't it?" They smile softly.

"Visited passion once, Lighthouse gave me a gift." He explains. "Happy they visit me now." He smiles.

"Passion, will you stick around for long?" Toya asks.

"Passion will stay for a while, I wish to see Determinations home." it purrs.

"Its a very nice place. In fact, oh here we are." Dante grins looking up at the villa in front of them.

"lots of passion here." it muses and Spite grins with amusement.

It was late at night now, the stars were shining brightly in the sky, the clouds sparse, the air warm but clean. There are a few lights still on in the villa, they find Lucanis sat on a bench with Altara, mugs in hand enjoying the evening.

"Spite, your back." He stands and frowns placing his coffee on the bench and walking over. "That looks suspiciously like two cats." He says his arms crossed.

"Passion isn't cat." Spite pouts stroking the white feline under the chin.

"Hello again." Passion purrs.

"Passion?" Lucanis asks in surprise. "How are you here, and why are you a cat?" He says looking utterly confused.

"Cats are fun." It says in amusement.

"Mierda" He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, before his gaze settles on Monsieur in Dante's arms. "so This must be the cat you have picked." He steps closer to have a look.

"It is." The cat looks at Lucanis with curiosity. "His name is Monsieur Barbara. I didn't name him, that cat was a fixture at Eleanor's place before she picked up the stray that I was." Dante grins.

"I see, they seem very polite." He chuckles stroking under there chin.

"A fine feline." Altara smiles, watching her husband with amusement.

Monsieur leans hard into the stroking. He purrs loudly again, quite content.

"I think he likes you. Then again, I'm pretty sure he likes everyone as long as he gets fed." Dante chuckles.

"There certainty better behaved then Biscuit." Lucanis chuckles.

"They are mellow, soft, they like to sleep." Passion purrs.

"That's somehow reassuring." He comments.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he follows one of us around just to get more head scritchis." Dante chuckles. "He usually found a way to sneak into my room to sleep on my bed when I lived in my apartment. I think it might have been Eleanor's doing actually." They smile softly.

"Well this cat is now your responsibility so I have no issue with them being in your room, do you need anything for them?" Lucanis asks still petting the cat a smile tugging at his lips.

Altara grins and nudges Spite with amusement.

"If he's gonna stay in my room I'm going to need a sandbox and some bowls for water and food. And obviously water and food. I can go pick up toys and other things for him after our next.... Oh...You think I could ask the Doctor to keep an eye on him while we're gone tomorrow?" Dante asks suddenly realising they had a mission tomorrow.

"I am sure Dr Frances would be delighted to look after them, if not one of the Servants could check in on them for you." Lucanis smiles, finally stepping away from the cat.

"I am happy to send someone to gather the supplies you need for your new friend." He says.

"Thank you so much." Dante grins, petting the cat under its chin.

"Let's go get you settled down and get some rest for tomorrow now, shall we?" Dante says to the cat before looking at Toya with a grin.

"Right, We should rest if we are facing a dragon tomorrow." Toya jokes.

"Good, sleep well we can discuss the plan in the morning." Lucanis says returning to collect his coffee cup and heading inside himself, Altara Spite and passion following after him.

"Have a good night!" Dante calls after him before they headed back to their rooms. grinning the whole time, happy.

"I'm glad to see you happy again." Toya comments following them into their room.

"It's been quite the emotional ride today, hasn't it?" Dante sighs. "I don't think I would change any of it though." They settle the cat on the bed and turn around to hug Toya. She hugs back and presses a kiss to Dante's cheek.

Dante sneaks more kisses in as they lead them both of toward the bed.

Toya follows their lead, kissing Dante on the lips this time, smiling around the kiss.

"Can I?" Dante asks their hands is on Toya's shirt intending to remove it if she allowed it.

"Yes." She whispers, her cheeks turning pink

Dante gently unbuttons it, kissing every part of her that they bare with a giggle.

Toya shivers her lips parting slightly in surprise her hands settle on Dante's hips hesitantly.

"I... I want to try again. Like yesterday. I don't know, I want to make you happy." Dante smiles.

"Dont...don't do it just to make me happy." Toya looks away. "I want you to be happy to you know." She returns their gaze. "I want you, but I don't want you to do something your not ready for just to make me happy ok." She places her hands on their shoulders and kisses them softly.

"You set the pace ok." She smiles.

"I'm not doing this just to make you happy. Making you happy, makes me happy." Dante says gently nudges her to sit on the bed.

"As long as your sure." She gasps sitting down and looking up at her, her cheeks even redder.

Dante nips lightly at the lobe of her ear before trailing more kisses along its edge. They kiss along her jawline, throat and shoulders. they keep going down along her collarbones and her chest, resting her head there for a moment listening to her heartbeat.

"Da...Dante." Toya sighs, gripping the front of their shirt unsure if she clung to her because she feared they would leave or if she wanted to pull them closer. She lets out a soft moan when their lips touch her ear again, a shiver running down her spine.

"Your Quite comfy." Dante chuckles. "Can I leave a mark?" Dante asks looking up at her from their half kneeling position. She's biting her bottom lip, trying not to grin too hard. their cheeks red her, adoration in their eyes.

"A...a mark.....what!?" Toya pulls back sharply her eyes full of fear, her blue eyes widening like she was remembering something unpleasant. She sucks in a shuddery breath and began to cry. her grip didn't loosen on their shirt, her grip had become knuckle white.

"Oh! Oh no no no no no no no. Okay. Okay, it's okay. I stumbled onto something, didn't I? I'm so sorry." Dante panics.

Dante stands up from their half kneeling position to gently hold her. "Oh love. I'm so sorry." They whisper into her hair.

"my....my old master...she....she...my arms." She sniffs rubbing across the criss cross lines of scars on her arms.

"To many.. marks..to many." She sobs. clinging to them more tightly as she presses her forehead to her chests and cries.

"I didn't mean anything like that just so you know. I meant a little love bite, nothing more. I never want to hurt you, ever! I'm sorry, really sorry. It was a bad choice of words and I really should have known better and I'm never gonna say that again I promise." They whisper, sniffling as well as they sees her sob.

Toya cries for a bit longer, sniffing occasionally.

"I'm sorry, I'm a mess." She sniffs pulling back and rubbing at her eyes.

"It's okay, we are both a mess. It just makes figuring things out a little harder, but we'll get there." Dante smiles.

They point towards the door.

"I'm sure they had a lot of things to figure out too and they did it while saving the world. I'm sure we can manage." Dante says softly.

"Yeah." Toya sniffs, offering a slight smile and cupping their cheek.

"I...I want to figure this out." Toya sniffs again, her thumb stroking Dante's lower lip, her gaze following her thumb for a moment. She lowers her hand, resting both her hands in her lap.

"Do you want to continue, its ok if you want to stop? " Dante says taking both of her hands and gently bringing them up to their lips, kissing them one after the other.

"I just wanna feel touch without pain." Toya sniffs pulling Dante into hug.

They hug back, gently petting her hair. their heart voice breaking slightly as they speaks.

"I want the same and I hate that people made it hurt for the both of us." They trail off and stay silent for a moment. "The only silver lining is that neither of us are alone in this. I've got you." They says soothingly.

"I've got you to." Toya smiles softly taking a deep calming breath.

"I'm ok, I'm free, she's dead. I'm safe." She whispers softly more to herself than Dante.

"We both survived and they didn't. We've got each other. We'll see this through." Dante says as they snuggled closer to her.

"Might be a good idea to rest? We're facing a whole dragon possessed by a hate demon tomorrow." Dante exhales loudly. "Not gonna lie, I'm a bit scared." they laugh nervously.

"I'm scared to, but we've got Taash, Altara and Spite on our side for this one." Toya grins feeling a bit better now. As scared as she was she couldn't wait to see Taash breath fire.

"True." Dante smiles a little. "I'm glad we have got them on our side." They smile.

The whole emotional exhaustion of the day was catching up with them. "Let's settle down, and get some sleep yeah?" Dante says with a yawn.

Chapter Text

The next morning dawns like any other, but there is an air of anticipation, it wasn't every day you woke up knowing you would be fighting a Dragon.

Dante was taking calming breaths as they prepared themself, mentally going over spells and supplies. They wanted to be ready for what was ahead.

"I can't believe we are going after a Dragon today. You think we will be able to save the Demon this time?" Toya asks as she gets dressed.

"I don't know...That demon could decide to just eat us, we are probably not even a snack to it." Dante sighs. How big would it be? They had never encountered a dragon before.

"I mean hate is a pretty strong emotion, it's going to take some persuading or even a miracle to calm it down," Toya says, looking worried.

"I know! I still think it's worth a try, though." Dante says, buckling up the last bit of their leather armour and taking another deep breath, they were shaking.

"You're right, Spite will want us to at least try." Toya smiles. "For his sake, I hope we pull off a miracle. I think helping these Demons is healing for him." She adds with a sigh, pulling on the rest of her armour.

"I hope so, too." Dante pauses, leaning in to kiss Toya on the cheek. "We will know soon enough...But breakfast first, right?" They grin

"Yeah, breakfast." Toya nods, pulling open the door to find Taash standing outside like they had been about to knock.

"Oh, hey, um, which way is back to the dining hall again?" They ask, rubbing the back of their head.

Dante chuckles.

"Well, if you want to follow us, we're heading that way. This place is pretty big, isn't it?" They joke.

"Yeah, I'll follow." Taash nods, looking between the two of them curiously. "Sooo, you two a thing?" They blurt out.

Toya blushes furiously.

"I um." She isn't sure what to say. Neither of them had really put a name to what they were to eachother.

Dante turns red and giggles.

"We are not 'not a thing'. Uh..." They turn to Toya. "I definitely want it to be a thing if you want it to be a thing?" They look back at Taash. "I guess it's a bit complicated because when do Crows make anything easy on themselves, right?" They laugh.

"Yeah, you crows are complicated, took Lucanis a while to sort his shit out with Rook." Taash laughs.

"Really?" Toya asks, she couldn't picture Lucanis not being able to define a relationship with Altara, but then again, he had had a demon in his head at the time. But Spite was so sweet, had he really been as much of a menace as they said he was back then?

"Got any stories?" Dante asks with curiosity. "We're seeing this one version of them, right? But you all got to see more of before, and I don't know... It's interesting." They chuckle. "I mean, I'm sure there are stories he wouldn't want you to tell us, but..." They trail off.

Taash shudders.

"I walked into the lighthouse kitchen to grab a snack once and overheard them." They grin. "Let's just say they were loud." They laugh as they follow them both to the dining room.

Toya blushes bright red.

"I um don't think Dante meant that kind of story." She giggles.

"What do you wanna know then?" Taash frowned, a little confused.

"We figured that was the reason why we are in the guest wing." Dante jokes. "But I meant cute stories when they were trying to figure things out," they clarify.

"Oh....right." Taash ponders for a moment. "I mean, it was pretty complicated for them, what with Spite and all." They grin. "Especially when he wanted to be a part of it." They laugh.

"I can imagine that." Dante makes a face. "Thankfully, our thing is less complicated than that. But I'm happy they found a way to make it work out." They smile.

"Oh boy, did they." Taash chuckles as they near the dining hall.

Dante grins.

"How do you think it will go with the whole dragon demon thing?" They had a lot of nervous energy to them now, not really knowing how to deal with it, they were looking for a distraction.

"First, we have got to get to it, then draw it out, then who knows?" Taash shrugs, "It will either listen to you and Spite or we fight it, either way it's dealt with." They say crossing their arms with a nod.

"I hope we can help it." Toya sighs.

Dante hummed nervously. They were getting cold feet at the idea of trying to talk to the demon. A claw was so easily swept at you, and those things were probably huge.

"Don't worry, I've dealt with plenty of dragons. I know herbs and stuff that will put it to sleep, then Spite can do his thing, while we guard the body and watch over you two while you talk to it in the fade or whatever. If things don't go to plan, you just do what we say. Me Spite and Altara will take care of it, ok." Taash says, trying to reassure them as they reach the dining hall.

The dining room is quiet, Amika and Illario are not there. Lucanis looks nervous, drinking his coffee and glancing at his wife nervously.

"I will be fine." Altara sighs, sensing his nerves.

"I know you will, and I trust Spite to protect you, but." He trails off, he didnt like the idea of her going into danger.

"Will protect our wife." Spite says, rubbing his shoulder, "Don't worry." He says softly.

Dante went straight for the coffee, making two cups, one for Toya and one for themself.

"At least I'm not the only one nervous about all this?" Dante mentions as they hand Toya a cup.

"Don't worry, Dante, we've got Taash, Altara and Spite going with us, people that stopped gods, what's a hate Dragon compared to that?" Toya grins, taking her seat and sipping her coffee.

"Toya, while I appreciate your enthusiasm, please remember what I taught you. Overconfidence can get you killed." Lucanis warns.

"Scared, doesn't want to show it, talks to hide." Spite hums while watching Toya.

"Hey, no fair." She sighs, looking into her coffee and trying to hide how much her hands are shaking.

Dante nudges her gently. And takes her hand and squeezes it lightly.

"It's okay, I'm scared too, it's kind of a big deal. We'll do fine." They smile.

"We have a plan, we just need to execute it and hope for the best, even if you fail to help the demon, and we have to kill it." Altara pauses, giving Spite a look that reassured him that it would be a last resort. "I need you both to listen to us. You stay behind us, don't take any risks. You let us deal with the dragon, ok." She warns.

"Understood." Toya nods.

Dante's mind was playing the same words on repeat, everything will be fine.

"Alright, let's go over the plan one more time." Lucanis sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Sure, so we head to Revian, find the Dragon's lair, we lure it out into the open and subdue it with tranquilliser darts and put it to sleep." Taash grins.

"Spite will pull Dante into the fade with him to talk to the demon and try and to calm it down." Altara smiles at Spite as she speaks.

"Try to help, make it remember, like before." Spite smiles looking to Dante.

"All goes to plan, the demon leaves, and the dragon can go back to being just a dragon. We keep an eye on it in case it becomes trouble, but it should be ok once the demon's gone." Taash smiles.

"If the plan goes sideways, we run the dragon slaying handbook to the letter and we kill it." Altara nods.

"Let us hope it does not come to that." Lucanis sighs.

Dante glances at Spite and smiles as well.

"Well, I'm ready when you are then. I don't think I can eat much with how nervous I am..." They sigh.

"Must eat, keep strength, mana." Spite warns.

"I'm trying, I'm trying," Dante whines. They look down at their plate, nibbles a bit more of the croissant and fruits that were on it and gulps down more coffee.

"Alright, finish your breakfast, then grab your armour and weapons, we will head for the Eluvian in about 10 minutes, meet in the Villa foyer." Altara smiles, getting up from her seat to get her stuff from her room.

Lucanis follows her to their rooms to help her prepare, as was their tradition, though he would see her off at the Eluvian regardless. It was just something they had always done whenever one of them went on a high-risk mission or contract.

Spite smiles and offers Dante and Toya a nod before leaving as well.

"Let's head back to our rooms and grab our gear," Taash says, having finished their breakfast.

Dante hugs Toya tightly the moment Taash steps out of the dining room.

It didn't take long before they were back in their room and Dante was carefully selecting her daggers and staff.

Toya made sure to check all her potions and poisons where accounted for and quickly tied her hair back away from her face in a high pony tail, a few strands slipping free and framing her face. She checked herself in the mirror and nodded, a look of determination on her face before she headed through the adjoining door to check on Dante.

Dante was looking at themself in the mirror, making sure that everything was there and secure as well. They saw Toya in the reflection of the mirror and turned around.

"We will be ok, right?" They sigh.

"We have eachother's backs." Toya grins stepping behind them and placing her hands on their shoulders.

Dante settles a hand over hers and nods.

"We do." They turn around to give her another quick hug. "Come on. The faster we finish this, the faster we'll be at ease." They nod.

"Right, lets go." Toya says before following Dante outside.

Taash was waiting outside for them, there armour now on, there twin axes at there sides there grey eyes full of determination.

"Ready to go?" They ask with a smirk, crossing there arms.

"As ready as we can be!" Dante says as they lead the way toward the villa Foyer.

Everyone was gathered in the foyer ready to go. Altara was in full armour if you could call it that, her chest was bare, her leather coat with a collar of feathers was synched in by a corset of leather and straps with a red sash covering her modesty, a necklace with the First Talons favour settled between the valley of her breasts two impressive rapiers at her side, a selection of throwing daggers strapped to her thigh.

Her famed rope dart in a holster on her other thigh, with her hair half up to keep it from her getting in her face, her expression grave.

Spite stood next to her, his armour more modest then hers, his silk shirt was open as usual but he had a leather corset and belts around his middle protecting his core, a silver shoulder pauldron with a strange pattern of eyes on his left shoulder. his daggers in his belt with a third on his chest, with leather pants tucked into his knee high boots.

The First Talon looked nervous as he waited with them, his arms crossed with a worried look on his face. He turns as they enter.

"This is the most dangerous thing either of you have faced, please follow Altara and Spites lead, do not do anything reckless, you have nothing to proove by being foolish." He says beginning to pace. "you are no good to me dead, and I would not wish to see you harmed." He sighs. turning to his husband and wife.

"Let's go." He nods before heading for the door.

"Alright you two, lets go, you to Taash." Altara grins.

"Right behind ya." Taash grins.

The walk to the Eluvian was short, the crows stepped to the side as they pass, there eyes wide as they watched Lucanis, The First Talon lead them to the Eluvian room. The guards say nothing and step out of his way with a bow. The Eluvian stands as tall as they remember, its surface no less strange.

"Be safe Mi amores, come back to me alive." Lucanis says before Kissing Altara deeply, She gasped into the kiss, sensing his fear. He pulled back and looked into her eyes for a moment before turning to Spite.

Before Lucanis could say anything Spite kissed him, forcing him to take a step back in surprise, when they part he smiles

"Will keep her safe, will come back." He nods before glancing at the two young crows.

Lucanis chuckles and nods.

"Good luck, all of you." He steps out of the way to watch they leave.

"Relax Lucanis, We've got this." Taash grins patting him on the shoulder before stepping through the Eluvian.

Lucanis's display did nothing to abate Dante's anxiety. She grabs Toya's hand as they all walk through the Eluvian as well.

The crossroads remains the same as they remember for the most part, though some of the floating structures had shifted there orbit around the veil jumper camp.

"Hey Taash, Rook!" Bellara hurries over as soon as she noticed them stepping through the Eluvian. "Where you guys heading?" She asks excitedly.

"Heading back to Revian, got a Dragon problem." Taash says with a grin.

"Oh need any backup?" Bellara asks.

"Nah we got it covered." They grin as Dante, Toya and Spite stepping through the Eluvian.

"Oh hey again." Bellara waves then smiles at Spite. "You guys need any supplies or..." She trails off.

"I think we're good? Well, can't ever have enough health potions but... we're actually quite prepared. Thank you though. It's appreciated." Dante smiles.

"Right of course." Bellara turns to Altara. "Ready to go Rook?" She smiles.

"Lets go." Altara nods, there was an air of authority around her as she followed Bellara towards the docks.

Taash fell in step with Spite as they followed as if it was only natural. where Rook walked they followed, watching her back.

"You think this is what it was like, when they were in the Veilguard?" Toya ponders following them to the docks.

"Must have been. Well, at least when they were on missions..." Dante muses.

"Yeah." Toya says, her face turning serious, she was determined to prove herself, she would follow orders of course. but she wanted to prove she was worth the training, that she was taking this seriously.

"Just... Just don't go anywhere I can't reach, okay?" Dante says softly.

"Only if you promise to do the same, I cant fade step remember." Toya grins.

The boat arrived and the caretaker greets them in its usual dulcet tone.

"Where would you like to go dweller?" it asks.

"The revian docks please." Altara smiles.

The caretaker nods and pushes the boat off heading for the docks that would lead to the Revian Eluvian.

"Of course, I promise. And for the part where I can't, at least you know I'm not alone regardless." Dante smiles. They lean their head on Toya's shoulder as the boat makes its way to the Revian Eluvian.

"I bet you two are nervous huh." Altara grins.

Taash smirks and tilts there head.

"First dragons Always the hardest." They laugh.

Dante startles at her words, they had been in a world of their own, but their head remains on Toya's shoulder as they reply.

"I can't speak for Toya, but yeah I am. Although, I think I would be not be as nervous if the dragon wasn't possessed." They laugh.

Altara smiles.

"That's understandable." She chuckles, her gaze then turning to Toya.

"I would be a fool not to be nervous." Toya says , she was trying to keep calm, she just needed to do what the others told her to, it should be simple right?

"We'll do fine." Dante smiles and gently squeezes Toya's hand.

"Yeah." Toya grins.

"You will both be fine, I trust this team. We will get it done, wont we Spite." Altara smiles.

"Yes, will be fine." He nods.

Dante watches the boat glide through the air.

"I trust you all too. It's still very nerve wracking though." They say with a chuckle.

"Of course it is, dragons are scary enough, a possessed one even more so." Altara laughs. anyone would be scared to fight a dragon that was only natural. she remembered the first one she had to fight with Taash, that had been a nerve wracking experience.

"Right? And exactly how close do we have to get to be able to talk with the spirit anyways?" Dante asks nervously, Glancing at Spite with curiosity. "Because that would be where we're the most vulnerable, right?" They tilts their head in thought.

"close." He nods "Need to capture first." He says glancing at Taash.

"Don't worry, you three can hang back until its asleep." They reassure them.

Dante makes a small nervous noise but nods.

"I trust you." They smile.

The boat comes to a stop and everyone disembarks and heads into the Veil jumper camp around the Revian Eluvian.

"Good luck with the Dragon, I'll hang around here and wait for your return." Bellara waves as they step through the mirror and into the tropical climate of Revian.

The weather was wonderful in Revian, they could smell the sea on the breeze as they stepped out of the Eluvian.

"Almost sad this isn't a vacation." Dante chuckles. "The Weather is nice here." They say, hoping to hide her nerves with idol conversation.

"Yeah its always nice here." Taash grins.

"Lets not get distracted, there is a Possessed Dragon around here, stay on your guard." Altara warns, watching the sky for a moment before leading the group away from the Eluvian.

"right...." Dante let out a small nervous laugh.

"How could we forget a Dragon.." Toya mutters under her breath. The quickly looks down when Altara looks over her shoulder and raises an eyebrow at her.

Dante snorts at that but then becomes serious again, keeping an eye out for the beast.

"We've got a bit of a hike to the lair, keep your eyes peeled, Venatori have been spotted in the area." Taash warns.

"Could of mentioned that sooner." Altara growls and Taash raises there hands in there defence.

"I thought you knew, the demon had to get into the dragon somehow." Taash grumbled.

"Great... More to deal with." Dante muttered to themself.

"Not right, forced into dragon, like I was force into Lucanis." Spite growls angrily.

The air was humid, the vegetation thickening as they traverse the area, stone ruins littering the coast, with a few ship wrecks sunk into the sand.

As much as Dante was enjoying the beauty of this place, they were still nervous, the smallest noise startling them.

After an hour of trekking through the thick vegetation they come across an old stone ruin. Altara raises a fist to make everyone stop.

"I hear talking ahead get down." She orders crouching behind some bushes.

"Spite." She whispers.

"I go see." He nods, and slinks off flying up to the top of a wall. A few minutes later he returns and he doesn't look happy.

"Venatori, lost control of Dragon, want it back, want to trap it." He growls.

"Mierda!" Altara curses. "change of plan, we need to take them out first, we cant deal with the dragons with them around." She growls.

"That cant be good." Toya whispers leaning closer to Dante.

"Merde..." Dante curses. She knew full well the extent of her mana reserves, she hoped the fight wouldn't last too long, she would need it for the Dragon.

"Why don't we show these two how its done, Angel of Death." Altara grins at Spite.

"Yesss, kill the Venatori." He nods.

"Damn straight, Taash you ready to bash some heads in?" She laughs.

"Always." They smirk pulling out there axes.

"I need you to hang back Dante, I need you at full strength to help Spite with the Demon, your the one that's managed to bring a Demon back from the brink, I'm hoping you can repeat whatever you did." She smiles patting her shoulder.

"What about me?" Toya asks, looking around nervously.

"Keep Dante safe, you see reinforcements coming warn us." Altara orders pulling out a few of her throwing daggers.

"Ok." She nods, though she didnt seem happy about it, she understood but she had hoped to fight the Venatori, she wanted to test out what she had learned from Lucanis.

Dante gently nudges Toya's shoulder.

"We've got each other's backs right? Even if that means staying out of the fight for now." They smile.

"Yeah." Toya nods.

"We fly." Spite grins at Altara. excited to fight at her side again, it had been far to long.

She nods and He presses his forehead to hers and smiles stealing a kiss as black wings with purple bones spread from their backs.

"Wait he can do that? where's mine?" Taash pouts playfully.

"Don't have my essence." He grins like its obvious why it wouldn't work on them.

"Fine guess I'll just run then and hit things when you say go." They smirk at Altara.

She rolls her shoulders, she still wasn't used to the wings, she really needed to practice more often. They fly up and land on the top of the ruins and creep along the top whilst Taash creeps closer on the ground level.

"Oh I'm not missing this come on, lets get a better view." Toya grins creeping up a cliff side that overlooked the ruins, it would also give a good vantage point for spotting reinforcements.

Dante follows, as quiet as can be, paying attention to every little noises as they reach a better vantage point.

They watch as Spite and Altara creep along the top of the wall. the Venatori in the ruins are arguing loud enough that they can hear them.

"This was not how this was supposed to go." One of them Gripes, pacing back and forth.

"I didn't know a dragon was in that cave, Or that our pet Demon would possess it!" Another shouts. "It's not my fault." They growl.

"Both of you shut up, we just need to get some of the dragons blood and we can control it, this could work out well for us, It will be like we control Luxicon himself, we could be like gods." The one who seems to be in charge says.

Altara pulls out a dagger and takes aim glancing at Spite with a nod.

He nods moving until he is above the one talking about being gods his daggers drawn his wings curling behind him.

Taash looks up at Altara and creeps closer to the one right so they could take them all out at once.

They move as one, Altara throws a knife, it spins through the air until it slams into the forehead of the one on the left, hitting him square between the eyes.

The Venatori doesn't even make a sound, the impact throws them back and tumbling down the stone steps in a heap, dead.

The one on the right gasps hearing his friend topple down the stairs only to get an axe to the face, followed by a bout of fire from Taash's mouth.

The one in charge turns around hearing Taash's roar.

"Venhedis!" He curses turning his staff towards Taash muttering a spell.

Spite leaps down from above his twin blades sinking into the Venatori's back, knocking him face first into the dirt, He grins grabbing the man by the hair and lifting his head up making him cry out in pain before slitting his throat.

As they take out the Venatori The young Crows notice a group of Venatori walking towards the ruins with a giant net, perhaps they had gone to fetch it to use on the dragon.

Dante motions for Toya to keep quiet and they start to climb back down. As soon as they knows the Venatori won't see them, she fade steps all the way down to warn the others of the incoming group.

"Incoming, up there. They got a dragon sized net." They say quietly, pointing up toward where the Venatori's were walking.

"How many?" Altara asks in a low whisper as the others join her.

They hide in the edges of the ruin ready to spring a trap.

Toya runs along the cliff tracking the Venatori and hops onto the wall near the entrance looking down, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Altara notices Toya and makes a few crow signs at her, she nods and waits.

"Alright I can hear them, Taash take the left, Spite you take the right." She orders gesturing to the entrance.

"Dante, we take what's left, lets see if you remember your throwing knife training, I need you to conserve your mana " She says to them, keeping her voice low to avoid being overheard.

The Venatori are close now, they can hear there hushed conversation.

"You really think this net is big enough?" one says.

"It better be..." Another says before trailing off and looking around. "Hey, where are the others?" They shout.

"Now!" Altara shouts.

Everything happens at once, Taash and Spite take out the two on each side, Toya leaps down onto the back of the one taking up the rear with the net.

Leaving the two in front, Altara tosses a poison dart at the leader, they grab at there throat and gasp and hiss as her speciality poison hisses through his blood like acid, he cries out in alarm before dropping dead, his skin blistering and red where the dart was embedded in his skin.

Dante lashes out with her staff, clubbing the Venatori right in the face almost as if she had panicked.

Altara stares at them in amusement and crosses her arms. "I Told you to use a throwing knife." She narrows her eyes playfully while it was not what she had ordered, it was no less effective.

"Can question him yes?" Spite grins, the staff had made a very satisfying thunk as it hit the Venatori in the face knocking him out cold which meant he was still alive.

"That's a good point, alright Dante your off the hook." Altara steps closer and whispers in Dante's ear. "Next time you go against orders I might just let Viago test one of his concoctions on you." She grins playfully before helping Spite tie the man up.

As much as Dante had taken out the target so to speak, they had acted independently of their orders and while it had worked out today, not following your superiors and acting on your own could be dangerous.

Altaras threat had only been light hearted but she needed Dante to understand that while she was a crow she was still relatively new and should listen to those with more experience.

"Yes, sorry. It felt more efficient at the time. Please don't mention it, last time he had me on poison training I was sick for days...And I know it was nowhere close to the full thing." Dante shudders at the thought of being the test subject of one of his newer concoctions.

"Alright Taash you got him?" Altara asks watching the Qunari as they knelt behind the Unconscious Venatori, he was tied up already but Taash restrained him as an extra precaution.

"Yeah I got him, we waking him up?" They ask watching her with amusement.

"Oh I almost forgot one moment." Altara kneels in front of Venatori, and checks his teeth, a smirks curls there lip as they use a knife to dislodge something and pulling it out of his mouth.

"Wouldn't want him to end the conversation early now would we." She grins. "Make sure he doesn't bite his Tongue Taash." She orders before slapping the man in the face to wake him up.

The man stirs and groans in pain before he jerks against the ropes and Taash's hold, he immediately tries to bite down on something and panics when he cant find what he was looking for, he begins struggling again in earnest but between the ropes and Taashes hold it was impossible.

"Alright you and I are going to have a little chat." She grins still crouched in front of him.

Spite crouches next to her, his glowing eyes trained on the Venatori watching and waiting.

"Don't try and lie to me, He will know." She grins nodding her head to Spite.

Dante watched the Venatori, paying attention to what was said, this was a learning experience.

"How did you get the Hate Demon, why is it possessing a dragon?" Altara barks and the man smirks at her.

"I'm aint telling you shit." He spat at her. barely missing her, the globule of spit hitting the dirt beside her.

Altara doesn't hesitate and punches him in the Jaw knocking his head to the side. The man spits blood and laughs.

"Answer the question." She growls angrily.

"You hit like a girl." He retorts thinking himself clever.

"I suppose you think that's a clever thing to say to a women." She deadpans and the man has the decency to look embarrassed.

"Answer the damn question or I'm going to get more inventive." She smirks pulling out a vial of something that didn't look pleasant.

The man pales, eyeing the Potion vial warily.

"We were given it." He grits out as Taash tightens there hold when they notice him trying to wriggle out of his bindings.

"Zara had lots of pets, made lots of interesting things." He smirks then shrinks back when Spite hisses at him, Altara has to throw a hand in front of him to stop him.

"Not yet Spite." She says trying to soothe him.

"Not pets, prisoners." Spite growls angrily, spirits were not the pets of mortals they were not their playthings.

The man looks at Spite and tilts his head.

"Your a Demon." He smirks "Didn't know the Crows had pets to." He smirks.

Altara reacts so fast Dante almost couldn't track it, as she pulls a knife and slams it down through the mans hand pinning it to the ground.

"You speak when I say, and he is not a pet you piece of shit." She hisses as Spite bristles at the mans words.

"How did it become Dragon." Spite growls his eyes glowing brightly, the smell of ozone becomes almost unbearable for a moment and the man gasps in pain.

"The demon escaped his containment and latched onto it, killed our commander, we where ordered to recapture it as a dragon for the glory of the empire." The man hisses out like he cant help himself, like the words were being forced from his throat.

Dante notices his skin become sunken, whatever Spite was doing it was draining him.

"That's enough Spite." Altara's words are sharp and Spite snaps out of it and shrinks back as if frightened of himself.

"How many more demons do you have, how many of you are left?" She says withdrawing her knife and pressing it to his throat.

"Not many, you damn crows and ruined our plans." He pants trying to catch his breath from whatever Spite had done to him.

"I don't know anything else I swear." He gasps as she presses the blade into his skin drawing a bead of blood.

"Is he telling the Truth?" She asks turning to look at Spite.

"Knows no more." He growls.

"Good because I was getting tired of his voice." She smirks before slitting his throat.

The man gargles on his blood and becomes limp, Taash unties him, winding the rope back in and standing, wiped there hands on there pants like they were dirty.

"Its not much but at least we learned something, now we just need to deal with the Dragon." Altara chuckles wiping her dagger with a cloth casually as if she had not just killed a man.

A dragon How hard could it be?

Chapter Text

Dante looks at Spite.

"You okay?" They ask softly. The smell of magic had been strong enough to make their eyes water. They didnt know what Spite had done to that man.

She looked at Altara next, hoping she might have some answers.

"That name... that's the second time I heard it..." They muse out loud.

"Zara Renata." Altara spat the name like it tasted foul in her mouth. "She was the one who held Lucanis prisoner in the Ossuary, tortured him, and forced Spite into him." She explains. "She was the one who nearly killed Spite." She says her voice cracking with emotion.

Spite whined low and mournful.

"Dead and gone, Haunts us still." He says, moving closer to Altara, like he found comfort in being close. "Made us Spite, made us hurt people." He growls. "Want to end, legacy, protect my fragments, she stole them like me." He looks at Dante with hope in his eyes.

"We'll put an end to this, I swear. We'll find the other spirits, and I'll do my best to help them. We'll get them back. We'll make this better." Dante says, reassuring him.

Spite nods, but there's a hint of fear in his eyes that wasn't there before and something darker simmering under the surface.

"It's ok, Spite, I know." Altara places a hand on his shoulder, and for a second, he shies away from her touch. And she looks hurt, and he looks sheepish.

There's a long pause like they were having a conversation, and then he smiles, and she smiles back.

Dante offers him a worried look and a small, lopsided smile.

"Let's go talk to a dragon." They grin.

"Yessss, capture and talk." Spite nods and looks to Taash.

"Yeah, let's do this." Taash nods.

"You'll have to lead the way," Dante says, looking up at Taash. "You know your dragons better than I'll ever do." They chuckle.

"Right." Taash grinned.

"Maybe we could use this," Toya said, lifting the net the Venatori had brought with them.

"What do you think, Taash?" Altara laughs and turns to look at them.

"It couldn't hurt." They shrug.

"Could make the demon angrier at us for being tangled up. Not that I think it would matter all that much since it's already gonna be angry regardless." Dante says nervously.

"Let's take it with us and see when we get there. I don't think it's going to be happy when we sedate it either." Taash laughs and leads the way out of the ruins.

"Are you ok, Mi Amore?" Altara asks Spite as they walk.

"Nervous, want to help, but." He trails off. What he did to that Venatori has shaken him.

"Me too, and there's something else, isn't there, you're hiding it from me." She commented, a sad tone in her voice. It wasn't like Spite to hide from her.

"Can feel it, emotions taint this place." He says, watching the floor as he follows after taash. "Hate is strong." He could feel it, that dark emotion tugging at him.

"Then we'd better hurry." She says, walking a little faster.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Toya mutters quite enough that only Dante can hear.

"It's gonna be fine, it's gonna be fine!" Dante replies, rubbing the middle of their chest as they walk, to try and ease their own anxiety.

If even Spite was nervous... they'd rather not think about it too much. They had a job to do, and they wanted to see it through.

They walked for about an hour before coming to another sandy beach. The sea lapped at the shore. There was a shipwreck near the rocks, like a storm had crashed it into the stone and it had shattered open like an egg.

A few dead Venatori were floating in the water; perhaps it had not been a storm after all.

Spite visibly bristled and grabbed Altara's sleeve and hissed.

"Close!" He warned.

Taash raised a hand a second later and seemed to be listening for something. They nod to themselves and turn to the group.

"This is it." They say, gesturing to a nearby cave entrance near the water's edge.

The cave mouth was wide like a maw, icicles hanging like teeth, and a frosty mist seemed to flow from its mouth like breath.

"Ok, here's the plan, you guys hide, I'm going to grab its attention. When it comes out, you guys hit it with the tranquilliser darts." They explain. "And uh, don't miss yeah." They grin.

"Don't worry, I've got your back, just like old times." Altara grins, holding her blowpipe.

Dante didn't need to be told twice to hide, the spirit's hate felt oppressive here. Even with just a faint connection to the Fade as a mage, it was enough to make their eyes water.

Dante was scared and trying to put on a brave face. How were they supposed to make the spirit turn back to its original form?

Taash stepped up to the cave entrance and roared, breathing fire and melting the icicles and frost.

There was a responding roar, it echoed from the cave and shards of ice erupted from the entrance, causing Taash to leap out of the way and run to a more open area.

"Here it comes," They shout.

Spite flinches at the roar and tenses, gritting his teeth.

"It hurts." He whines, clutching at his ears.

"Shit, Spite, are you ok?" Altara touches his shoulder, and he nods, but his eyes are wide like he is hearing something no one else could hear. He whimpered.

"They hurt, they cut, they take everything." He growled.

Another roar, this time louder, as a huge blur of white comes barrelling out of the cave. Ivory scales coated in frost, Icy blue eyes, one milky eye. One wing missing, a bloody stump, the other dragging uselessly behind it. It thrashed about and roared angrily.

"Stay away, HATE YOU, NASTY mortals, you take, you cut, you hurt, I WILL KILL YOU." It shrieks, the demon's voice shrill and broken.

"Spite?" Toya tries to get his attention, but he is so fixated on the dragon, it's like he doesn't even notice her. "Altara, something's wrong with Spite." She shouts.

"It's the demon, he can hear it even when it doesn't speak. We need to knock it out fast!" She shouts, darting from her hiding spot and shooting a dart. It hits the dragon's hindquarters, the feathers bright red.

The Dragon hisses and turns sharply, its broken wing dragging behind it. It screams in pain and snarls, baring teeth.

She shoots another dart, catching it in the neck.

The Dragon howls, staggering, trying to stay upright,

"NNOOO you WON'T TAKE ME AGAIN, I'll KILL YOU." It staggered towards her, its eyes bright and angry, "KILL YOU....." It trails off and slumps to the ground.

"Spite? Are we doing this?" Dante looks at him worriedly, then at the beast before them as they come closer and shudder. Maybe killing it right now would be a mercy.

Spite grits his teeth and steps towards it and nods at them,

"Must help, it hurts." He whines.

Dante nods back, approaching closer to the dragon and Spite. They took a few calming breaths, but they were still shaking.

"Let's go." They say quietly, almost as if they were scared to make their presence known to the spirit.

Spite knelt by the beast's head and stroked it gently as if trying to soothe it before pressing his forehead to it. A few seconds later, he flinches away, eyes teary.

"They cut, they take." He cries before reaching out a hand to them.

Dante looks back towards Toya for a moment, a small smile on their face despite the anxiety. A smile like a promise.

They take one last deep breath before kneeling and taking Spite's hand.

The moment their hands touch, their vision goes dark, a sensation of free falling has their stomach in their throat for a moment, and then they feels it, an icy chill in the air, their breath fogging.

The fade is cold here, everything coated in ice. Spite's huge Spirit form looms next to them, his 6 eyes wide, taking in the scenery.

"Cold, harsh, the frost bites, it hurts." He whines, flinching every so often as if struck.

A white figure is on the ground, clawing at it. Sharp claws, angry blue eyes and sharp teeth, a chain around one ankle, cracks in its form like it was barely holding onto life.

The sight is heartbreaking. The spirit is like a trapped animal. Tears well up in Dante's eyes and clumps in frost at the corners.

They shiver both from cold and from fear, yet they step closer, just at the edge of where it can reach and kneel, palms up.

"Hello." They say softly.

It snarls and hisses at them, snapping its maw. It runs at her only to be jerked back by the chain. It howls, thrashing around. It hisses again and snaps at them, trying to bite.

Dante let's it bite them. They try not to flinch, a sharp breath there only reaction.

"It's okay, I'm not one of them, I'm not here to hurt you. I know you're hurt, I know you're angry, you have every right to be for what they did to you. But I'm here to help if you allow me." They soothe.

It latches onto their hand with its teeth and pulls them closer, trying to pin them to the ground.

"No!" Spite growls, grabbing it by the scruff and pulling it off of Dante.

"No hurt." Spite hisses, and the creature whines, shrinking back terrified. Spite let's it go immediately and steps back, wide-eyed, he didnt want to hurt it, he wanted to help.

"Want to help." He whispers.

The Demon watches him warily, its eyes wild, darting about looking for an escape, its eyes flick to Dante every so often.

"It's okay, it's okay. Just a tiny bite, it happens. I think frostbite from the cold would be worse. Would you like to warm up? I can make fire. Not to hurt you, just to warm you. I can show you, get it close to me first. We can remove the chain, too. You're not what they made you to be." They pause.

They slowly offer their hand again, telegraphing their every move.

"I've been hurt too. I was so angry, I killed the man who hurt me, but that hurt runs deep and shows up in unexpected ways. You are allowed to be angry, to hate what was done to you. But you have to remember what you truly are. You have to remember that others care and would like to see you thrive."

It shrieks and snarls, thrashing and yanking at the chain, not letting them near it.

"MORTALS TAKE, THEY CUT THEY TAKE!!!" It lashes out with its claws, cutting through Dante's armour, leaving bits of frost on the edges.

"STOP!" Spite's voice booms, and the creature recoils and hisses, then attacks him. One of Spite's huge wings comes down, and the creature rips some of his feathers out. He hisses in pain and growls in warning.

"You defend mortals, you let them control you THERE THE ENEMY!" It howls, and a blast of ice erupts from it, a wave of cold that spreads along the floor.

It whimpers its form, cracking slightly as if expelling so much magic was hurting it. The chain has dug deep cuts into its ankle. It whimpers again, tugging at the chain again, more violently. It was hurting itself trying to break free.

Dante winces at the slash.

"There are people who cut and take and take until there's nothing left. You are right. You are right. They took from you, but they took from me too, from people like me who they think are weaker." Dante sniffs.

They were crying at this point. They took the small sun-shaped pendant out of their armour.

"But there are also people who love. My mother and father were taken away from me, but they still loved me. I remember the song my mother used to sing to me at night. My sister is still out there, and I'm looking for her because I love her too." They smile.

They look to Spite for a moment.

"Despite all the hardships, we both found love, him twice over." They sniffle.

"There are people who care, you have to remember this, to hold onto that light. Because hate's darkness, it will only break you more, keep you trapped. Let us help you, please." They pleaded.

It looks at Spite warily.

"Love?" It asks, its voice weak as if it was fading. But when it looks at Dante, when it feels their magic, it recoils once more. "Don't trust, cant, you will take." It hisses.

"Won't take, they are good, kind." Spite whispers, and moves closer, and it retreats closer to where it's chained on the floor. Spite reaches out, and it recoils, its teeth bared, its eyes scrunched up like it expected a blow. Spite traces its face with a claw, and it whimpers like it hurt.

while it's distracted, the chain.

Spite whispers in Dante's mind. It wasn't like the bond he had allowed her and Toya to share on the previous contract, the thought echoes far louder in their head, but it wasn't painful.

Dante quickly and quietly moves to undo the chain, then they go back and sit down a bit behind Spite.

They begin to softly hum the lullaby her mother used to sing to them as they remember the love of their family and holds onto their pendant.

The demon freaks out a little when it feels Dante's touch on its ankle, but when the shackle becomes loose, it looks at them in confusion. Why was a human helping it? Why did the human not hurt it, not cut, not take?

"Lies, you trick." It hisses at Spite and lashes out, but Spite captures it in a large hand and holds it, letting it bite and scratch him. She watches pink blood drip from his clawed hand as he winces.

"Don't struggle, you're hurting us." Spite tries to soothe it, his voice low and basey, it vibrates the air, and the creature pauses and stares at him.

Its form cracks even further.

"I don't want to die." It cries out, the sound painful and broken, its anger softening to something that was wounded and weak at the sound of her lullaby.

"Don't want to kill, want to save, you're like us," Spite says softly, leaning down to press his forehead against its head. It stills at the contact and closes its eyes as Spite shares his memories.

When he pulls back, the creature looks upset at first, tears fall from its eyes as it cries.

"Pain, hurt, they cut, they take, take you from fade, flesh prison, nothing makes sense, but she listens, he loves her but won't touch, fears hurting her. fears you." It sniffs.

"But you help, they touch, they love, they are happy. You miss it." It relaxes in his hold. "I didnt want this, I miss the fade, my purpose." It sniffs.

It took a moment to realise the spirit was talking about Spite himself. Dante looked up at Spite, unsure of what to do next.

"Would a hug help? I give pretty good hugs." They joke.

"What is hug?" it asks in confusion.

Spite cackles and puts it down.

"It's touch, but it's a good touch. It doesn't hurt. Some people love to be squished really hard with a hug. It's happiness, it's a way to show care. It makes things better when you feel sad. It's one of the many small ways to show love." Dante chuckles.

"Love?" It tilts its head at them, its earlier anger seeming to dim at their description, and it looks back at Spite, looking for affirmation.

"It's ok, let them, they won't hurt you." He soothes it, and it nods hesitantly.

Dante carefully approaches the spirit like they were approaching the most skittish cats they were taking care of.

"You're absolutely allowed to tell me to stop whenever you want, and I will listen," Dante says as they wrap their arms around the spirit and hug them gently.

It tenses in their arms, expecting pain, then seems to melt into it.

"Warm." It purrs.

"Hugs are warm, yes, kisses too." Spite grins at Dante.

"What is kiss?" It looked at Dante excitedly. It seemed the moment Dante touched, and it didnt hurt, it wanted to experience more.

"It's another way to show people you love them. It can also be a greeting for some people. But like the hug, you have to ask first if the other person wants it, and it's okay if they say no. We don't want to hurt anyone because we're too excited. So... Want me to show you?" They smile.

It nods enthusiastically, and Dante notices some of the cracks start to heal, the frost beginning to melt. It's form changing colour.

"Something weird is happening," Taash calls out.

Altara drags her eyes from watching Spite lean against the dragon's head, holding Dante's hand to Taash.

Her eyes widen in surprise.

The dragon's flesh was healing, a new wing growing, its skin darkening as the frost melted off its scales.

Altara smiles.

"Whatever they are doing, it's working, I can feel it." She grins proudly, her eyes settling on Spite once more.

Dante blushes and laughs before placing a sweet little kiss on the spirit's cheek.

"Sometimes a kiss is just that. Soft and sweet. Sometimes it's more but..." They point at Spite. "He can explain that one to you." They laugh.

The demon had changed colour completely now, gone was the pale white, now it was golden with pink veins that seemed to pulse with a heartbeat, with pink eyes.

"More kisses, what does that mean, where?" It looks at Spite with curiosity.

"Come with me, I'll show you" He holds out his large, clawed hand, and the now Spirit takes it.

It turns into a pink mist and settles in Spite's chest like Hope had done, but instead of a green gem, it was pink.

"We go now, yes." He smiles at Dante and pats their head. Dante grins and nods.

The world swims then dissipates like smoke, and they find themself standing next to the dragon once more, only its different it's scales grey with black tips, its eyes silver, two majestic wings spread from its back, its injuries completely healed.

It growls and stands, tilting its head at Spite as if acknowledging his help.

Everyone holds their breath for a tense moment, and then the beast growls and backs away before flapping its wings, nearly knocking everyone over as it takes to the air and soars into the clouds, free once more.

"You did it, you actually did it." Altara laughed incredulously.

"Not done yet." Spite grins move to stand in front of her.

"It's here with me." He says, touching the gem on his chest.

Altara looks at him and smiles before reaching out to touch the gem.

"Want to know other kiss." It speaks through Spite, his eyes slightly pinker.

"I kiss, you feel yes," Spite says, looking at his chest.

"Wait, hold up, what exactly did you promise it, Spite?" Altara shutters, making Taash burst out laughing.

"A kiss." Spite grins, reaching out to touch Altara's cheek gently.

Toya blushes, covering her eyes only to peek through her fingers.

Dante laughs and walks to Toya. Kissing her on the cheek.

"I hope you don't mind that I kissed a spirit on the cheek." They chuckle as they put a hand to their lips. "My lips still feel a bit tingly." They grin.

"What about Lucanis, I dont mind but uh." Altara blushes.

Spite pulls back, closing his eyes, a grin spreading on his lips as he listens through the bond.

"Only one kiss." He grins, then pulls her in, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss is slow, like he is letting the spirit explore the sensation.

He tilts his head, deepening it, and Altara moans into the kiss as he pulls her against him. Her hands flew to his chest and gripped his shirt. He pulls back and smirks at the dazed look on her face.

Altara chases his lips and then blushes furiously when she remembers where they are and that they were being watched. Spite releases her and chuckles huskily, his eyes flashing brightly.

"Determination loves you, tastes sweet, soft, I remember now, tenderness... love." It sighs happily.

"You're uh welcome." Altara sputters, touching her lips.

"Thank You." It whispers before the gem on Spite's chest disintegrates, the dust dispersing in the wind, sparkling like fairy dust.

Dante chuckles.

"We did it! I can't believe we did it!" They laugh.

Spite smiles broadly.

"Yess, helped, they are free." He sniffs his eyes, getting watery.

Dante was tearing up as well and smiling just as broadly.

"Want a hug?" They smile. And he nods.

Altara smiles, rubbing his back soothingly.

Dante gives him a big hug, squeezing as hard as they can.

"I was so scared it wouldn't work out, but they're free!" Dante was crying and laughing at the same time now.

"Well, guess you didnt need me after all, glad the dragon didnt have to die." Taash smiled.

"I don't know what you're doing or how you're doing it, but keep it up, Dante." Altara smiles, patting them on the back.

"I helped." Spite pouts playfully, looking tired.

"I know Cariño." Altara kisses his cheek. "Shall we head back?" She asks, looking amongst everyone.

"Don't feel good," Spite says suddenly, stumbling slightly and promptly passing out.

"Spite!!" Altara calls out in alarm, following him to the ground, checking him over. "Spite!" She shakes him, and he doesn't respond.

She tries not to panic and presses her forehead to his, her eyes closed for a moment. She breathes a sigh of relief, he was out cold but seemed to be fine. She cups his cheek, moving some hair from his face tenderly.

"Let's get him home. Dr Frances and Professor Emmrich can look him over once we get there. Taash, can you carry him?" She asks, her brow furrowed in concern.

"Sure." They leaned down, and fireman carry him over their shoulder "Come on, big guy, let's get you home." They say patting the back of his legs.

"Is he ok?" Toya asks, stepping closer.

"I think whatever you did in the fade tired him out." Altara sighed. She would feel better once Frances and Emmrich checked him over.

"I feel it too, like my magic has been all sapped out and I need a very long nap...How long have were we in there?" Dante shivers, as if the cold from the Fade had seeped through. "It makes sense, it would affect him more being a spirit...person" They trail off, they had not really said what Spite was.

"Let's get home. I'm worried for him." Altara sighs, watching him swaying in Taash's arm like a rag doll.

"Yeah, this guy's heavier than he looks." Taash jokes.

Dante yawns and nods.

"That didn't happen last time? What's..." They trailed off again, unsure what they were really asking.

"No, it didnt," Altara says, looking even more troubled. "I cant lose him again. What if this crusade to help these demons is hurting him?" She hugs herself as they all follow Taash back towards the Eluvian.

"I'm hoping Emmrich will know what happened." She just hoped he was at the villa when they returned. She could feel Lucanis through the Bond, almost frantic when he felt Spite pass out, he was giving her a headache. She pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs.

"I mean, we were hurt a little bit this time around. But not anything bad..." Dante looks troubled, too. "If there's anything I can do to help too..." They sigh, feeling a little out of sorts themself.

"Let's just get him home first," Altara says, offering a weak smile, her gaze once more on her husband.

"He's still breathing, relax, Rook," Taash says, trying to reassure her. "Come on, we are nearly at the Eluvian." They grunt, adjusting their grip on Spite.

Dante looks at their hand, where it had been bitten them as they reached the Eluvian.

Where they expect a bite mark, but they find nothing but unblemished skin, it seems whatever wounds they had sustained in the Fade didn't transfer over to the waking world.

However, as they look up, they notice a bleeding wound on Spite's hand as they watch his arms swaying back and forth as Taash walks.

"Why is he bleeding? How did that transfer over? That's not supposed to happen, right?" Dante asks as soon as they notice.

"What!?, He's bleeding, Taash. Stop a second, where is he bleeding?" Altara begins to panic.

Taash immediately stops walking.

"What's up?" They ask lowering Spite to the ground on the platform by the Eluvian.

"His hand. I was bitten, too, but I got nothing." Dante says, pointing to his right hand.

Altara checks his hand and frowns at the bite mark. She fusses with her kit for a moment, cleaning the wound, the cleaning cloth stains pink with his blood that seems to glitter in the light. Once clean, she bandages it and presses a kiss to it tenderly.

"Professor Emmrich might be able to shed some light on it, he is a fade expert after all." She nods to Taash, and they pick him back up.

"Let's get back to Treviso and get him settled first, Lucanis is giving me a headache with his worry." She half-jokes. Though from the pained look on her face, she wasn't really joking.

"It's gonna be fine. I... Yeah, let's get back home." Dante smiles.

Altara nods as they all step through the Eluvian.

As soon as they step from the Eluvian, Bellara is greeting them with concern.

"Oh gosh, what happened to Spite?" Bellara asks, rushing over.

"Probably fine, just tired himself out." Taash grins.

"We need to get back to Treviso," Altara says, worrying a loose feather on her coat nervously.

"Hey, Spite's strong, I'm sure he is fine," Bellara says, rubbing her back reassuringly while they walk to the boat.

Dante follows along quietly, worried. The idea that what they were doing might be hurting Spite wasn't sitting well with them.

The journey in the boat felt tense, everyone was quiet. Spite had not moved at all since he had passed out, not even a twitch. Altara was getting increasingly worried and was holding his limp hand tightly. Dante could tell she was trying not to cry.

Dante puts her hand on Altara's shoulder, looking even more worried than before, then they look back at Toya, not knowing what to do.

"They will be ok, right?" Toya asks shyly, touching her knee.

"I don't know." Altara sniffs, tracing Spite's cheek tenderly.

Spite's face is completely slack, his form seemed almost lifeless, but he was breathing softly at least. Dante was on the verge of tears as well.

"I don't want to keep doing this if it hurts him...It makes him happy but..." They trail off.

"I am sure he just tired himself out, it took you a while to get through to that demon." Altara sighed as the boat came to a stop.

"Come on, let's get Spite home." Bellara smiles.

Altara nods. She was reluctant to let go of Spite's hand at first, but she steeled herself and climbed out of the boat.

Taash scooped Spite back up into their arms in a bridal carry this time, his head lolling to the side as they moved.

"Send Lucanis my love, I'll come visit soon, I promise." Bellara smiles, giving Altara a hug.

Altara nods and returns her hug.

"I'll send word once we know what's wrong." She smiles before following Taash through the Eluvian.

Dante hoped so hard it this wasn't somehow their fault.

It would be okay, there were people to take care of him, and they would figure it out.

Chapter Text

As soon as they stepped through the Eluvian, they found Lucanis and Dr Frances waiting for them with a tall gentleman with a moustache and, more bizarrely, a Skeleton with pieces of Jade for eyes, wearing a coat of all things.

"Spite!" Lucanis rushes to Taash and cups Spite's cheek, his eyes full of worry. "What happened?" He asks, turning to Altara, who rushes into his arms and clings to him.

"I don't know, after he saved the demon, he said he didnt feel well and then passed out, he hasn't even twitched since." She sobbed.

"It's ok, Mi Amore, it's going to be ok." He presses a kiss to her forehead and holds her close. "Let's get him settled in our rooms." He sighs.

"I am sure he is perfectly fine, but I will do what I can to figure this out," Emmrich reassures them.

"Help, friend." Manfred nods, his jade eyes twisting in their sockets, following them through the diamond.

"I hope they will be ok," Toya says quietly, walking with Dante behind them.

"I hope so, too. " Dante replies, still feeling guilty, there was no guarantee it even had anything to do with them, but still, they found themself worrying about it. They stayed close to Toya as they walked.

The group heads straight to the First Talon's rooms. Taash places Spite on the bed gently, Lucanis kneels at his bedside holding Spite's hand with Altara next to him as Emmrich and Dr Frances check him over.

"Wow, this room is huge, it's more like an apartment than a room." Toya comments, looking around, keeping her voice low, before her gaze settles on the tall man checking over Spite.

"There does not seem to be anything physically wrong other than this bite on his hand." Dr Frances says, unwrapping the bandage and casting a quick healing spell to heal it. "I think this might be more your area of expertise, love." He says to Emmrich.

"Let's see." Emmrich stands at the foot of the bed and begins to weave his magic around him. Green magic moves around Spite as he moves his arms like a conductor.

"Hmm, I see." He ends his spell and sighs. "He will be fine, you don't need to worry." He smiles as Lucanis and Altara both exchange a look and let out a relieved sigh.

"Spite is very sensitive to emotions, and well, hate is a rather extreme one. I think it is more taxing for him to be exposed to those types of emotions." He explains before taking a seat.

"No.....don't want to......stop...." Spite muttered and began to toss and turn. "Don't hurt them....." He whimpers.

"Shhhhhh, it's ok, Amore." Lucanis tries to soothe him.

Altara watches her lower lip trembling. Spite did not suffer nightmares often, but when they did, it was always distressing to see.

"Nooooo!" Spite jerks awake, sitting up, and breathing hard, his eyes wide in terror. Lucanis immediately pulls him into his arms and holds him.

Spite clings to him and sobs, pink tears streaming down his face.

"Luca." He sniffs as he tries to bury himself in his shirt.

Dante let out a sigh of relief, too, until Spite started having his nightmare. They look towards the Professor and then back to Lucanis, Altara and Spite.

"What are the chances of this happening again?" They ask shyly.

"Well, my dear, that really depends on the Spirits you come across, extremes of emotions are a little unpredictable." He smiles.

"Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Emmerich Volkarin, you may call me Emmrich." He bows.

"And this fine fellow is Manfred, my apprentice." He smiles.

"Hello," The skeleton waves.

"Curiosity." Spite sniffs.

"Determination." Manfred tilts his head, his eyes rolling in their sockets.

"Oh, that's what he meant about bones..." Dante chuckles. "Hello!" They wave back to Manfred before turning back toward the professor. "My name is Dante De Riva. It's a pleasure to meet you, professor."

"I'm Toya De Riva, pleased to meet you, to, um, Mr Emmrick." She fiddles with her vambrace nervously, her eyes wide with awe. It seemed at this rate she might just meet every member of the Veilguard.

"A pleasure to meet you both." Emmrich smiles before turning to Lucanis. "Try not to worry, Spite will be just fine, won't you?" He grins.

"I think so." Spite nods, glancing at Frances and smiling before his gaze lands on the young mage. "Dante helps, can't save them alone" He smiles broadly at them, but then his smile falters slightly.

"Smells like Rust and Jagged edges, feels guilty." He muses, "Kitty is ok, Spite is ok." He tilts his head at them, hoping to reassure them.

"I just don't want us helping those spirits just for you to get hurt. I'm probably worrying too much again, but there are a lot of people who care about you. " Dante looks towards the Professor. "Would there be a way to mitigate this?" They ask, their gaze hopeful.

"I think that is why Spite has been taking you with him, your positive emotions help him cope with the negative." Emmrich smiles.

"Want to help them. need to." Spite looks down and frowns.

"Dante isn't saying we stop helping them, Spite. They are just worried about you, we all are, amore." Lucanis takes his hand, kissing it gently before holding it up to his own cheek. "We lost you once, Spite, we can't lose you again." He says, voice cracking with emotion

"Coffee, leather and silk, my warmth, my home." Spite smiles stroking Lucanis's cheek before lowering his hand and looking to Altara.

"We both love you very much, dont put yourself in danger, I couldn't bear it if something happened to you." Altara sniffs and reaches out to touch his face, tucking a loose hair behind his ear.

Spite leans into the touch and blushes.

"Everyone is watching." He whispers, making her laugh.

"And you're eating it up, aren't you?" Lucanis teases, making him blush further.

"Of course he is. But they are right, you know? I don't want to stop either, but we've got to stay safe. Both you and I. " Dante chuckles.

"Yes, safe, train more." Spite nods.

"For now, get some rest, you've had a long day, and we still have a few hours before dinner." Lucanis smiles, remaining at Spite's side.

"Right, we should check on Passion and Monsieur and maybe have a bath before dinner." Toya nods to Dante.

Taash, who had been quiet up until now, finally spoke.

"I need to head back home. Wish I could stay, but I need to check in with the lords. Glad you're ok, big guy." They smile.

"Thanks for your help with the dragon and with Spite." Altara nods before hugging them.

Lucanis stands and does the same.

"Take care and dont be a stranger, ok?" He smiles.

"Wouldn't dream of it," They grin before turning to Dante and Toya. "You guys are cool, stay safe." They grin. "See you around, Emmrick," they wave before leaving.

"Goodbye, Taash," Emmrich calls after them.

"Will do, take care." Dante smiles at Taash as they leave. "Profe- Emmerich? I'm sorry, uh..." They chuckle. "Would it be possible to talk for a moment? It doesn't need to be right now, but I'm...I'm curious about certain things regarding magic and the Fade," Dante asks.

"Of course, my dear, I am happy to discuss that with you." He smiles, turning to Frances. "Darling, would it be all alright if I borrowed your office?" He smiles softly.

"Of course you can. What's mine is yours." Dr Frances smiles back.

"Need a nap." Spite sulks, making Lucanis chuckle. Spite always got grumpy when he was tired.

"I think we should let Spite get some rest before dinner." He smiles affectionately at Spite before looking over to Altara. "I need coffee." He sighs warily.

"Why dont we head to Frances's office and chat there?" Emmrich gestures to the door.

"Coffee sounds wonderful." Altara smiles.

Dante turns to Toya.

"Is it okay if I join you a bit later? I won't be far, I probably need a nap too before dinner." Dante chuckles.

"Sure, I'm going to have a bath and take a nap myself." Toya grins.

Dante gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Okay. I'll be right back." They say, then follows the professor out.

"Spite seems quite taken with you." Emmrich chuckles. "I wonder if he senses some determination in you." He says, trying to slow his strides, he tends to walk too fast if he isn't paying attention.

"That must be it," Dante says, trying to keep up with him. "I am determined to see the best in people, even though circumstances can be terrible at times." Dante sighs.

"That is a commendable trait, not many think that way these days." He muses, slowing down again so Dante could keep up. "Forgive me, I have a long stride." He chuckles.

"Most people would think me naive for it. It was a matter of survival, I think." Dante smiles. "It's okay, we're not going far." They smile, following him down the hall.

He chuckles and stops outside Dr France's office, using his key to open it, making sure not to let Biscuit out when they attempt to escape, as if they had been waiting at the door for the perfect moment.

"Now, now, Biscuit, you know you're not allowed out." He tuts as he lets Dante in and closes the door behind him.

Biscuit begins to weave around Dante's legs as soon as he notices them.

"Bonjour Biscuit!" Dante gently picks the cat up. And rubs their face in its fur in a cuddle before letting the cat go again.

"Well, I guess there's my first question." Dante chuckles. "What proportion of wisps of curiosity are the spirits of cats like that?" They laugh.

"Well, I'm not sure. Most wisps I encounter in the Necropolis are not inhabiting any animals, and while yes, cats are quite curious creatures, I couldn't really say if that would have anything to do with spirits." He chuckles, leaning against the desk.

"Well, Passion did take the shape of a cat... Hmm. I suppose that's going to stay a mystery then," They laugh.

"Passion?" Emmrich looks at them curiously.

"An old friend of Spite's, apparently. They had been hanging around the city as a cat. They said they love being a cat, and this city is full of passion. We stumbled upon them when I went to feed the strays back at my old place. They might still be around the villa." They explain.

"An old friend of Spite's, you say. Fascinating, I would very much like to speak with it." He clasps his hands together excitedly.

"They hang around....I couldn't tell you where they are exactly right now." Dante chuckles.

"My other question is...When you soothe a spirit, what happens for you? We've been turning demons back to their purpose." Dante pauses, trying to gather their thoughts.

"Their nature is like feelings and dreams, I guess...Are we fully changing their nature? Is there a possibility that it might change Spite, too, if we keep going? Because clearly he has been affected..." They sigh.

"I've always hated the term Demon." He sighs. "I feel that is more a term to scare mages used by the chantry." He shakes his head.

"Spite is different, his circumstances are, well, we are not really sure, his body is nothing short of a miracle, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." The professor chuckles.

"I am thankful he was not destroyed, of course." He smiles.

"What you are doing is remarkable. It took Altara months to get through to Spite, he was quite, well, Spiteful. He tormented Lucanis in the beginning." He sighs, remembering how Lucanis had struggled to sleep for fear of what Spite would do.

"I don't like the term either, to be honest. I don't even know exactly what I do that appeals to the better nature of spirits, except maybe trying to be kind and knowing they are more than what they have been turned into. And that's a recent development. Because I didn't know that on my first contract, and well, I felt sorry for that spirit..." Dante says, furrowing their brow.

"That is precisely why it works, you understand they are more than what they were tormented into, and you're willing to help them instead of fear them." He smiles.

"It's as Simple as that, huh?" Dante laughs, a bit dumbfounded by the idea that it was that it was really that simple.

"I am sure Spite has something to do with your success, though I'm unsure how, other than knowing the method that gave Spite a body, he is well, ancient, perhaps as old as the first elves if not older." He rubs his chin in thought. "Absolutely fascinating, a mystery I dont think we shall ever solve." He chuckles.

"Maybe it doesn't need to be solved. Maybe I'm too curious for my own good. But I'm glad things have worked out that way, and we're able to do it." Dante smiles. "I should probably go get ready for dinner..." They smile.

"Of course, I should probably do the same." He nods, then chuckles when Biscuit jumps onto the desk and nudges him for pets. Dante chuckles at the cat's antics.

"Well, thank you very much for the talk. It's appreciated." They say as they stand up.

"It was a pleasure, feel free to stop by and ask me questions, I dont mind, I'll be staying with Dr Frances for the week." Emmrich smiles just as the door opens, and Dr Frances walks in as if summoned.

"Oh, good, you're still here. Lucanis would like us to join them for dinner later." Dr Frances smiles, keeping an eye on Biscuit to make sure he didnt attempt another escape.

"Oh, wonderful, I've missed Lucanis's cooking." Emmrich chuckles.

Dante nods and makes a little bow before making their exit.

They head straight to the baths, looking for Toya.

The baths are still steamy, and Dante hears off key humming. Toya was attempting to hum the tune she had heard Dante singing before. She was lying back, her head resting on the lip of the bath, moving her hands in the water as she hummed.

Dante joins softly, trying not startle her.

Toya stops singing the moment she hears Dante join her and blushes furiously.

"Oh, um, hey." She greets shyly, embarrassed that they had heard her attempt at singing.

"Hey." Dante smiles. "Don't stop on my account, I thought it was lovely," Dante says softly as they remove their armour and clothes before slipping into the water.

"You dont need to lie to make me feel better, I know I cant hold a tune." Toya grins.

"I'm not lying! That song means a lot to me, and no matter how off key you think you are, just the fact that you are singing it makes me happy." Dante smiles.

"It does?" Toya asks, shyly. "I didnt ruin it?" She blushes, looking away.

"It really does." Dante grins. "And of course you didn't. What matters is you sing it from the heart." They smile happily.

Passion appears by the soap basket and tilts its head at the pair of them.

"I liked your singing." It purrs.

"See? Even Passion thinks so." Dante giggles and gently wraps their arms around her before addressing the spirit.

"Have you seen the professor? He wanted to talk to you." Dante smiles.

"What is a professor?" Passion asks moving to the edge of the bath and staring at its own reflection in the water, like it confused it.

"You know what? I think it would be easier for you to follow us for dinner, then I can present you to the professor, and you two can talk." Dante laughs.

"Dinner? You eat dinner, don't you? I prefer dreams." Passion muses watching the water ripple and distort their reflection with fascination.

"We do. What kind of dreams do you eat?" Dante asked, genuinely curious.

"Passionate dreams." Passion says as if it was perfectly normal thing to say

Dante turns red as they realise exactly what Passion meant.

"Hmm hmm?" They laugh. "There must be quite a few around." They grin.

"Many, yes." Passion moves away from the water and hops up onto the basket full of their clothes and does a little circle before curling up, making themselves comfortable.

I hope cat fur isn't hard to get out of clothes." Toya giggles.

"Eh...It should be fine." Dante chuckles and looks back at her. They hug her close, and Toya gets the impression that Dante's emotions of the day are still running high.

"You ok, what was it like in that demon's head or the fade or wherever it is Spite took you. It uh looked exhausting." Toya asks in concern, stroking their cheek.

"I'm okay...just exhausted. Everything was so cold when we first stepped into the Fade...It's a good thing that it doesn't transfer over because I would have been frostbitten. That's how cold it was. It was so angry and scared. Like a feral animal caught in a trap." Dante sighed.

"It was sad. It didn't want me to approach it because other people had hurt it and...Somehow, somehow I gained its trust by being kind despite how it bit me and scratched me out of hate and fear." They shivered, remembering the feral look in its eyes as if it had never known kindness.

"I'm glad you helped it. They didn't deserve what happened to them, and it means alot to Spite that we are helping him save them. It kind of feels like a little bit of his own pain is healed with every one we save." Toya pauses and sighs.

"There are only two left, and after what happened to him after that one, I'm kind of scared. He's been so kind to me, I don't want him to get hurt." Toya hugged themself.

"I don't want him to get hurt either. It was..." Dante sighs as well, resting their head on Toya's shoulder.

"Maybe it would be a good thing to have someone who could lift him if we need to bring him back home that way again..." Toya half jokes.

"Yeah, but who?" Dante ponders. "He looks really heavy. I doubt I could lift him, and Taash has returned home." They laugh.

"Maybe we could ask Teia if Pike can come along for the next one." Toya liked Pike, he was terrible at cards, which made beating him at wicked grace easy.

"Oh, that's an idea! I haven't seen him since I got here." Dante Laughed.

"Ok then, the next time we go after one of those demons, we can ask Lucanis if Pike can join us, though, I don't know if what we are doing is a secret or not." Toya rubs her chin in thought.

"The worst he can say is no." Dante chuckles. "Which one do you think we'll go after next?" They ask, sounding thoughtful.

"I guess." Toya smiles. "As for what's next, I'm not sure. I'm sure the First Talon will let us know, but I think he will want to wait for Spite to recover first." She looks at her hands and frowns

"I'm going to get changed, I'm going pruney." She laughs, pressing a kiss to Dante's cheek, lingering for a moment before climbing out of the bath to get dressed and head back to their rooms.

Dante chuckles and spends a little bit more time in the bath before making their way back out toward their rooms. They flop on their bed, annoying Monsieur Barbara, who had taken residence on their pillow for a nap.

"You woke up my cuddle buddy." Toya pouts from her side of the bed playfully when Dante flops down next to her.

Monsieur meows their displeasure at being disturbed from their nap and hops off the bed to find a new spot.

"I'm sorry, Monsieur Bébé. You can come back now!" Dante coos.

Dante turns over to look at Toya.

"So now he's your cuddle buddy? What about me?" They pout playfully.

"I mean, you would have to move closer to be my cuddle buddy." Toya grins playfully.

Dante scoots as close as they can.

"Like this?" They grin.

"Closer." Toya giggles.

Dante rests their head on her chest and their arm across her stomach, their legs tangled together as they make a small happy noise.

"Like this?" They sigh happily.

"Much better." Toya smiles, closing her eyes. "You really worried me, you know." She says softly, playing with Dante's hair.

"How so?" They ask, leaning into her touch.

"When you were doing whatever it was you do to talk to the demon." She shivers. "You had this blank look on your face, but then you flinched, then Spite looked hurt, and he was sweating, and you started looking so pale and...." She trails off.

Dante presses small kisses along her collarbone. "I... I never thought of how it would look from the outside, and I suppose things got a bit scary in there...The spirit bit me." They chuckled.

"And everything was so cold for a while. But it's like...I got nothing to show for it. It's all dreams, sort of. You're basically seeing me sleepwalking. And besides, Spite had my back. We just have to be careful around stronger emotions." They smile.

"I'm just so glad you're ok, I....I love you, I dont wanna lose you, you're one of the good things in my life." Toya whispers.

Dante's heart felt like it was about to burst. They grin so wide it almost hurts.

"I love you too." They whisper back. "I wish I could bottle up this moment, keep this feeling close for rainy days." They chuckle.

"Me too." Toya smiles happily. "We should head down for dinner." She sighs.

Passion appears seemingly out of thin air.

"Are you taking me to see this professor?" It asks, watching them both curiously.

"We will, but give us five more minutes." Dante sighs.

They just wanted to spend a little bit more time kissing Toya. It wasn't bottling up the feeling for rainy days, but it was damn close.

Toya giggled, kissing her back.

"So, we're definitely a thing?" Dante asks with a chuckle.

"Like girlfriends?" Toya replies, blushing bright red.

"I meant what I said earlier. I want this to be a thing if you want it too. So yeah, girlfriends." Dante blushes.

"Yeah, I..I would like that to." Toya smiles.

"Well..." Dante kisses her again. "I guess that's it, isn't it? I'm your girlfriend, and you're my girlfriend, and I really like the sound of that." They laugh. "But, as always, you're right, we really should head down for dinner now," they sigh, reluctant to leave her embrace.

"Yeah, I wanna see if Spite is ok." Toya sighed, detangling herself from Dante to stand up and brush out the wrinkles in her shirt.

"I will follow." Passion says circling back and forth by the door as if impatient.

"Give me a moment, I'll be right behind you," Dante says softly.

"Ok, come on, passion." Toya smiles, opening the door and walking down the hall.

Passion follows after her with a bounce in its steps.

It takes Dante a moment to make themself more presentable before they run after Toya and Passion. They take Toya's hand when they catch up with them.

The Dining hall is busy tonight. Illario, Amika, Lucanis, Rook, Spite, Dr Frances and Professor Emmrich were already seated, most were discussing the events of the day.

Spite, however, seemed withdrawn and quiet, staring at the hand the Demon had bitten. Faint white lines were curling up his arm like a lightning scar, but when he clenched his fist, the lines disappeared.

Dante sits down before they look at Spite, a worried expression on their face.

Spite doesn't seem to be acknowledging anyone, he seems agitated, Lucanis looks upset, like they might have argued, Altara is looking between them like she doesn't know what to do.

"I am so happy you invited us for dinner. I do miss your cooking." Emmrich chuckled.

"It's nice to cook for so many, feels like old times," Lucanis says, glancing at Spite with a worried look, but says nothing else.

The servants serve dinner, consisting of Roast lamb and vegetables with gravy, with an apple pie for dessert.

Lucanis watches Spite and sighs when he doesn't touch the food.

"You should eat something, Spite." He says softly.

"Not Hungry." Spite snaps, then stands and walks out through the open patio doors.

Lucanis stares after him and frowns. Something was wrong with Spite, he wanted to help him, but he felt so lost. He glanced at Emmrich, and the older man simply shook his head.

"Give him some space, Lucanis." Emmrich smiles softly, hoping to reassure him.

Dante looks toward Lucanis and Altara and then to the patio doors, their worry increasing.

"He didnt act like this when you saved Hope. I don't understand what's gotten into him." Lucanis sighs, looking at his own plate and losing his appetite. "He's not letting me in." He chokes.

"It's ok, love. You know he gets cranky when he is tired, and helping that Demon took a lot out of him today." Altara rubs his back. "He won't let me in either. I don't like it, it's too quiet," She sniffs.

Lucanis turns to face Dante.

"Perhaps you could talk to him, you were there, maybe you can figure out what has him so upset." He pleads, his soft brown eyes full of emotion.

Lucanis wasn't known for asking for help, it was something he had always struggled with, but he noticed the strange bond of friendship Dante seemed to have with Spite and hoped maybe they could get through to him where he could not.

Oh, this was serious if Spite was pushing them out, Dante thinks to themself.

They nod and make their way out the patio doors and look around, wondering where he might have gone.