Description: Coming across Mimiru, a present pupil of Kain alone, Dante asks a few questions -- and goads a fight out, if at a later date.
The village district was your usual japanese neighborhood. A few appartment buildings, but not overtly. Most of them were in the business district, mostly. This was more a place filled with familial house, considering the proximity of Taiyo High and all. At least, that's where the Kasagi residence happens to be!
It's not a small house -- Yoko Kasagi manages to get a decent salary even if she's a single mother of two child. Yet the land around the house is pretty small and confined. It doesn't leave much place to run for Max, Mimiru's golden retriever. However, this room is hardly tradional for the japanese setting. Meaning that it's been affected by western style architecture when it comes to the way it's been built. One of the more recent house around, probably. Though it doesn't change the fact that there are still a few things that are pretty caracteristic of Japan.
It's late at night. Late enough for Mimiru to be home instead of out and about doing some school activities or anything of the like. Of course, after a day out, training or playing basketball, Mimiru's home to relax! Well... Almost, if it weren't for the fact that she has to do homeworks. Awww, the life of a student.
Clad in her 'sleeping gears', which means a worn out pair of boxers and an old loose top, Mimiru's in the living room, sitting on the ground and listening to some music while she tries to finish her japanese assignment. She hums her music out loud and Max stays near the front door, resting and guarding the house.
Nursing himself from the only actual defeat in his excursion at the hands of Ryuji Yamazaki, Dante has returned to the prowl across the cityscape for people whom are close to Jiro, through painstaking research and careful dissection of public fight records. In proper personal amusement, such is very short. Alma Towazu. Hotaru Futuba. Someone from a Dojo who seems to have vanished. And of course, his family members. Although Mimiru is another thing entirely; She is a former student of Kain, who also failed to meet his expectations. Despite the fact she is not his target in the same fashion as Jiro himself, it would of warranted a meeting regardless of the circumstance...
The approach towards the quaint house was overt. Dante had watched it for some time, many hours. It was when Jiro and Yoko left, but Mimiru remained, that he approached. The black clad figure, long sleeves fully covering both hands, makes no attempt to be stealthy. Loafered feet thud up to the front door, whereupon Dante merely raises a fist to knock.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk
Insistent but oddly dulled. A peculiar way for someone with potentially murderous intentions to instigate a meeting, to most. But his expression is politely neutral, body loose with no hostility if observed prior to opening the door. Whether she recognizes the dress as someone oddly similar to Kain Heinlein or not is another matter entirely.
Yoko has generally too much work to stay around the house much more than sleeping. It's a demanding job to take care of such a family and pay for all the expanses... And she has to do extra hours to fight crime in Southtown! As for Jiro, well... He is a stray, after all, so it's not like he's actually alone here much of the time.
When Dante approaches the door, Max notices someone's approaching. He gets a little excited -- it's always like that when people are coming over. He rises from his resting place and turns around some, barking a bit to warn Mimiru that some visitors are around. It's nothing hostile, really. It's just a dog's bark. The dog's tail is wagging, and it's enough to stir Mimiru from her deep concentration. "Hum?" She takes off the headphones, a porky in her mouth which she idly nibbles. She recognizes the dog's behaviour and Mimiru rises up to her feet, "Coming!" She shouts, hoping that whoever's on the other side will be patient enough to wait for her to come at the door.
The young girl makes her way to the entrance and she opens the door, glancing up at the taller man that's there. The door isn't open widely though, especially considering that Mimiru's more or less in her 'evening' gears, "Hello? Can I help you?" Mimiru asks. She might have noticed the strange similarity but... Maybe she's not making anything out of it.
"Ah. Mimiru Kasagi." Dante comments, with a respectful enough air. There's a smile creasing his sunken features, green eyes narrowing in a fashioned that combined is almost predatory. Both his arms remain interlaced before his shallow chest, offering a nod rather then any formal bow. He may have been born in Japan, but what true etiquette was learned happened on the streets and the rigors of Gedo High. Kain's own high society teaching has yet to sink in. "...I am an associate of Kain Heinlein. I would like to speak with you." Apparently revealing that he knows who she is, quite astutely. The barking of the dog doesn't appear to be bothering him to any large degree, gesture made in a whisper of long fabric with a forearm. "May I come in?" Her state of dress doesn't seem to be bothering him one way or another at the moment. Some warning bells might be going off, but Dante is anything but physically intimidating. Were Mimiru to be his size, they'd have striking comparisons -- frail and thin, although the younger girl would look hardly as sick. The rasp in his voice, almost a hiss like some cough in his lungs, is omnipresent.
Mimiru blinks, a little taken off guard by that. She didn't really expect anyone like that to be here. She frowns, a little suspicious, but after a moment, she takes a step back and gestures for the man to walk in. She takes the porky stick out of her mouth and says "Alright..." She simply answers. She lets him walk in, expecting him to at least take off his shoes if he's going anywhere further than the main hall, and then she closes the door behind him. Mimiru waves an hand for him to follow her toward the living room. "What do you want to talk about anyway?" She asks. Of course, Mimiru's wairy. You don't get someone like that paying you a visit, but not being nice would probably be more trouble than trying to talk things over.
As expected, Dante pauses to remove both of his loafers. His legs seem to flex unnaturally far in the motion, both placed with fastidious care to the side. Some customs he's aware of still, and that is one of them. Eyebrows do lift at the state of dress, but that seems to be the extent of Dante caring. Fluidly he strides after the significantly shorter girl, glancing around the living room. So this is where Jiro lives. Quaint, better then expected. Someone called a stray he had pictured in a hovel, or mayhaps simply curled up in whatever cardboard box he could manage to find. "Your brother." is stated, musingly. "Jiro is an old friend of mine. It has been many years; I happen to have once attended Gedo as well. I merely wish to know what has happened to him in the intervening time. And the regrettable failure to follow through with Kain-sama's teachings -- I came beneath my sensei after he had already left." Rather then sit on anything in particular, Dante folds inwards into a cross-legged position in the midst, crossing his arm. Max probably won't like him one bit, however; There's an aura of danger surrounding him, which might very well be what is putting Mimiru so much on edge. "Kain-sama believes you still have great potential. But your brother no longer has any..."
The golden retriever can feel things like that -- animals can sense auras after all. Though he knows better than to snarl at Mimiru's visitor. It wouldn't be hard for Mimiru to know Max's sensing something is wrong with him. They've been together for so long that they can, in a way, understand each other with only so little information from each other's body language. Than again, Mimiru's senses are pretty keen -- call it her sixth sense, but she's not really at ease either, even though this is her home. Or perhaps, mostly because this is her home and she has such a visitor in here.
Mimiru settles down on the other side of the living room, behind the small table upon which she had been working on her japanese assignment. "Is that so?" Mimiru asks, arching a brow, "I bet you two must not be on best of terms than if you followed after him.." A faint smile spreads on her lips and Mimiru tilts her head to one side, "Really? I'm pleased to hear that... I always try to do my best. Though it's obvious who has his attention..." After all, it's true that Kain has been giving her advices and let her learn more on her own than anything else, testing her from time to time. "And what interests you in my brother? Is he giving you any complex of inferiority or anything else? If Kain thinks such things, than he shouldn't really be of any interest to you, would he?"
"We did not attend Gedo at the same time, and are certainly from different eras. ...Jiro has not spoken of me?" The latter seems to already be confirmed, by both her response to seeing him and the statements thus far. He would have thought the Stray Dog to warn his sister of all people, but he was likely more intent and stubborn in his pursuit to track him down rather then anything else. So much like an animal; Only he left the nest alone... "I am Kain's present student. You may call me Dante. I have progressed far in his teachings..." One palm turns upwards, and a gout of purple flame comes into being. It looks the exact same color and texture as Kain's own, although it creates an odd hissing, like oil on a frying pan. And causes a wince of pain, before cutting off. Some sweat is dabbed from Dante's forehead with the back of a sleeve, and Max is given at best a wary look. "Ah... well, I want to learn about Jiro. His friends. His enemies. His state of mind. You are the one closest to him in this world, after all. What can you tell me?" Although still very polite and almost amiable, all of this is the lying of a serpent. That answering some questions might not be entirely optional Mimiru might know...
There's almost a slight hint of jealous in Mimiru's gaze for a moment. After all, seems like he's been chosen over her to be a student, but in a way, it's supposed to be a relief, isn't it not? "Nice..." Is all Mimiru says to his flame, but it doesn't really possess the kind of jubilation one might expect coming from pulling off such a feat. Mimiru folds her arms in front of her knees and the next question from Dante causes him to frown a little. Even if she can't really detect lies, a question like that is a little... Well, let's say... Unusual. Why would someone want to know things like that? With a grin, Mimiru tilts her head to one side and asks, "Why want all that stuff about him? You're a stalker or something?" She asks, "Jiro's a Stray and doesn't stay around at one place for too long. He doesn't really say much either, I don't think anything I could say could help you much, or actually enlight you some more.."
"It's my duty as Kain's current student to test the mettle of his old. To see my advancement compared to his. I am no fool; But patient and careful. To rush into a spar while knowing little more then tales and stories is a liability. You are who I thought could enlighten me most on his personality." Dante continues to speak in a perfectly reasonable fashion, postured while settled upon the ground almost meek. How strong he might be is questionable when the very fires he summoned seemed to cause enormous discomfort. But his green eyes focus on the minuscule girl opposite, almost drawing into a smile that's quite foreboding. "You do not wish to make this difficult, do you Mimiru-kun? You are... slightly valuable to Kain-sama. Merely answer all of my questions to the best of your ability and there shall be no incident." That was indeed a threat of some sort. And mayhaps an indication that her statue within Heinlein's estate... does not give her complete immunity to whatever this mysterious obsidian-clad facsimile of the Ankoku expert would opt to do.
"If you want to fight Jiro and know his fighting style before hand, you can always check up some footage of fights he pulled off on Sathurday Night Fights or something," Mimiru says, waving her hand about a little, "There's not much else I could tell you about that, really. At least, not much information that could really help you out with him," Mimiru says with a nod of her head. Mimiru extends her hand to take another porky stick into the box on the table.
"He's got a few friends in Gedo. There's always that blonde guy too... You know, the super model fighter? Yeah..." She hums and lifts her gaze up, "Aside from Kain, I doubt he has any other enemies... Heheh, and my poor brother really has no romantic life whatsoever. He just doesn't have it with girls, so it's never really gotten anywhere," She says with a shrug of her shoulders.
"I just said I did not come here asking about how he fights." Dante clarifies, with an air of exasperation and mild annoyance. He just said he was patient, after all! But the more this encounter continues, the more it seems Mimiru's not going to have the answers desired. Or at least, the capacity to answer them. Unduly hurting her would just add confusion, as opposed to clarification. Such an aggravating situation for the Ankoku disciple to find himself placed within. "I know of Alma. I suppose he might be a better man to ask these questions of, if he's as close as it might seem. ... And I am unsurprised his romantic life is non-existent." There's something of a derisive smirk there, that much is certain. With a deep sigh Dante languidly rises to his full height, shifting his shoulders in peculiar and silent ripples, ankles together and arms again interlacing. "Hmm." He sounds more thoughtful then anything else at this particular moment. "Then tell me of yourself. What has Kain shown you so far? You do not look the type with the... personality to excel in this manner of technique..." Yes, that was an insult, and by the tone not nearly as nice as he has been prior.
There's always been a common sort of liking by everyone just to throw random burns at Jiro when it comes to his romantic life. Alas, poor Jiro... He's going to be cursed with this it would seem. Mimiru's lips curl into a faint smile and she has to hold a chuckle from escaping her throat. She lifts her gaze as the man rises to his full height, figuring that he's gotten all that he wanted. She hasn't proven to be very helpful, perhaps on purpose, or perhaps because her ties with her brother haven't really been strong enough to be able to give any kind of helpful information.
"He doesn't show me much of anything -- I learn more on my own with his guidance..." Mimiru's lips curl into a wide grin and she lifts her hand up, letting flames spark up to life in her own hand, shining brightly, a pure immaculate white color, very unlike the one of Kain or Dante -- let alone Jiro while under Kain's training, "Being able to conceal what you're capable of is a good skill as a fighter. You'd be surprised at how much of an advantage you get when everyone underestimate you. It happens, even to the best fighters, really," Mimiru says, before moving her hand and extinguishing the flame by closing her hand.
"I know very well the strength of being underestimated. We both look to be weak. The difference is I am not an underdog, and what you see is at best a lie." Dante spreads his arms, allowing a better look upon his unhealthily lithe body. Although such is a contrast to Mimiru, who is naturally tiny as opposed to seeming afflicted with some chronic disease eating her alive. "But make little mistake. If we were to fight... You have absolutely no chance of success." This is flat fact, although underlined with a fierce bluntness to drive the point home. "Kain focused on me because of my potential. I am only beginning to find my strength. You... may never be more then that pitiful spark in your hands." A too-thin smile at this, condescending to say the least. "Be lucky Kain does not yet think you completely useless, Mimiru-kun, even if I can sense the reek of your weakness from here... I have no reason to try and force what I desire from you, were I to think you had the answers I sought. It would be akin to..." Another shift of his eyes to Max, the green flickering with some inner light. "...Kicking a puppy." And with that, Dante would turn his back openly towards the seated girl and begin to pad his way back towards the door, gait still impossibly smooth by all accounts. "Your brother will meet you soon and ask about me. I see no harm in revealing my plan. ...It is to kill Jiro Kasagi. Tell him ... I look forward to breaking him."
The statement is enough to cause Mimiru to snarl. She glares at Dante and her right hand clenches into a fist. She bites her lips and she just stares at him, obviously struggling not to just do something and keep herself cool-headed. "Right, whatever you say..." She says. Being called weak isn't something Mimiru particulary like, but if Chizuru taught her one thing, it's to fight when the time is right. And if she were to fight in her own house, she'd lose the most.
"I hope everything will go as smoothly as you say. Being over-confident doesn't help you either, you know that?" Mimiru tells him as he makes his way toward the door. She doesn't plan on saying him good-bye, and since he knows the way out and Mimiru won't need to force anything. She blinks though at the revelation of his plans and she just stays silent, staring at him. What could she say? Nothing more than a wise-crack, and even so, she decides to stay silent... The least she'll say, the better. She glances over to Max, and the dog whines a little. Mimiru smiles and she pets him, "Eh, don't worry, just some other guy full of himself.."
There's a slow stop as Dante almost reaches the door, turning to glance over his shoulder back towards Mimiru with a rather dark expression. "Overconfident, you say?" is stated, slowly and with careful dictation. "...That's hardly fair. You do not know nearly how strong I am." It looks like she might have already said too much, regardless of the fact there could of been much more. Twisting around, a few lazy steps are taken back into the living room, spreading his arms in an almost inviting manner. "Tell me this. Do you believe Jiro can defeat me in single combat at this moment?" That would likely be a hard sell. Although Dante said his frailty is entirely an illusion, that's only his own words. And being so careful might hint instead towards fear and lack of confidence, instead of the opposite. But if she wishes to wriggle free of a conflict, it's going to take precisely the right words.
"Who knows," Is all Mimiru says, "I haven't fought you -- nor have I fought Jiro recently. How can I tell who's stronger upon just mere looks?" Mimiru says, glancing up to Dante, "And fights aren't only just about skills, there's a part of luck into it and the situation." Mimiru lifts her gaze up toward Dante and she forces herself up and she stretches a bit, "Though this isn't my conflict -- and knowing Kain, if you're his pupil and you have your mind set on this, then there's nothing I could do to dissuade you from doing what you want, aside from killing you, and I have no desire to do that." Mimiru says. She turns her eyes away and seems in deep thoughts for a moment, "And if I were too much of a nuissance I'd probably be taken care of. Neither are worth the trouble, really..." She simply answers.
"Good luck on your 'mission'," Mimiru says with a snort, "Just don't take things for granted," She adds.
"Hah. You are wiser then I thought. It is true. You have no idea of my capabilities. And no influence on my course of action. Yet do not mistake my mercy. There are many merits to a conflict with you. ...You would have a better knowledge of my strength, which might intimidate Jiro to some degree. It would incite not only him but your own friends into deeper hatred, and the easiest way to find someone is for them to be searching for you. Lastly it would also prove to me, and to Kain, that you are a weakling with no future in his vision, and that he was /right/ to choose me." Dante somewhat lazily raises both hands to the ceiling, the long sleeves drooping down to the elbow and revealing an intricate sea of snake tattoos, coiling about his forearms. "So I will offer you this chance. Fight me, if you would like. I promise I shall not kill you, nor injure you unduly. It might allow you a better perspective in this world... And if you care about your precious brother, insights into my technique to pass on. Unless you are a coward; I'm certain Kain-sama would be pleased to hear about that." Dante remains standing, apparently intent on her response to the formal challenge. Which is far from irrevocable; All it would take is a 'no' and he would leave, of that there is no doubt. The only sacrifice would be Mimiru's pride.
There's no way Mimiru could actually say 'no' to something like that. Pride is one thing, that's for sure, and she's not going to let him go away like this. She risks nothing -- at least, nothing aside from finding out how strong he is and perhaps, like he plans to do, instil into her fear and doubt. Though Mimiru doesn't think about the later. There's no way of telling what he's capable of right now, and there's no risk to the fight, right?
"Very well than," Mimiru says, closing her eyes, "Competition's always healthy for one's progress after all. It pushes you to your limit every time. Though we won't fight here, obviously," Mimiru says with a nod. "If you wish to make it like that then, we'll fight at Kain's estate, this thursday," Mimiru says. In this fight, seems like both could win or lose big, especially if Kain decides to witness their fight.
"Tch. You wish to be humiliated in front of your own mentor? Fine." Dante states. He's patient after all, and it might he quite the useful 'blow' as it were to the tiny girl. "Then it shall be done. But I will not hold back in front of Kain. In this case... If you die, it will be due to your own weakness." And then he once more turns, flicking down his sleeves anew. Slipping into both loafers near the threshold, wry or smart commentary is no longer potentially threatening -- so assuming she does not opt to tackle him in her boxers, Dante would slip out the door without another word and shut it behind. He may have garnered more from this encounter then he initially anticipated...
Nope. She doesn't wish to damage her house. She might have not picked the best place for this fight to occur, but still. She glances over to Max who still whines and Mimiru's lips curl into a smile, "Don't worry, you'll be there for me, right? You're my guardian, beside, I've seen others situation worse than this one," Mimiru says.
Log created by Dante, and last modified on 19:39:35 03/23/2007.