After the rising sun in Solamente Asilo - Down in Dante's office

[_devil_inside]

Continuation of this thread.

Characters: Dante, Tony, Chase
Rating: Pg-13 (for language, of course.)

Comments

[silver_arrows]

Chase stepped towards the desk with a careful air, not wanting to break the unspoken truce that now stood between them. She took a seat across from him, looking over the desk at him with tired hazel eyes.

"I'm sorry." She began steadily. "The world's spun out of control and I've been trying to get in touch with you ever since. Communications have deteriorated so much everyone's basically isolated. I've been back periodically but you've never been here when I have. I thought you were avoiding me, just like the rest of the world. It hasn't been easy." Her gaze had traveled down to her hands, folded in her lap, but she now brought it back up on the hardened hunter across from her. "I haven't been able to stay in one town for more than a month tops. They always find out what I am and run me out. You know the feeling, I bet."

She ran a hand back through her hair, swearing quietly when she hit a tangle and pulling her hair from between her fingers. "I just want to find a place where I can be useful and not tossed out because of my blood. This is the first place I thought of." And I missed you. She'd never say it out loud, never let him have that much power over her. Too much pride. "Besides, something's going down. I can feel it."

[_devil_inside]

The same expressionless mask covered his face as Chase spoke. He'd had to use it so long it was now a reflexive gesture, one he didn't even realize he was doing. Blue eyes remained on the door as she spoke, looking right over her head. But he sighed quietly as she finished, shifting in his chair.

"Yeah, I know the feeling," he answered quietly. "I'm not exactly universally loved around here, either. Tony's allowed to stay because his skills are invaluable to the military, but his association with me makes him one step above a groundcrawler. If I didn't hunt the fuckers, they'd have my head on a mount above the communications center." He snorted dryly. "Damned paranoid humans, I fuckin' swear.

A hand bare of glove raked through tousled platinum strands, doing little to calm their disarray, and he finally looked at Chase. "I wasn't avoidingyou, Chase, but they don't allow me any damned respite. I stay in here eight hours usually, just enough time to sleep, eat and reload, then the rest of the time I'm outside, killing anything that moves." Blue eyes flashed then narrowed. "And I'm so tired of it!" he ground out harshly.

But he calmed his anger and pinched the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger. "You know I'd let you stay, but I don't run the joint, unfortunately. The Colonel'd have to have the last word, the whoreson. I'm sure Tony wouldn't mind finding you a cot in the shop, but Trenmont'd have to okay it." He paused for a minute, considering expanding on her last statement, but thought better of it. Not right now.

[silver_arrows]

"We're both tired of it, hon. I never get eight hours, and I'd say you were lucky if I didn't know enough to imagine you don't usually get the full eight either." She stood and wound her way to the back of his chair and rested a hand on his shoulder, knowing the weariness that permeated both of them wasn't only from lack of sleep. "I guess what I'm asking is for you to put in a good word for me with Tony, seeing as he doesn't like me much, so he'll convince this Colonel 'Whoreson' Trentmont of yours to let me stay."

She dug her fingers into his muscle briefly then let the digits relax, repeating the gesture several times with both hands. "In return I can help you with the work load, if you'll let me."

[_devil_inside]

Dante snorted. "A good word with Tony? Right. And the Colonel don't belong to me, babe. Trust me, I don't want anything to do with the man. But...I'llseewhatIcando," he mumbled, leaning back in his chair.

His muscles twitched at the unfamiliar sensation of a non-threatening touch, he nearly jerked away. But, recognizing it for what it was, sympathy and support, he just sighed and lifted one of his own hands to cover hers, giving the fingers a soft squeeze. "...there's other shit going down than just increased devil activity, Chase," he finally said, staring at the papers strewn across his desk.

"Things are happening, more and more strangers appearing here. Coming on caravans, some just appearing outta the badlands." A brow lifted. "Which makes no sense, considering the outlaying territories are no-man's-lands. Quite literally." He leaned forward in his chair, white strands falling over his eyes as he fiddled with the documents, trying to find some semblance of order in the chaos known as his life.

Knowing it was useless, he finally gave up and, with an exasperated grunt, leaned all the chair all the way back and propped both boots up on the desktop, lacing hands behind his head. "Tell you what. Find Tony and tell him I said I'd talk to the Colonel and for him to get you a blanket for the night. I'm damned tired and can hardly keep my eyes open." A spark lit those cerulean orbs. "And if Tony doesn't like it, he can come complain to me in person, if he'd like." But the slanted grin belied the threat.

A jaw-cracking yawn cut off his other orders and commands as he shook his head and waved her off. "Go'on," he slurred, head falling to his tricep. "I'm tired..."

[silver_arrows]

Chase smiled softly as the hunter slipped into dreaming. I should try this being nice things more often. It's not so bad. With another pat to Dante's broad shoulder, the huntress slipped silently from the room, thoughts of her own respite dancing around her brain.

She made her way back to the workshop to locate the skittish tinker. When a man hides, he usually does it among his toys. Tony, how predictable you are. Her lip twinged as she caught sight of Tony, sure enough, hunched over his work bench with a screwdriver and a couple of firearms.