Getting things in order [Dante]

[Sophia Devonshire]

Sophia was nervous. She hated being nervous.

She hadn't seen Dante in two days, and that was very unusual, even before they were.. involved. She chuckled at that word. She really didn't know what she was thinking, she liked Dante.. but she was terrified that if her father found out, he would do something to him.

"Damn." She swore softly under her breath, causing the only other person in the room to look at her. Rose was her 'handmaiden' and a skilled fighter... so a guard, dressed like a handmaiden. Sure, she did the handmaiden type things as well, but really, she was there for protection. And she was completely loyal to Sophia. They had grown up together, and were very close friends as well. She had told Rose all about Dante, and Rose was happy for her.. if a little worried as well.

"Sophia, it's going to be fine. It will all work out." Sophia looked at Rose and nodded her head, hoping that Dante would arrive soon. She hadn't heard anything from him, and that made her agitated. She hoped he wasn't lying dead on a street somewhere. That thought made her heart skip and she began pacing the room.

Hopefully, he showed up with news of Shadowstalker. News that he had been put out of commission for good. She wasn't sure Dante could do this though, if he really was his long lost best friend. She knew that she couldn't kill someone like Rose, who had been close to her for as long as she could remember. She just needed some information, to get her thoughts in order. Plus, she had to report back to the captains soon to let them know about Shadowstalker and whether or not something else would have to be done about him.

She hated feeling like this. She wondered if this was perhaps sort of what her father was feeling, after losing her mother. Sophia didn't even know that he was gone, and she was still a nervous wreck.

She cursed again and flopped down on her bed, praying to the gods that Dante would arrive soon and put her out of her misery.

[Dante Blackrat]

Dante walked down the hall, a slight limp to his stature. He was on his way to Sophia's room. He had found Shadowstalker, but had let him go. He had to let him go. It was exactly who he thought it was. He wore nice clothing, as the captains had given him a break of a week since his parents had died. That and he was still in his disguise.

He had on a white long sleeve shirt, black pants, and black boots. He was clean and his hair was combed. It was clear he cleaned up so he blended in better with the society. That and he was finally seeing Sophia again. The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile. He finally came to a stop in front of a room with four guards in front of it.

The guards blocked his way. He was getting a bit annoyed now. "Tell the princess that Dante is here as she requested," he stated, his voice calm.

~~~

A guard knocked on the door. Dante Blackrat is here, Princess Sophia. He has requested an audience with you," he called. After a moment, an answer came. He gestured for the other guards to move out of the way and opened the door for Dante.

~~~

Dante walked inside the room and closed the door behind him. He looked around the room and saw Sophia and her handmaiden, Rose. He nodded to Rose and smiled at Sophia. "Good Day, Princess Sophia," he stated, bowing a bit. He felt odd not being in his armor, but he had to get used to it.

He stood up straight again. He had a new scar that ran down his face. It ran from his right eye, all the way down his cheek, down to his jaw line. Not only this, but he had a bruise on his left cheek and his bottom lip had been busted. It didn't stop him from looking friendly enough, though.

[Sophia Devonshire]

Sophia sat up, resting on the edge of her bed as she waited. This way, she would not pace... though, that didn't mean she didn't want to pace. She definitely felt like pacing.

Rose watched this all with an amused smile on her face. She knew just how the princess could be, and knew that she was thinking about this Dante man. She was glad that she was going to be able to see him again, though. They had spoken before of course, but now that the princess was involved with him, Rose was definitely going to have a talk with him.

The knock came at the door and Sophia bolted upright, standing there nervously shifting from foot to foot. Rose laughed softly and went to the door, answering it and nodding as the guard spoke, letting Dante through the door and closing it behind them, standing at attention at the door.

Sophia dashed over to Dante, but stopped before him when she noticed a few things. First, he was limping... and his face. She gasped softly as she moved her hand to his face, avoiding the scar but just touching him. "I'm glad you're safe, Dante.. but it looks like you had some trouble.." She paused, watching him with sad eyes. She knew that meant something had gone wrong with the meeting with Shadowstalker, and wanted to know just what happened.. but she didn't want to push Dante too much.

"Was it who you thought?" The words came out rushed, as if she were nervous to say them. She had hoped it wasn't true, but something in her gut said that it was. "What happened?" Well, obviously she knew some of what happened. There had been a fight.. but Dante was alive, and that was what mattered.

[Dante Blackrat]

Dante relaxed a lot when she touched him. He let his shoulders slack and his arms hung limply at his sides. He could tell that she was curious to know what happened, but he wouldn't say anything until she asked. He looked at Rose, unsure if she knew. Well if she didn't, she did now.

His eyes moved back towards Sophia. And then the questions came. "It was him. Vincent Hart is Shadowstalker," he stated, his eyes clouded with sorrow. He then shrugged a bit. "When he found out who I was, he attacked me. I, of course, defended myself," he began, leaning back against the wall.

"He handles a sword like a hawk handles its talons. He always hits the mark he aims for, unless blocked or dodged. He's swift and strong. He didn't use the sharp edge of his blade on me, though. Hed didn't want to kill me," he added, looking at her. He smiled a bit then. A small laugh came from his mouth.

"We only dealt wounds with the hilts of our blades or the dull edge. After a while he had knocked the blade from my hand and held the tip of his sword to my throat. He then sheathed his blade and he stated that he wanted to talk. So.... we talked," he stated, but he didn't say anything else.

He grabbed her hand with his own then. His eyes looked straight into hers. He smiled. It was a charming smile. A sweet one, showing that he cared about her. "He's not doing this because he wants to, though. He's working under someone, but he wouldn't tell me who. He can't run and he has to listen or he will die," he stated, clearly happy that it wasn't totally Vincent's fault.

"Vincent is gonna help us capture his.... employer. He's a good guy, Sophia. He didn't kill my parents either, someone else did. Someone posing as him. I know he's telling the truth," he added.