High Hopes in Velvet Ropes

"Dante."

Dante looked up from the magazine he had been reading. "Lady. You again." He flipped to another page before yawning. "Something you need or another bill with my name on it?" He raised his legs and placed them down on his desk, leaning back in his chair. "Either way, I'm not interested. Go pay off your own bills. I barely have enough to keep Devil May Cry running, much less pay for another dress you can't afford."

Lady took out a thick document of papers and slammed them on the desk with a loud thud. "You got an assignment. Recent reports say unexplained earthquakes and sudden deaths occurred in this very city. People being lifted off the ground and torn, diced to shreds as incidents rise. Strange thing is, it's not demonic and patterns of causalities happen during broad daylight. Unusual for demon activity, you know? What ever this is, nobody can see them."

"Huh," Dante flipped to another page, already bored reading it and beginning to glance down at the large amounts of paperwork. 'Then why aren't you and Trish handling it this already? You two are big girls, don't need to ask for permission, just go and kill it."

She crossed her arms, "Our valued customer requests for you and you alone. Don't ask why, I have no clue. Trish has been out of town lately, no idea where she could've went."

"So much for employees in this shop, they keep running off when you need them," he muttered. To Lady, he said, "Let's hope our customer is feeling a little generous when I finish the job for them."

"As I heard, big cash, trust me," Lady assured. "An offer you can't refuse. Enough for you to finally pay that debt you owe and the bets you lost to me. 'I owe you's' don't cut it anymore, girl's gotta make a living. Maybe after this mission, you'll have some money left over to buy this dress I saw today."

"Not a chance," he closed his magazine shut, rising out of his chair. "Just enough to get you off my back about that. Nothing more. Whatever's left is mine." He made it clear by hooking a thumb to himself.

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do with the rest of the cash? More pizza and strawberry sundae parties?"

"No," he checked his guns Ebony and Ivory, carefully reloading them and strapping Rebellion to his back. "A new TV would be nice for a change."

Lady rolled her eyes. "Men…"

"Don't blow up anything while I'm gone."

*~*~*

"Heh, so this what Lady was talking about earlier." Dante remarked, taking in the raging chaotic atmosphere of crumbling buildings, cracked pavement, and flying automobiles as people scurried off to safety. Statues, fences, and whatever looked unrecognizable in its current state now, lay in havoc like toys from child's play.

Ironic that the news announced today would be sunny and no occurrence of natural disasters anytime soon. Not a single breeze in the sky and the sun was shining brighter than usual. Something supernatural is definity at work.

"Damnit, why can't I see them?" He squinted, frustrated as he scanned over to his left and right. Nothing.  He dodged just in time when a car was about to hit him. "What the Hell is going on?"

*~*~*

"The end!"

Dodging in mid-air over Beloved's giant axe, she laughed cruelly as time froze at her will. She bashed the angelic being's brains out when the hair surrounding her body withdrew into her final attack. She put a survivor out of its misery by stomping her stiletto gun heel at its heart. Her hair receded back into its leather-like catsuit.

Landing perfectly on her feet, she sighed at the small quake shaking beneath her. "I was hoping more of a chal-" Something caught her eye. Make that someone.

A silver silhouette of a man that appears to be standing in one spot, watching the entire battle. How long has he been standing there? Why hasn't he run away like the other humans? Must be the city's fool.

Can he see her? She shook her head. No. He's human or looks like one. Now way he would be able to see her unless she allowed herself to be seen  by the naked eye. Maybe he could sense her presence somehow…

She approached the strange man. He doesn't dress like the other residents of this city so he may not hailed from here. The man was tall, slightly taller than her, clad in a red coat and a large two edged sword draped on his back. Clear fearless eyes and stubble of a beard along his jaw line, he didn't appear older than she does. Since when did young humans bear white hair? Such an unusual trait but then again, she's not human herself and lacked knowledge of them. Hmm… Wait, is this man a Demon Hunter? Demons often spoke of them but it hasn't been explained to her. All she's supposed to do is kill angels.

She could disarm him easily with one hand behind her back. Scratch that, make it just one finger. That'll be all she'll require to take him down.

An ebony pistol greeted her in the face from his hand followed by an arrogant smirk on his face. "That's a lovely perfume you're wearing."

The statement caught her off-guard as she stumbled on a double take, gritting her teeth. Damn him! Can he really see her? Or did her spell wear off? No… She assumed wrong, this man isn't as dumb as she thought. He's sharp and surely something more than just a human, she'll give him that for now. She smiled, adjusting her glasses before taking her gun and holding it beneath his jaw. Don't fuck with a witch.