And with the Early Dawn

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Dante Leonhart
 

And with the Early Dawn

Unread postby Dante Leonhart » Wed Jan 14, 2004 5:23 pm

(A friend and I were just warming up our Rping skillz. I wuz told this is the correct forum to place this. It is basically just a short thread composing of two different author’s posts, introducing the characters, I guess.)

The night had been long. Danté’s trek across the land had finally made him weary after more than a month of traversing on foot. The guns he hid underneath his long, red trenchcoat were finally beginning to feel a little heavy, not to mention the sword strapped to his back that was about as tall as he was. But before the yellow dawn had broken over the horizon, Danté had found refuge in a bar in the middle of the town. He was surprised the facility was even open, considering the hours of the day, but nonetheless, it was open.

Now, as the day began, he sat at a booth against the wall of the old, wooden pub, noting the truism the establishment seemed to follow. Not many patrons were coming or going that early in the morning, but before taking a seat, he had purchased a drink from the vendor.

He was tired, but not sleepy. He never really slept all the much. His own dreams usually kept him awake. Still, for just a bit of respite, the current bar he was in was not all that bad. Perhaps employment here was not out of the question.

He would ask after he had finished what he supposed was coffee in the mug he held.


Trouble seemed to be everywhere, these days. It was hard to find a good moment of serenity. That's what Kensu was hoping for as he stumbled into the bar, Nursing a hurt shoulder in the early morning hours. Kensu smiled politely at the barmaid, and asked for anything they had that would keep him awake, along with a good breakfast.

The barmaid stuttered as he came in. "A...Are...Are you ok?"

"Heh. I suppose I will be." Kensu smiled, as best he could, while replying. You couldn't blame the barmaid or anyone else for noticing him, as he looked like he had just been thru a rather big fight, his shirt in shreds, and scratches and bruises all over him, along with the faint smell of blood coming from what was left of his tattered clothing.

"A nice room and a hot bath would work good as well."

Fact was, alot of things just weren't going right now adays. In the past month, Kensu had been through several fights, losing whatever friends he had, a country he had just gotten accustomed to was annihilated, and to top it all off, just now, 5 men tried to mug him, somewhat unsuccessfully, but had managed to rough him up.

He grunted as he noticed the strange white haired individual on the other side of the room. A look of surprise went over his face, clearly noticeable by the stranger. Kensu quickly tried to conceal it, but to no avail.

Woah....Deja vu.


Danté had worked away at perhaps a good half of the liquid in the mug he was consuming. Whatever had been percolated to create the drink was not filtered well at all. He could feel the grain of what he still assumed to be coffee as he downed sip after sip. The taste was bitter, but it was overcome by the high amount of pure sugar that went into it. Overall, he decided it was, at least, good enough to finish drinking. His consumption of the ‘coffee,’ however, was halted momentarily when he saw a rather miffed stranger walk into the establishment.

After watching the new patron leave dusty prints on the wooden floor as he walked in and sat down, Danté simply shrugged the stranger aside. They were about the only two patrons in the bar at that point, and Danté preferred to rest at that point rather than strike up a conversation with the stranger. Besides, he made it a point to not converse with strangers who walked into bars bleeding from what appeared to be a pretty good beat down. Of course, it was obvious the stranger had won whatever skirmish he had gotten into, as he still had potentially valuable items on him when he walked in. If he was being mugged… then the muggers did not succeed, and if someone had been out to kill him, then obviously, they had failed.

Danté gave the stranger no more than a sidelong glance before returning to his drink, but just as he was about to take another sip, he was interrupted by the rather astonished look the stranger seemed to be giving him.

Setting his drink back down on the table without taking a drink, he simply glower a blue-eyed glare at the stranger for a moment longer, and silently wondered to himself:

What the hell are you looking at?

He nearly decided to just ignore it, but Danté had not received that type of glance before. Sure, there were threatening glares that he had ignored in the past, and even the curious looks, worried looks and lets not forget the who’s-your-tailor looks. But the look that stranger was giving him actually made him a little more than curious.


Kensu caught himself in a full glance by now, still unable to look away. He finally noticed the man giving him a discernibly obvious "wtf are you staring at" look, and tried to conceal his surprise.

That man looks too similar to him to even be real.....

Kensu tried to politely smile at the barmaid as she brought him some coffee and breakfast, and tried to ignore the piercing, ice cold blue eyed stare.

For God's sake, I hope I didn't do something to piss him off like insult his mother, or kill his brother. Lord knows, I'd hate another fight, I'm just trying to eat breakfast.

He whispered to himself, or rather, so it seemed. "Block my thoughts Ixion. That man's just making me paranoid."

A lightning bolt flashed out of nowhere through the sky outside. Trust me Kensu, Deja vu doesn't describe half the vibes I get off this man, you best be careful., Ixion thought.

The piercing cold stare was even more noticeable by now, as Kensu tried to shrug it off and eat his breakfast. The coffee here was lacking, as he decided, and they really didn't know what a filter was, but the eggs were just unparalleled. Even still, the hair on the back of Kensu's neck was standing up and a shiver went down his spine. He finally got to where he couldn't take it any longer.

"Barmaid!" He said, motioning for the barmaid to come to him. "Do me a favor, love, " he said with a wink. "Find out that man's name."

Kensu only hoped he hadn't gotten himself into more trouble.


Danté sat there, mug of warm ‘coffee’ cradled between his hands, as he stared at the stranger’s back. He wasn’t really glaring - so much as he was trying to determine what that person was up to. The clap of thunder that seemed to resound just after the stranger turned his back was more than curious. Naturally, this put him on guard as it was all too obvious who had caused the supernatural phenomenon. After a few moments, though, Danté returned his attention to the drink he held and decided he should finish it before it got cold, because once it was cold, then there was no longer any reason to drink it at all. The morning air was still pretty chilly, but he doubted that was the reason the stranger seemed to be getting chills.

…I didn’t do anything, Danté thought to himself.

There were several possible reasons why he might have been getting a reaction like that from the stranger, but he doubted all of them. Still, within his thoughts, he debated all the potential motives a person might have for following him to a bar, getting beat up and blowing their cover by gawking at him. Certainly, it wasn’t the outfit that caused the stranger to react, and perhaps not the sword. The guns could not even be seen beneath the long trench.

Blinking, Danté was suddenly snapped from thought as one of the employees of the establishment walked over to his table. Keeping his hands clasped about the mug, elbows resting comfortably on the table, Danté looked up at the seemingly intimidated barmaid. He stared up at her for a good moment as he waited for her to inquire.

“……Excuse me, sir…” she interrupted his thoughts, but no reply came from Danté, as he waited for her to explain the interruption, “……The man at the bar would like to know your name……”

His glace shifted from the barmaid to the patron at the counter. He remained silent as he pondered the stranger’s forwardness, but after the moment had passed, completely changed the subject, altogether ignoring woman’s inquiry.

“…If the manager of this establishment is awake…” he said, his voice quiet, but firm enough that perhaps the stranger might overhear, “…I would like a word with them.”

His thumb snapped from beside the mug and a coin flew through the air, landing directly into the barmaid’s palm.

“…That should cover the drink and the tip…”



His fist clinched around the fork as he overheard the man.

"Ixion.." He whispered, "That man's toying with me,or something is not right."

He said it well loud enough for the stranger to hear, even being soft as it was.

Taking a sip of the coffee, he finished what was left of his eggs and started on the toast. A bit overcooked, but hey, why else would it be called toast. He decided he wouldn't look at the man anymore, because by now, both of them knew something was not right. He looked down at his leg, and cast a cure spell on it while the barmaid wasn't looking. Kensu smirked and muttered, "Those guys were jokes compared to the Tyren. I hope I run into em again."

He shivered at the thoughts of the Tyren. Memories flashed before his eyes, as he watches as Squall was overpowered and ripped to shreads by them. He watched too as Tyrus stood helpless, dieing ever so slowly. He watched as Squall sat dying , in a brutal massacre. He remembered him screaming. Not for help. Not in agony. More like a battle cry, as he managed to slaughter 4 of the 10 on him before he collapsed.

Kensu shivered, and whispered to himself. "I'm sorry, Squall..."

He snapped back from the daydream, or nightmare, as he considered it, and raised his arm to the barmaid asking her for some more coffee.


Before the barmaid could begin to turn toward the patron’s stool, before the stranger could finish signaling the barmaid over to him, before the mug of coffee could spill onto the ground, Danté had, in a single bound and silently, leapt from the booth he sat, drawn a single, silver-plated magnum and aimed it so close to the back of the stranger’s head, that he would have felt the barrel pointing at him.

Danté’s gaze was now something fierce, and the seriousness he now bore was unrivaled by his previous expression. His tone was cold, calloused and unmistakable, and his questions, if not answered precisely would obviously be met with fatal consequences.

“…I’m only going to ask this one time…” Danté stated matter-of-factly, just as the mug of coffee he was drinking spilled from the table to the floor, “……Who the hell are you… and how do you know that name…”

It wasn’t really a question. More like a demand.

Great. Just Freaking Great. Why can't I for once have breakfast in peace.

Kensu spun nonchalantly on his barstool, until his face was pointed right at the gun. He stood up, and, seeing as how he didn't really prefer to have a gun to his face, pushed the man's arm to the side.

“ What name, Squall?" Kensu frowned. "He was an old, old friend of mine, we were both SeeD cadets. I watched him die in Hyrule, and could do nothing about it." Kensu cringed, still blaming himself. "Nothing. I fought through four Tyren, but he had ten on him.... and I couldn't get to him in time, i watched them tear him to shreds."

"Who are you, and why are you listening to me. Come to think of it, is there a reason I got a freaky sense when I saw you?"


Obviously, Danté didn’t trust whoever this person was. He had never seen them before in his life, and all of a sudden claiming to know his father certainly didn’t do much to instill any kind of trust. As Ivory was pushed to the side, his opposite arm came up and held a second gun to the stranger’s face. This time, though, Danté’s aim was steadfast.

Danté wanted to know how this person might have known about his father’s past, or how he was present during that final, horrible night, but knowing any of that wouldn’t bring back his father, or bring him any closer to the one goal that was left in his life.

“……Where did the Tyren go.”

No question mark, because like before it was not merely a question.


Kensu stood there, not phased by the gun pointed at his face. Granted the man was serious, but he had faced death before, and this wasn't phasing him.

"The Tyren are gone. They left. Dunno why. I figured they would have came after me, but the demon that controls them made them leave." He paused.

"I still am not sure why. But apparently I wasn't their target that day. I lost my friend, my pride, and not to mention my blitzball" He grumbled, seemingly affected by the blitzball as well.

Kensu smirked. "You look like him. Except taller, and with white hair. That's why I gave you that look. Who are you?"

He smiled at the barmaid, and handed her her money, and her tip. "Sorry for disturbing you mam. The food was wonderful," he said with a wink.

"If you're going to get violent with me, do whatever, I really don't care. But don't do it in here. Or if we want, we can set down and discuss this in a civil way."


Danté swore silently as he slowly holstered the weapons at his side. This stranger did not know where the Tyren had gone, but his presence at least gave him hope. Danté had been tracking the beasts for over a year at that point, and the trail had long since gone cold, but it seemed as though this stranger was also looking for them as well. If a year later their paths should collide on the same search, then Danté knew he had to at least be moving in the right direction.

Without so much as offering an apology or any sympathy for the stranger’s loss, Danté took a seat at the counter next to the stranger, placing his elbows on the table as he gaze down at the wood. He debated discussing anything with the stranger, but if they were looking for the same thing, then maybe it would be worth it.

“……Danté,” he replied simplistically, pausing long before he continued, “……… Squall was my father…”

Turning to his right, he glanced at the stranger with the same glare he had when he was holding the weapons to him.

“…Now, tell me… …How do you know him…?”


Kensu nodded. "It makes more sense now. Did anyone ever tell you you have his temper?"

He sat back down at the table.

"I told you before. he was a good friend of mine. We were both SeeD cadets together. We trained, and fought along side each other. And we both wound up in Hyrule."


Danté had been told several times how much he resembled his father in every aspect, but he almost always shrugged it off, as most of the time, it was in some kind of condescending manner, which he never appreciated. Still, this stranger, who still had not replied with his own name, was probably his last real hope of finding the Tyren.

“…Yeah, whatever…” he answered, looking back at the grain.

He did not see any reason not to trust this person. But on the other hand, he didn’t really see any reason to trust them either. All they had told him were things everyone had already known about Squall. The training in SeeD and whatnot were things, that, of course, he couldn’t verify, seeing as how he had never been to Balamb or even seen a ‘Garden.’

He glanced over at the barmaid as she began to clean up the coffee that had spilled.

“…What are you doing here?”

If the stranger was still looking for the Tyren, which he also had yet to verify, then they shared a common interest.


Kensu smirked. "Sorry, I forgot my manners. My name's Kensu."

He paused. "So if you're his son, was Dark your mother?"

He looked at the barmaid also and smiled. "I can still remember the exact spot on Death Mountain where he died. And where i buried him, his gunblade still sits above the grave. Or at least, it did before I left. I'm still in search of the ones who killed him."


Danté’s head snapped around from the barmaid to Kensu, his glare returning to his appearance. Obviously, he had once again become irate with something that had been said, and, as always, let him know about it rather quickly.

“…Look, I don’t want to talk about my damn family,” he snapped back, “…I only want to know where the bastards are the murdered them. If you don’t know… … …”

He stood up, pushing the stool back into its place as he stepped back.

“…Then, I really don’t care what else you know.”

He turned his back to Kensu, glancing back at the barmaid, who had at that point, completely removed the signs of the spill. Danté only turned his back though, he did not walk away, per chance that Kensu actually knew where the Tyren were.

“……I asked for the manager,” he stated coldly as the barmaid walked by to return the used mug to the counter for cleaning, “……I’d appreciate it if you would go see if he’s available. Now, please.”


Kensu glared at Dante.

"I too have been tracking the tyren. Ixion told me they passed through this area about a month ago. I came here hoping to find them."


“…………”

Danté turned around again, ignoring the establishment’s employee as she scurried off to find the manager.

“A month ago?”

That didn’t sound right. The trail had grown far too cold for it to be a mere month since the Tyren had passed through. Especially, considering their size and … demeanor. As Danté turned to face Kensu once again, he took a step closer, wondering if this person had the motive to lie to him.

“…Don’t screw with me,” Danté threatened, “…A force that size could not have moved here within the passed month without leaving any traces that would be gone in a month… Who the hell is Ixion, and how the hell would he know that?”


“Apparently they did not come through the city, because it's denizens are ok. Ixion said anywhere from 1-5 months. But I dunno. None of the citizens seem to be affected, so perhaps we're on the wrong trail."

"However, I got this in the last country i traveled to, so i can only assume."

Kensu handed him a notice.


Quote:

Notice: Reward
For Anyone who manages to capture/kill the beast(s) that have been killing our hunters. We have not seen one yet. Loud screams have been heard just before their attacks, and everybody we have found has been shredded by something with razor sharp claws. The bodies oddly enough weren't used as food or anything. Something just killed them to kill them and we do not know what.





From the way I figure, this is the next place they should pass through, unless they doubled back, but I don't see how...


Danté gave Kensu a quizzically glare, still unsure as to whether or not he could trust this person. Cautiously, though, he took the parchment that was handed to him and looked over it in detail. Simply by the writing, he could tell it was from another country, and it seemed to be a little worn from a few months’ journey. But what was described upon it was unmistakable.

It was almost without a doubt, the Tyren.

“…They didn’t double-back,” Danté retorted, wryly as he returned the flier to Kensu.

There was no way a force that size turned around without running into him. Sadly, though, there was no way the Tyren even knew he was after them, and therefore, were not attempting to avoid him. It was just that he was so far behind on their trail, that it was quite possible that he wasn’t on the right one anymore. The fact that Kensu had a parchment that probably explained otherwise did not do much to bolster his confidence, however.

“……Why do I have to ask everything twice with you?”

Danté paused for a moment.

“……Ixion?”


"Did you see the lightning bolt earlier?" Kensu pointed outside, as the lightning bolt crashed again.

"That's Ixion. He's my guardian force, an elemental beast. He won't come down now, as we'd rather not start a mess with the locals."

"And yes, I know the couldn't have doubled back." His eyebrows creased. "Which is what concerns me, Why has this place not seen any of them?"


Danté shook his head, realizing that this time, he had legitimately lost the trail. Naturally, the thought made him curse under his breath, and his temper certainly wasn’t any better because of it. He practically destroyed the chair when he sat down in it again, quite upset at his new realization.

“… Because … I’ve lost their gd trail…” he muttered amidst the swearing under his breath, “…No one’s heard of them because they didn’t come this way…”

Silently, he began recalling the path he followed to get here, thinking of all the possible locations where they could have turned off… but nothing he recalled allowed any such possibility. All he could do was sit silently and stare at the table … again.


Kensu frowned. "I agree, I'm not sure how they escaped, but i'll be danged if I'm not going to find out."

He walked outside, to Ixion, who was waiting around the corner.
"I'm going looking for them. I'll let you know what I find."


Danté glanced around the now-empty bar, quietly.

“……Great,” he muttered, “……Now where’s the manager……?” <p><div style="text-align:center">Image</div></p>Edited by: Dante Leonhart at: 1/14/04 5:27 pm

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