Dante slowly opened his eyes, and before his mind could form any thoughts, a sharp pain assaulted his head.
It has been a while since he experienced such a headache, and it was easy to guess why.
'This is why I hate alcohol…'
[I find that statement doubtful.] A voice sounded in his head, making things worse. [Your alcohol consumption seems to have increased as of late.]
He hated that part as well. Alcohol was never his thing, but lately, he has been drinking more and more. That wasn't the only thing he had been doing, too.
He felt something tighten around his waist, prompting him to look down. Seeing the ball of purple hair resting on his chest, his face scrunched up. He checked the clock in the corner of his vision, learning that it was nine in the morning.
With his head throbbing with pain and his body entirely exhausted, Dante felt no urgency to get up. A part of him hoped that he would drift back to the dreamworld, but it was a little late for that. A few minutes later, he pried himself away from the sleeping Rose and went to take a shower.
Last night was a wild one, and though he hated to admit it, sleeping with the purple-haired woman did wonders for him. Though he couldn't tell about his mental state, most of the stress weighing him down had been relieved, and his nerves were no longer high-strung. It would have been much better if his head hadn't been about to explode.
[Dante, I have a question.]
'What is it…' Somehow, Dante felt like they had gone through the same exchange before. 'And keep it down. My head hurts…'
[Yes. Understood.] Volcan replied in a whisper.
Sighing, Dante entered the shower. They were staying at the same place they had hooked up in last time, so the layout was still familiar. Just as he was about to start the water, his resident AI hit him with an unexpected question.
[Will Ms. Violet Rose bear your offspring?]
Despite the shower area being as dry as it could be, Dante almost slipped, forcing him to hold onto the wall.
'I won't even ask where you got that idea.'
[Please pardon me if the question was not something I should have asked. I am well aware that reproduction is not the only reason humans engage in sexual acts, but considering you did not undertake the necessary measures of safety, I was wondering if your intentions have changed.]
By the time Volcan finished his long-winded explanation, Dante was already enjoying the hot water raining on him from above, uninterested in the topic.
'Just… don't worry about it…'
He tried not to concern himself with the matter. Nowadays, it was almost impossible to have that kind of accident, and knowing the kind of person Rose was, he was confident she wouldn't make such a colossal mistake.
It was the third of January. Two days have passed since he raided that office in the City Center, and though its success was debatable, he still considered it a step forward. He met with Rose the previous night to discuss the next step, but they ended up drinking a little too much, resulting in them smashing for the rest of the night.
Putting that aside, the two of them still came up with a plan, one that wasn't too different from what he and Finn did to that accountant, only this time they were going to target one of Black Skull's henchmen.
As he was deep in thought, trying to remember all the details of the plan, he heard the bathroom door open. The shower booth opened next, and a stark naked woman walked in as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Smiling, Rose leaned in for a kiss, but Dante placed a hand on her mouth, his eyes narrowing.
"Couldn't you wait till I was done?" Dante said, pushing her away.
"But whyyyyyyyyyyyy!? I just wanted a good morning kiss!"
She tried again but got the same results.
"You've been pushing your luck way too much lately. Cut it out already."
Dante decided to cut his shower short and walked out, grabbing one of the towels to dry himself. Rose watched him go away, her cheeks puffed.
Most of the preparations were done already, so the two went straight to the execution phase. Though that sounded like things were speeding up quite a bit, they still had to spend the day doing nothing but recon.
Instead of their bikes, they bought a cheap 2045 Ronda to wander around in. Though it only cost them around twenty Gold, since Rose was paying, Dante didn't really mind. Its exterior blended well with the bleak streets of Red Hill, so it didn't draw much attention even while parked out in the open.
"Looks will be our chance," Dante said.
Leaning against the window of the passenger seat, he watched through the tinted glass as a couple of automatic doors parted. A short man exited the fast food joint on the other side of the street. With a paper bag in his left hand, he looked around the street, bringing a large burger to his mouth as if inhaling it.
He was on the fat side, though most of it was the fault of his pudgy stomach. He wore light clothes despite the weather, with tight jeans that made his legs appear comically thin and a leather jacket that barely fit his body. He didn't hide the guns he carried, keeping them holstered on his waist. His head was mostly shaved, with only a few strands standing like spikes on a shiny surface. That surface was entirely black.
Jeremy Brighton. Despite his comical body shape, the skull tattoo that covered three-quarters of his head showed that he was one of Black Skull's top officers. A single look at him convinced people to turn around or cross the road, all to avoid being too close to him. Most knew he was bad news, but that was exactly what made him the perfect target for the next step in Dante's plan.