Dante Lot (unseen_miami) wrote in olympian_rewind, @ 2010-07-31 19:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | dante lot, hades, hephaestus, melpomene, melpomene smith, vadimas lugosi |
Who: Mel& Hades/Dante (With Vadimas/Hephaestus in the text portion)
What: It was bound to happen
Where: The Shadowlands, Miami
When: Recent enough
Warnings: (#) in the scene corresponds to the texts between Hades & Heph that occur during the scene in the comments. You’ll see
Ever since the news break about the threat to gangs in Mel’s little tragedy corner of town, she’d taken to spending most nights roaming the area and searching for whatever she could find. She simply followed her instincts, and more than a time or two crossed over the path of the unknown vigilante. Sometimes it was before they struck, sometimes as the cops were clearing it away. Either way, it only caused the muse to move on to another area, and seek out something else before heading home.
Tonight however, things weren’t going by as she’d planned. Then again, they rarely did.
Melpomene was following her senses almost absently around the space, until she found a tempting little corner. There was a fire escape on the side of an abandoned building that she could actually manage to get to the base of, and unless she was mistaken, there was something going on inside. The unexpected rattling of the old metal though was like an alarm, and shortly three guys were climbing out of a window and staring down at her.
“Hey, it’s that girl. The one who keeps showing up everywhere,” one of the guys announced as the others started to move down below. They moved quickly, jumping the last bit of distance and blocking the only exit path Mel would have had. As each landed, they started to take space around her, closing her in.
“I think you’re right. Little girl must be looking for some action, huh? Must be a little slow to not know when to run.”
Stopping in her steps, the muse only frowned deeply at the men. She almost questioned their intelligence, but realized there wasn’t much of a question. “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” she told them.
“You keep showing up, must be looking for something. We’ll give you something to look for,” one of them said as he grabbed her by the arm and forced her against the wall of the building.
Another of the men, dressed in red like the others, looked over his companion’s shoulder to her, “You don’t look legal but we ain’t in the business of that anyway... But you’ll beg us to let you work for us when we’re done...”
That was the words Dante heard as he looked down from the low roof top. Invisible, he had been looking for trouble... for someone to avenge and protect. The Shadowlands had gone a bit quiet since his last strike, since the newspapers had pretty much baptized him the Eradicator. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that name but it did have a good ring to it.
I
But looking down, he could see three men surrounding a young girl and it made brought his anger right up to murderous. The Latin Kings with their yellow colors and MS 13 with their own had back away lately but the Bloods clearly had not gotten the message.
But there was a civilian here. He couldn’t just kill them. And sadly, he wouldn’t get to condemn them, but Dante would work it out. First things first. He threw a rock at the one holding the girl to get him away from her and then leapt down. He was next to silent when he landed.
The rock hit him near perfectly, and he stepped back, looking to his companions as if they’d had something to do with it before looking up. Even as he stepped back, one of the others reached forward to continue to pin the girl. They weren’t about to give her up. He pulled out a knife and pressed it to her throat. “You scream, you die.” He grinned slightly, “but if you beg nicely, we might let you keep your tongue.”
Mel could only glare at him. She considered ramming her knee into the groin, but he’d stationed himself in a way that didn’t give her a clear shot. “You cut me, you die,” she stated in a low voice. But the words seemed to relax her, and she just shoved her hands into her pockets. “You’ve been warned.”
The others were glancing about, but seeing nothing, looked back to the jail bait. “You think that some hero’s going to come and rescue you?” The amusement was clear in his tone.
It took all of Dante’s self control and restraint not to reply “Yes”. All of it. 100% of his self-control. If he wasn’t actually super-human and divine he may have fallen short of the needed amount. However, the answer was indeed, yes. Slipping close, he moved in silence even though his heart was racing in his chest in excitement; he could almost hear his own heart beat thundering along with the laughter in his thoughts. If only there wasn’t a civilian... then he could truly make them pay.
Alas, saving a young girl and removing them from the city would just have to be enough.
But he had thought about what if there was a civilian... ever since his first strike, but especially since his reunion with Dahlia. He wouldn’t be seen being invisible.... for many reasons. So, he slipped through the group and when he reached the girl and stood behind her, his movements went from slow to rapid.
As quickly as he could, he put a sack over her head and pulled the drawstring as tightly as he could. It would probably be incredibly uncomfortable for her but he had work to be done before she was able to pull it off.
“What the fuck is goin...?!” cried out the one who had so bravely threatened to kill if she screamed. Dante grabbed the man’s own knife and grabbing the man’s shoulder and forcing his knee into the small of his back, the gang member bent in such a way to allow him to slit his throat like one butches a sheep. How he knew how to do that? He didn’t know. But he liked leading them to be sheep to the slaughter.
The gang member fell to the ground in a bloody heap and Dante was already tackling the next. This one had drawn a gun. That made him a priority. He grabbed the man’s hand and forced him to point to the other remaining gang member; he forced him to point at his own companion and pull the trigger, blowing a clean hole right through the other’s face.
Oh, how much effort it took not to laugh. So much. Dante was nearly biting his tongue to resist. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked to the girl again. She would be struggling to be free. No time to waste. He still held the man’s gun hand and he knew what he was going to do. He forced the gun to turn on the gang member himself and that was that.
Bang!
Dante shoved the man over and then fell back, watching. He wouldn’t go until the girl was free of the sack. Actually, he had to wait. Not only for her safety, but to write on the wall.
There was some swearing on the part of the girl as she suddenly found herself beneath the hood. As soon as her hands were released though, she was scrambling with the strings to loosen it and get free. The gun shots should have made her pause, to cower or somehow try to avoid them, but after such a long life, and various attempts to kill herself, Mel found the sound less frightening, and somewhat annoying.
Quickly she had the cover off her face, and the sight was clear before her. She leaned back against the wall and scanned the scene. Three men down. The hood had come out of no where, the attacker, her rescuer, must have been right next to her... Her thoughts went back to that moment, and the frown on her face became far more clear as she looked about the space. Of course she wouldn’t see him. Pushing from the wall, she bent to start to go through some of the pockets. “Didn’t have to keep it so clean on my account, Aiden,” she mentioned. “Surprised you bothered with the hood...” Lighter? A good one. She pulled it out from the gang member’s pocket and examined it.
Dante frowned as he backed away more, watching her with a mixture of curiosity and frustration. Why wouldn’t she move on, happy to not have been kidnapped and raped? Why was she talking about some man ‘Aiden” as if he were here? As if he were invisible... Uh oh.
His eyes widened as he continued to back up to give him room. But he thought his name was ‘Dante’... His nephew had said he had gone through more than one name. He pulled out the prepaid phone he had gotten himself and proceeded to text (1) his nephew. He needed answers.
And it was a painful for seconds as he waited them. Swallowing down a sigh, he shook his head at answer. Of course, he had used that name. Why wouldn’t he have? It did sound familiar to his ears but it sounded like it was missing syllables to him. Whatever. He had to confirm... Taking the phone, he snapped a picture of her and sent that to his nephew (2). The reply was faster but his response to it was no different. Of course, he knew her.
Amnesia was becoming annoying.
He would assume they were friends through the boy Zale. Why else he be friends with someone who looked like she should be in high school? Typing another reply (3), he approached her closer, but still held distance.
Maybe if he kept quiet, she would just go away and he wouldn’t need to deal with this, which made him frown. Not dealing with his friends was just depressing.
She didn’t bother to try to look for him, knowing well enough that if he didn’t want to be seen, he wouldn’t be seen. She took her time with the lighter, before shoving it back into the pocket. It was almost empty. She kept looking though, pulling out a wallet and looking at the contents within.
After a bit, the silence seemed odd, even for them. Pausing, Melpomene considered the situation. Then blinked. The silence now wasn’t the only thing odd of late in regards to Hades. She hadn’t had any texts with him, none of the late night boredom kills. And he knew as well as she did that if the guys had cut her, her threat would have been made good. She didn’t need a rescuer. Especially one who normally avoided being in the same space as her.
Slowly the muse straightened and lifted her head, looking casual, but also cautious. “You missed Helen’s birthday.”
And now she continued to address him. This time Dante did sigh as he approached her. Didn’t people know how to be rescued anymore? He could only help clean up the city, not teach proper etiquette being rescued, too. But as he glanced and texted once more to Vadimas (4), he understood some of this. She knew he was invisible and knew his secret.
Part of that made him shake his head. At a certain number of people, a secret was no longer a secret.
But he frowned at her statement. Missing Helen’s birthday.... He narrowed his eyes to try to understand, as he pieced logic together. If it was a birthday it was probably a child... probably a young one looking at this Melpomene... Damn, he had missed a child’s birthday.
Stopping before her, he whispered, “Sorry. Couldn’t go to it.... You shouldn’t be here.”
She shrugged, glancing to where she thought the voice was, then back down to the bodies. No reason to make anyone think she could actually be talking to someone. She frowned slightly, and looked up again to where he had been, clearly trying to piece something together. Melpomene didn’t expect Hades to actually go to the party, but she had expected at least some small card to give to Helen on his behalf, or from the twins, or even something he had Hestia bring by or that ‘magically’ appeared. To not give even a word was the odd part.
His second set of words made her consider a number of responses. She shouldn’t be there? She was in a pit of tragedy. He was the one who could have avoided her, or at least left before the Fates decided to act. “I think you’re a bit more out of place here than I am, [uncle],” she murmured, turning to look along the alley, and the now deceased gang members. “... At least, you were.”
[Uncle]? What kind of crazy devil tongue was the word in? And she said it like he should know it. Not remembering things was becoming frustrating but he pulled out the prepaid phone again and asked his nephew (5), taking advantage of his invisibility as he answered her question to not let on there was something the matter. At least he could answer the questions honestly.
“Am just tired of the entitlement these criminals and those worse than them think they have on places and people. If I don’t clean it up, who will? No one has?” he whispered so it didn’t seem like a voice was talking to her but then just the same took one of the dead men’s hats and dipped in their own plentiful blood as he painted on the wall the words “Gangs, Leave Now.”
He then dropped the hat and approached her once more, just in time for his phone to light up to his eyes. ’Uncle?’ It means, ‘Uncle’. How many nieces and nephews do I have? All adults, too.... And she’s my friend? he pondered, his thoughts racing. Family was only explained to be friends first when one didn’t have a good relation with their family or didn’t have many true friends. What a sad life he must have led...
“Niece,” he addressed her, mostly because he didn’t think he could get his tongue around the name ‘Melpomene’. “This isn’t the place I want you. Especially around the likes of them.” The last word came out as a slur.
Seeing his work with the blood on the wall, she stepped forward to give it a better look. Lightly she touched the edges, then took a half step back, giving it a critical once over. He’d called her Niece, in English. It was another tiny thing that was adding up in her mind about things that were off. “If people had their way, there would probably be only three places I’d ever be wanted. The theater, the cemetery, and shelters.” She shrugged and turned away from his work, glancing back to the bodies again.
She wasn’t bothered by the bodies. Dante wasn’t sure if he enjoyed that fact or not. He knew he certainly didn’t want her touching anything. He had gloves on. He was certain her words bothered him; they made him want to hunt down the latter two thirds of the ‘people’ she spoke of. But they had both spent too much time here. Now was not the time or place for this. He let his tone become firm in his whisper, “Leave here before the police come, Mel.” He used her name for emphasis but didn’t even try to say the whole name. “And please don’t come back here. Not while I’m taming it...”
Mel frowned at the mention of the cops. She could deal with it all, but she’d rather not. They asked many annoying questions, and really, there was no reason for it. She doubted that they’d question to much if they found her fingerprints on the lighter. She’d had the bag over her head, so what if she went through the pockets? Maybe she should vomit somewhere, make it seem like the scene was too much... But the idea of going that far to prove a point was just as annoying as the cops.
She started to head toward the entrance to the alley once more, shoving her hands into her pockets as she did so. “Want a partner for the night?” she offered. “It might serve us both best if you do.”
He watched as she headed to the entrance of the alley, judging her carefully. She was odd.... She had such a young appearance, but her eyes were aged and weary and yet, that very ancient weariness burnt with life. It sent a chill down his spine, like looking in a fun house mirror, and he shook his head. What was odder was she actually asked if he wanted a partner and implied that it would be a good idea... Maybe she had come along with him. Maybe she was a sharer of this part of his secret...
Even though Dahlia said he didn’t do things like this. His friend certainly wasn’t overly put off...
It made him wonder if he did patrol even before and just kept it a secret fro Dahlia.
With another sigh, he put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. “There’s only one thing I want from you tonight.... Can you pass something along to little Helen?”
She stopped at the touch to her shoulder, and stood still as he spoke. There was little point for the muse to turn and face him, though now she knew exactly where he was. She lifted her free shoulder in a small shrug. “If I say yes, will you tell me why you’re different?” It was most likely that even if he said no, she’d still agree, but it was the best opening she’d had, and timing was something that tended to be key.
Dante frowned. She knew? What gave him away? Was it the murder? Somehow he didn’t think it was the murder. “Walk away from this alley calmly. Go anywhere secluded if we must keep talking. Will follow. If we don’t need to keep talking, let me just give you what I want you to pass to her.”
Considering for only a moment, she gave the slightest nod, then started walking. She knew how those of this area walked, and seemed perfectly at home. Exact spot for where she was heading? She wasn’t sure. There were a few choices, but she wasn’t sure what he’d think about another alley, some closed up building, or a tiny park that almost went unused, especially at night. “Feel like a drive?” she asked in a low voice.
Now it was his turn to consider for only a moment. Hmm, well, he was probably done for the night. The late evening was about to give way to early morning. Not long ago it would have been the time he would have retreated back to the sewers, but now he had a house to go to. “Only if you head east and I get out where ever I want.”
“Fair enough.” Mel continued to walk, and cut over at the next block. Now she knew where she was going. Her convertible wasn’t that far away, at least, not by Mel’s standards, in a well watched spot. She’d considered asking Shadow if he wanted to come a few times, but instead decided he was best left at the house where he could do as he wished, and keep an eye on Helen as well.
The walk was silent between them, a simple scene of a young woman going somewhere in the early hours that would be well past any curfew, if such a thing legally existed, and was ever enforced. Once they reached the parking lot though, she glanced through all the cars, considering testing him. She was less likely to get answers that way. Pulling her keys from her pocket, the doors were unlocked. The top for the convertible was lowered, then she stalled by putting on her seat belt and adjusting the mirrors, giving him plenty of time to climb in before pulling from the spot and starting to head east, per his request.
Dante simply couldn’t help himself. When the convertible top came down, he leapt into the passenger seat right over the door. He landed in the seat and didn’t bother with the seat belt. Not only would that look ridiculous but he saw no point. If he survived a bullet, he would survive a car crash anyway.
“And away we go,” he whispered, leaning back his seat and kicking up his invisible feet on her dash. Ah, comfortable. It was good to lounge after a good, murderous night’s work. And while he didn’t know she had considered testing and forwent it, he had no qualms of doing so, “If you can. Head to my house but don’t go straight there. Don’t even go too close. Don’t want someone trailing us to there in the off chance.”
She considered and formed a path in her mind. A quick mental double check, and she gave a slight nod. It was hard to know entirely what he was planning, but she had a starting point and really, that was all she needed. “Do you plan to explain as we drive, or should I detour to the theater as a private spot?” She didn’t expect to exactly be welcomed at his home, and dropped it from the choices. If he said that was his plan though... well, she’d been there before, even if it did partly chase others from the house.
“Explain while driving. Am expected back so I don’t want to be too late.” If anything Dahlia should be pleasantly surprised him coming home early for his little outings. Though she would probably be asleep when he returned no matter the time. It was late... At least he hoped. He didn’t want her waiting up for him. “But first, why do you think something is different?”
“Because I know you.” Did he really want her to count off the small things that were different? If he did, she’d probably end up giving him a monologue that would last more than long enough to satisfy him. She frowned. “[And there’s only one other time you’ve willing come near me lately.]”
Dante sighed. There was that language again and he picked up promptly done of it. Maybe if he stayed in English, she would revert to it. For some reason, he was certain, confessing her had no idea what she was saying would not only be disconcerting for her but a definite confirmation that something was different about him. “But what was the main thing?”
“As I just said...” she started, then stopped, preventing herself from restating what she’d told him. She considered what it meant that he was asking again. A frown was clear on her face. Could it be someone other than Hades? There was the coolness, and the voice, and other small things did add up, but at the same time... It wouldn’t be impossible for him to be someone else.
Melpomene pulled over in front of a house, as if she were parking, and leaned back in her seat. To anyone bothering to look, she might look like she was just tired, or stressed. “What’s your native language, Aiden?”
I was just thinking about languages and then...? What the hell? Dante narrowed his eyes as his mind began to race, sorting through what had been said, how it had been said and her expressions. He grasped and sorted through everything in his head now, deconstructing all of them to bring out clues and hints. He had missed a sentence and then...
He quietly took out the phone again (6), finding all new reasons to love and be thankful for being invisible and quickly texted his nephew as he stalled, “What kind of question is that, Mel?” You mind-reader. Stay out of my head. The text reply was quick, another thing be was thankful for tonight. “Greek.” He continued to text, which was the only time he took his eyes off her now... suspiciously... And his nephew’s reply did little to ease that.
Now he was on further guard. “Maybe I should be saying something is different about you. Asking me questions like that.”
“[If you can not answer me in our native tongue, then why would I not think that something is different?]” she asked, the tone only a hint rhetorical as she did so. She was quiet and leaned back against her seat, closing her eyes, the picture of someone carefully choosing their words to answer a question. Partly because she was, and partly because she was picking out the details about what was so off about him.
“What’s so different about me being in a pit of tragedy?” she finally asked. “They don’t call me Melpomene as an acting exercise.” Now she sounded as though she had dropped her guard slightly, a teenager confessing about how hard they found life to be as they grew older. It was an easy role for her to slip into, a natural one almost, and one that let her continue to look for clues, while not truly giving anything of vast value away.
Dante rubbed the ridge of his nose in annoyance coupled with distrust. Vadimas said this Melpomene was his friend, an implication she was also his niece, but he was certain that even if he did have his memories, her answering questions with questions would be annoying. Her continued use of Greek? Vadimas said it was Greek, he just thought it sounded ugly... but the continued use of Greek was clearly a test, which he was also certain he would hate.
He boosted himself up and leapt back over the side of car, “No, Mel. When have I ever enjoyed endless cycles of questions: me, then you, then me... And more so, I don’t appreciate your testing me. Goodnight. Give Helen my love... That’s all I wanted you to take back to her.” He could feel himself all bristled and he breathed deeply to try to calm his distrust and anger, “And stay out of the Shadowlands. Don’t want you getting in the way again.”
“You don’t appreciate me testing you, and I don’t appreciate being treated like a child by someone who knows better.” She straightened and started her car once more. “You can’t keep me from my territory, [Uncle]. You might clear the gangs from the Shadowlands, but I’ll just build the tragedy up somewhere else.” Melpomene shrugged, and glanced before starting to pull from the curb. “And now seems like a good time to do it,” she mentioned. Hades’ words had struck far more of a nerve than she wanted to admit. If there was going to be tragic backlash, she’d find a good spot to release it.
There was something of how she straightened up, how she spoke her words... her veiled/unveiled quasi-threat to him, in her glance that made Dante consider that his actions may have gone from betraying that he was different to betraying her somehow. If she was who she said she was... And if she was, just because she started the betrayal by continuing in riddle, question and tests when he had offered clarity, didn’t mean he had to have ended it.
He moved around the car, confident that if she did hit the gas, he could just jump on the hood to not be mowed down and then was thankful for his speed when he quickly reached the driver’s side. Softly, he put his hand on her shoulder. If she was his friend, he was sorry. If she wasn’t, then he would remember all of this and be another crime to indict her for adding to the list of body-snatching, possible kidnapping and impersonation... along with veiled threats. “Mel, this is just important to me. Just want you and them to be safe, neither in the crossfire.” He touched her hair softly and eased away from her, “We’re all screwed up tonight. And there’s no fixing it now. Goodnight, Mel.”
She’d been about to hit the gas and clear the scene when she felt the touch to his shoulder. It gave her pause long enough to hear him out, then turn and look in the direction of the touch as he backed away. She gripped, then released the steering wheel, willing to let some of the quick anger slip away if he was willing to make an effort for it. She hesitated though, considering and dismissing words.
Even if she ignored how rare it was for them to be in the same space, she couldn’t think of a time that he’d ever brushed back her hair like. It still felt some like he was treating her far more as a daughter or youth, than a thousand year old niece. Normally a lot of their conversations weren’t with anger toward each other, but life in general. Their dislike of the world and how the Fates played them had been a common ground.
Realization hit her, hard, and she blinked several times, and dropped her hands into her lap as she almost collapsed into the seat. Somehow, the thought was a serious blow. Perhaps more that she hadn’t realized it first off. “You’re cheerful.” It wasn’t entirely the way she meant to phrase it, but it was close enough.
“Well, I was before this little mess we got ourselves into,” Dante easily said in reply, returning to the sidewalk. “It’s easy to be when you’re having a good night that you know people will appreciate your work in.”
She shook her head slowly and seemed to recover. He was happy, cheerful. How sad was it that his happiness was the oddity? “Let me know if you ever get bored or want a partner,” she mentioned, settling her hands on the wheel again. “[Enjoy your happiness, Uncle.] Tell the twins hi from Helen for me.” A small nod in the direction of the sidewalk, and she once more started top pull slowly from the curb.
Twins? Dante’s eyes narrowed as the word broke against her mind like the waves of the sea against the shore. He focused on that word for the moment, ignoring the fact that he missed even more of what she said, only picking out [Uncle] and only because he had learned it minutes before. “Will do,” he replied, keeping his voice both soft because he was invisible and deliberate to not reveal his ignorance.
And then he began to walk away. There would be no more talking. At least not to her, instead, he took out his phone and texted his nephew once more (7). He had been planning to return to Dahlia’s... but that was no longer happening. He had chosen against it when he had felt his anger build up while talking to Mel and the anger was built up again, fueled by new revelations.
And he was certain he wouldn’t get the answer from Dahlia. Women only didn’t speak of children for two reasons: the children were deceased or not theirs... And they clearly weren’t deceased so it was time to speak to his more impartial nephew.
Summary: Dante was patrolling the Shadowlands, his newly adopted domain as the Shadowlands Eradicator when he saw a damsel-in-distress. Unfortunately, the damsel was Mel. They both preceded to annoy and distrust either for a bit, while Dante used the magic of prepaid cellphone to have Vadimas help him cheat with her questions.