fh_trips | Necker Island, Thursday, February 23, 2017 [morning]

"And you haven't even seen the axe yet," Dante said.

He was smiling, he realized. He'd had to process a lot lately, but he hadn't really had the chance to just be-- delighted about all this weird new shit with anyone.

He worked his way up her arm onto her shoulder, enjoying the warmth of her skin and the occasional interruption of scale.

"You got an axe now, too?" Ada, don't pout. "Where th' hell'd you get that? I wanna see your axe!"

"An axe and a scythe," Dante said. "Arbiter and Osiris."

He grinned. "I'd have to get up."

"You can get up in a moment," she replied, shaking her head. "First, tell me what other new tricks you got up that sleeve of yours that you forgot t' tell me about. Jump-flying, new toys..."

"That's mostly it," Dante said, digging his suntan lotion-stained fingers into Ada's back. "There's the grappling hook, too."

That felt nice, and Ada made a happy sound. "Oh, just a grappling hook," she teased, glancing at him over her shoulder. "You know, if'n you figure out th' whole how t' actually fly, you better figure out how t' take me on a tour."

She loved heights.

"Hey, maybe you can ride on my back," Dante said, half-teasing, half-serious. He pulled his hands away before he could go entirely over PG-13, but it was a near thing.

Ada snickered. "Me ridin' piggy-back while you fly through th' air with ease," she giggled, making a swooping motion with her hand.

But he was stopping and wait, why-- it took her a moment for her brain to process, and then she was laughing at herself. "Sorry, I forgot," she admitted, laughing as she reached around to retie her top. "Here, hand me that bottle, an' I'll do your back up while you tell me about these new toys of yours. Gimmie an idea b'fore you start showin' off."

Dante grinned, passing the bottle on back to her. "Hey, I'm happy to pick up where I left off when we get show and tell out of the way," he promised.

She leaned in to brush a quick kiss over his cheek before she moved to settle behind him. "I'll keep you t' that," she promised, putting lotion on her hands and starting to work over his back.

She didn't bother to stop and reach for her shawl, or pull her hair down. The sun felt too good, and she didn't feel self-conscious about them around Dante.

Dante'd think it was a bad thing if she did. It was nicer when Ada could just be herself.

"At least now I know what that mark stands for," he said, half-joking, as she touched his back.

"You mean b'sides 'badass'?" she said, tracing it with her fingers. "You remember it all, or is it still comin' back?"

"Still filling in some of the blanks," Dante admitted. "Might be a while. But that's my personal family crest... it's my sword. Vergil's got his own."

Ada frowned thoughtfully, digging in to work at some of the knots in his back as she went. "In th' park, with all th' art. I know I saw your tattoo on th' wall at some point. What does Vergil's look like?"

"A lot like it," Dante said, "Just... a little more complicated, I guess? His has got like, branches or something."

Ada hummed thoughtfully, using the lotion to sketch out a sword on Dante's back with branches and vines growing from it and entwining around each other. It probably looked nothing like what Vergil's did, but it was fun.

"Yours does look like Rebellion, with wings," she decided. "Our flying, rebellious, Dante."

"What I really wanna know, though," she continued, wiping away her art to smooth it into his skin. "--is how th' heck your daddy put magic swords in babies."

Rebellion was big! It wasn't going to fit in an infant!

Her hands were nice. Even when she was using them to make art out of him.

"I dunno," Dante said, half a laugh in his voice. "'s not like I can feel it in there. I think it's more like... magic maybe? Stored in some other place?"

He liked it when she made art out of him! Though admittedly, usually it involved more edible glitter and nudity.

"Huh. Magic is strange," she mused. "Your new toys work th' same way, 'm guessing?"

"Pretty much. Though I think they're fused to Rebellion," Dante offered. He rolled his shoulders. "Wanna see now? You're gonna have to let go for a second."

Ada patted him on the back. "Show me what you got, then," she challenged, scooting back a bit so he could get up. "If'n it's as cool as you make it sound."

She wasn't above egging him on, no.

"Yeah, yeah," Dante teased back, as he rose fluidly to his feet.

The mark on his back began to glow. For a moment, it was the familiar shape of Rebellion that coalesced into being; then it twisted, became heavy and red, the intricate artful swirls that decorated the blade almost too delicate for an axe that deadly.

Dante reached back and plucked it off his back. Arbiter was heavy in his hands, but familiar.

Ada yelped in surprise as Rebellion shifted and changed. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, when Dante said he thought they were fused to Rebellion, but it wasn't that.

"You an' your big weapons," she said, shaking her head. "'S that...what were th' names? Arbiter or Osiris?"

"This one's Arbiter," Dante said, giving the axe a good twirl. It sounded heavy as it hit the sand. "It packs a mean-ass punch."

"I'll take care not t' get in punching range," she laughed, shaking her head. "I don't think I could even pick it up, it's huge!"

"Pretty heavy too," Dante agreed merrily.

And then, because he had bad impulse control, he slammed the axe down, flooding it with some of his energy. It kicked up sand everywhere-- and then a red, spectral version of the axe shot forward, causing more sand to explode forward, like a destructive pebble gone skipping across the beach.

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

RE: Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches

Re: Beaches