[closed] ✨✨✨

[no_kyouken]

Who ⬤ Polycule people & friends
What ⬤ A picnic
When ⬤ Nowish
Where ⬤ A park
Content Warnings ⬤ Swearing, alcohol, etc


code

grasshopper picnic hydrangea on the menu beauty and the beast Majima had a lot of people to coordinate, so the calendar invites were sent to phones a few weeks ago. The festival was a working event for him, not something he could really relax for. As a compromise to those who wanted to spend more time with him, he's arranged the picnic. No, he didn't make any of the food, don't be ridiculous. He paid a caterer. He and the birds did, however, find a few thrift stores to rummage up blankets, baskets, and pillows. The flowers arranged around the area are an array of different colored hydrangeas chosen by Emily from Aerith's shop. There is also a corgi puppy lying on a blanket and watching with curious, baleful eyes. He is a visitor from Izo's shelter. Taro needs help with his socialization, be gentle with him! 🧺🌺🐶 The three of them are there ahead of everyone, playing with the puppy and drinking tea and snacking on fruit. But they're waiting for you; the river glittering at a distance. The weather is good and the company is fine. Say hello to your illustrious hosts: 🐍🕊️🦅

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[no_kyouken]

[ Who would have guessed that this overgrown badass devil hunter has a sweet tooth? This. Guy. He might be smiling smugly as he settles down next to Dante to bring out the sake. Chijoku's one true love is sake, and he had opinions about precisely which sake was appropriate for such an outing. Plum, he had insisted. Plum.

The ghostly white head of the snake stretches out from Majima's shoulder, ]

Of course it does.

[demonrebel]

I figured you would rear your ugly head the second I mention drinking.

[Dante can't help but chuckle once Chijoku makes an appearance. The snake tends to keep to himself most of the time unless sake is present. He figured that Majima and the gang would have alcohol on deck but he can't help but grin once he sees the sake. While Dante doesn't mind vodka and the likes, he's really getting into sake lately. He's not a big fan of the bitter stuff but rather the sweet aromatic nigori sake. While the plum sake falls somewhere between cloudy and slightly bitter, this particular brew has a nice refreshing hint of sweetness to it that Dante simply adores.]

Thanks though, Majima. This little outing is something else.

[Dante says while grabbing a couple of cups for the three of them. He takes the sake bottle and pours the first drink for Majima. Despite their ages and all, Majima does rank higher than him in the clan. It's only proper to pour his drink first before seeing to himself. Nevertheless, Dante likes spoiling Majima anyways.]

[no_kyouken]

[ Chijoku likes Dante, as Dante is the only person who laughs at his jokes. The snake remains wrapped around Majima's shoulders, draped as contentedly as a pet. Except in how his elegant body becomes a tangled mess of knots in-and-around Majima's center. They're definitely part of each other. ]

I am a veritable expert.

[ Uwabamis drinking sake is eternal. Majima just takes the cup with a faint smile, perfectly willing to be spoiled. He's supposed to be taking a day off, orders straight from Emily and Izo. Both tengu-possessed, they are his birds and he does what they ask him to when he can. ]

Festival ended up bein' a lotta work.

[ And they were disappointed when he wouldn't wear the yukata while he was working. ]

[demonrebel]

[Dante’s quirky sense of humor is very similar to Chijoku’s but not half as dry. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t seem to mind having Majima’s bizarre little buddy around. It was a little jarring at first to see the man’s snake tattoo come to life but now it’s just to be expected. However, Dante appreciates that Chijoku tends to keep his trap shut whenever Majima and he are being intimate. Talking snakes are cool and all but not during “business”. ]

I bet.

[He replies after taking a generous sip of sake. Dante really needs to be careful of this stuff. Sake tends to go down smooth but comes back twice as rough later. Then again, the same could be said about regular old red wine. Dante loves wine but it doesn’t necessarily like him back.]

It’s not easy putting together a celebration like this. Too much crap to worry about.

[Dante peeks at Majima again with a little grin before deciding to refill Majima’s glass. Once he’s done, Dante decides to be nice and pour an extra cup for Chijoku to see if the serpent will drink it outright.]

At least you had help though, right?

[He’s loosely mentioning Emily and Izo.]

You three get along well.

[no_kyouken]

[ What, Dante doesn't want a personalized critique of his technique from a spectral serpent? Wow! Joku has no qualms being cruel or humiliating towards those he does not like, but it's mostly to his benefit when Majima is happy. His energy is better sustained, the vessel warmer and cozier. A warm snake is a happy snake. Food and booze don't hurt, though.

He sways his head curiously towards the offering. He normally makes Majima do all the work, all the drinking and all the eating, but who is he to refuse. He opens his mouth and just swallows the whole thing, cup and all. He's not a physical thing, it's not a physical act. The cup just disappears. But it definitely awards snake points. This Dante guy is pretty ok. ]

Bottoms up.

[ This is a new trick to Majima, but it's also the first time anyone has tried offering directly to the yokai like that. He supposes that the demons need some way to accept their offerings, huh. A puff of air out of his nose, suppressed laughter.

But then his good eye flicks back to Dante with a soft expression. ]

We been together since Hakagemachi. Be dead a couple times over without each other.

[ It wasn't exactly a secret. They don't talk as though they're together, but they're together, often. The body language and soft touches and quick kisses give them away to anyone who spends a little time watching. Biggest open secret in Jigoku-cho. A small pause. ]

Gonna ask Toraguma about marryin' her, if I make captain.

[ She's Sutoku, they could do it in secret, but it would be better not to try to play that game. ]

[demonrebel]

[Dante read somewhere that it's customary to offer sake to spirits and since yokai are spirits in their own right--it just makes sense to give Chijoku a cup. Of course, he didn't expect that little sake cup to vanish like that but seems the serpent is pleased. It just makes sense to o stay in Chijoku's good graces just to avoid having unnecessary commentary during sex. Despite being such a big ham most of the time, Dante doesn't want an audience during that.]

Marriage, huh?

[He can't help but look a bit surprised to hear that but then again, it makes sense. After all, Majima and Emily are the biggest open secret next to Daitengu's love for the dramatics.]

I can see Toraguma pitchin' a bitch at first but then again, I doubt he would stop you.

[It seems that Toraguma's beef lies solely with the Tamamo Clan. While the Shuten Clan isn't exactly friendly towards anyone, the Shutens have no reason to go up against the Sutoku Alliance for now. As long as that pesky Daitengu keeps to his side of the city, old blue boy won't even bat an eye.]

You've done a lot for the clan since day one. Toraguma would be an idiot to honor the request.

[no_kyouken]

[ There's a timeline out there where Majima marries a young idol. After escaping his cage and rejoining the Tojo Clan, he tries his best to resume a normal life. Normal man. Normal wife. Mirei chooses her career over their family, he reacts badly, and realizes that he can never have the normal life that he always longed for.

Here in Jigoku-cho, Emily Dyer has put her heart and soul into helping him recover from the years of torture and abuse. She's steadfast and devoted and the strongest person that Majima knows. He's not the same fractured idiot he would have been without her. She's the one, and she deserves for them to be able to say it out loud, with authority. They're so far from normal -- possessed in the yokai realm -- but he can still do that much for her and for Izo. ]

Wouldn't fly in Tokyo without somebody's blessin'. An' gals ain't... treated th'same.

[ She'd be his property, in short. He's not saying he agrees with that stance, he's just saying that's how it is in the Tokyo underworld. ]

Make th'old man happier if he knows what's up.

[ And Majima does actually care about Toraguma's happiness. His mouth twitches to the side a little as he recalls their last talk. ]

[demonrebel]

That's just all the more reason to go for it.

[Dante states with a lopsided smirk. If Majima thinks marriage is the way to go, then so be it. He's not sure what the logistics of all this will be in the end but at least Majima will be happy, right? Dante always lived on the outskirts of society, so something like marriage never once popped into his mind. He doubts he'll ever find the same kind of relationship that his parents had. That kind of devotion doesn't exist anymore in his world, not with demons teeming about.]

Despite how much of a ballbuster Toraguma is, he at least cares about the Clan.

[Yeah, don't think about sneaking off and getting hitched without Toraguma's blessings, man. That would just be plain wrong.]

So, I'm guessin' this party is kind of a celebration for the festivities to come.

[no_kyouken]

This? They wanted a picture, all of us in yukata. An' I wasn't wearin' one at th'festival.

[ That's what we're all doing here. ]

An' it was about time t'introduce everybody...

[ There's Majima and his birds, but they all see other people. If it's good and it's working, the offshoots get brought in to the family unit. They're a ride or die kind of bunch who will be there in a heart beat if asked for. They're all direly lonely, all direly loyal, and crave togetherness and belonging.

A faint smile. ]

Thanks for playin' nice.

[demonrebel]

[If there's one thing that Dante knows intimately, it's loneliness.

For a time, music was honestly Dante's only refuge from that soul-crushing loneliness. He would get so caught up in the notes that he would forget all about it. Unfortunately, music alone couldn't quench his yearning for companionship. If he never met Nell Goldstein and her son Rock, Dante's life would've been much lonelier. However, the aftermath of Nell's death served as a dark reminder that someone like him was afforded comfort.

That is until very recently.

When Dante founded the Devil May Cry, he did so out of necessity but eventually he ended up building a new family for himself. A new place for him to call "home". What Majima is creating here reminds him so much of the ragtag group he accidentally left behind.]

Hey, I'm always nice. [He jokes as he lightly jabs Majima in his side.] But yeah, I think...I kinda like this.

[Dante doesn't have any qualms with anyone here. Emily is a complete sweetheart, and Izo is a bundle of chaotic fun. He feels quite welcomed here, which is a nice change of pace.]

I wouldn't mind coming to another gathering.

[no_kyouken]

[ That's a much better reaction than the last time he had this conversation. Andy had definitely told him to go fuck himself, repeatedly. ]

Em arranges th'dinners.

[ He shifts to find his phone in a pocket. They have a family group text, so he just adds Dante's number into the recipients to update it. ]

It's usually th'three of us, sometimes Nishitani an' Andy.

[demonrebel]

Nishitani.

[He can't help but chuckle a little once he heard that name.]

You know, I never met that guy formally but be damned if I don't know who he is.

[Yeah, Nishitani is one of those guys who are a bit loud. Maybe even louder than him in some respects. He's hard to ignore, especially since Nishitani looks like your classic yakuza musclehead.]

I saw him around here and there but never talked to him. As for Andy, that name is drawin' a blank.

[no_kyouken]

Guy I know from Osaka.

[ He's not getting into the current state of his relationship to Nishitani, but that much is relevant. ]

Andy's his gal from th'Enma Department.

[ They may show up yet, they are not the most punctual of people, but who knows. ]

[demonrebel]

Enma, huh?

[A silent hum escapes Dante as he takes in the information. He takes a sip of his glass before leaning over to pour more sake for Majima. A comfortable silence lingers between them as Dante takes this moment to appreciate the scenery.]

You got a small coalition of folks forming. [He mutters quietly.] A nice little family of people who just want a little bit of peace.

[Despite being somewhat resigned to his fate, Dante can't help but wonder if there's any possibility of escaping Jigoku-cho. He has a job to do elsewhere, a really important one. While he trusts his nephew can hold down the fort, Dante is a little perplexed about the disappearance of his brother.]

Say Majima, do you have any...family? Like blood-related?

[no_kyouken]

Nah. This is it.

[ Well. His parents might still be alive, although they probably drank themselves to death by now. He might have siblings he knows nothing about. But as far as Majima is concerned, he was spit out of the womb alone. He flaps a hand like it doesn't bother him. In a certain sense, it doesn't. It's just reality. Still, the emotional damage and lack of self-worth caused by belonging nowhere probably shouldn't be understated. ]

What about you?

[demonrebel]

Something similar.

[He mutters quietly while omitting to the fact his mother would've still been alive if demons didn't set their home on fire. It's a long complicated story, one that Dante hesitant to mention knowing that Majima went through something worse. At least he knew love---Majima? Not so much.]

…But I do have a brother.

[Dante manages to say after much internal debate. He better warn Majima now just incase his twin shows up someday. That's a real possibility, especially since people tend to come and go like the wind.]

A twin brother.

[no_kyouken]

Huh.

[ He hasn't ever met actual twins before. It's the kind of thing that seems a little fake until it's actual in front of you. ]

How's he like?

[demonrebel]

Vergil is nothing like me.

[Dante answers in between sips. Forgive him if he ends up drinking the whole bottle solo. Just talking about that asshole triggers bad memories. He’s still on the metaphorical fence regarding his brother's less than miraculous return but at least he’s free of his ghost.]

That’s probably the easiest way to put it without dragging up a lifetime of hurt. Hell, he doesn’t even wear his hair the same way.

[He grumbles while thinking a little bit about his childhood. Vergil always was a bit of an oddity to Dante. The two of them barely got along as children and they still don’t for various reasons.]

He’s a dangerous guy, Majima. If you see him, let me know. I’ll deal with him.

[no_kyouken]

[ Considering how depowered everyone is when they arrive, Majima is sure he could handle that problem. That's not really the point, though. ]

Sure. I understand.

[ Sometimes it's just no one else's business, at the heart of it. If Majima had any way to relay to people what Saejima looks like, he might ask for the same thing. I'll deal with it. And isn't that what Toraguma had told him about his old friend too? They all have their own obligations. He tilts his head, curious if there's anything else. ]

[demonrebel]

Good.

[He lets out a sigh of relief before polishing off the rest of his glass.]

Other than having an evil twin and a lifelong worth of baggage, I guess you can count me in the family, chief.

[Dante can't help but grin a little. He's been meaning to tell more about himself to Majima but baby steps. Eventually, someday he'll feel comfortable being more open about his past but right now, he's enjoying the present.]

[no_kyouken]

All a little heavy on baggage.

[ He smiles softly, contemplating the smoke curling off his cigarette for a moment. ]

Don't matter. We're mostly just grateful t'be here.

[ Majima, glad to be out of Sotenbori and the leash tightening around his neck. Izo, glad to be alive and far away from all the manipulation and treachery that got him murdered. Emily, glad to be free from the mad experiment that kills her over and over again in numbing loops.

They're all just happy they got to have these moments at all. Majima shifts over to rest back into Dante's side. ]

Ain't nothin' more important.