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Danthony comes home to the sound of running water. He frowns as he locks the front door behind him. He's sure he didn't leave the shower running when he left, or any of the faucets, or anything like that. He really hopes he didn't. Water damage is one hell of a problem to deal with.
Regardless of whether he's responsible, the fact remains that there is water running somewhere in the apartment. If he didn't start it, then someone else did. The idea of a break-in runs through his mind, and he keeps his sword on his back as he advances.
The apartment isn't large. It feels that way sometimes, when he's on his own— but it really isn't. He isolates the sound to the bathroom, and it stops just as he lays his hand on the doorknob.
Danthony stands there, breath hushed, listening. Through the door, he hears a quiet swear, and then with a squeak the faucet starts up again. Danthony lets out a small sigh, takes his hand away from his sword, and opens the door.
Standing at the bathroom sink and furiously washing her hands, Dantoinette barely glances up at him. "Welcome back," Danthony says. "Did you win the tournament?"
Dani scoffs. "What kind of a question is that?" she asks, lathering her hands until they're totally enclosed in a cloud of soap. "Took care of a few chores, while I was at it. I left Johannsen behind to take the championship."
"I was wondering where he went," Danthony says, looking around. "Normally he'd be begging me for a fight by now."
Dani cracks a small, but proud grin. "Yeah, he's getting his fill of that over in the Chumps Dimension." Finally satisfied with the buildup of soap, she sticks her hands under the water to scrub it all away. "You're free of rat fights for now."
"And how long is that gonna last?" Danthony asks. "A couple weeks?"
"Give him more credit than that," Dani says. "Don't forget, I trained him. That rat isn't going down easily."
"Mm-hm." Danthony is quiet for a moment, then takes a breath and addresses the elephant in the room. "So, is there a reason you're washing your hands like a maniac?"
Dani blinks and looks at him, hands still held under the water. Her right hand claps over the left, covering it up, but that just leaves the back of her right hand exposed— and with it, the bright red stain stretching across it.
Dani sees this, sighs, and turns the water off. "Remember that whole demon thing?" she asks.
"The, uh…" Danthony thinks. "The red thing possessing people?"
"Yeah, the Crimson. I figured out how to get rid of it. Turns out it was just a matter of beating the snot out of someone, but, well—" She lifts her hands, showing first her palms and then turning them around to give a good look at the pair of thick, messy stripes wrapped around both of her hands. "Seems I should've been a little more careful tearing it out at the end."
"Damn," Danthony says. "Wait, should I be worried about you being possessed?"
Dani laughs. "As if. I destroyed that sucker, this is just a little stain. Nothing to worry about."
Danthony's hand goes to his sword again. "That sounds like something a possessed person would say."
"Trust me, I did a thorough job," Dani says. Her eyes narrow playfully. "But if you want to spar…"
Danthony eyes her for a moment longer, considering how much he feels like getting his ass kicked. Then, slowly, he lowers his hand. "...No, no thanks," he says. "If you are possessed, I'd rather get the jump on you."
"Good call," Dani says. She looks back down at the sink, rubbing at her hands, then sighs and steps back. "Well, this isn't washing out, so I guess I just have to live with it. Pass me those gloves, would you?"
She gestures, and Danthony spots a pair of fingerless gloves on the counter. He passes them over, then lingers for a moment. Dani's coat is on top of the dirty laundry, clearly thrown there as soon as she entered the room. There's something odd about it, though.
It's red. It's always been red, he knows, but he'd never really thought about it before. But it's red, red-red, possibly the reddest red Danthony has ever seen. Was it always that red? Surely not, he would've noticed.
He reaches out to touch it, to confirm that this extremely red coat is real, and Dani clears her throat. "Maybe don't touch that," she says. "It got Crimson goop all over, and I haven't washed it yet."
"Ah," Danthony says. He retracts his hand. "That explains the… color." He glances at Dani's hands, wondering if the stripes hold the same intensity, but they're already covered up. He steps away, hands kept deliberately close to his body to avoid touching anything else, and then he exits the bathroom.
"Should we get takeout, for your victory?" he asks loudly, wandering into the kitchen.
"Come on, you know we can't do that," Dani calls back, still in the bathroom. "If we eat fancy every time I win a tournament we'll blow through all the reward money in no time."
"But you don't beat up a demon every day, do you?" Danthony asks. "Besides, I want Chinese. I'll pay for it all myself, if I have to. But you won't get any."
"Fine, fine!" Dani says. There's a thump— the sound of her forcing the stubborn washing machine closed— and then she emerges and goes for the menu in his hand. "We'll split the bill. You go call them while I decide what I want."
The coffee table is covered in boxes, the contents all half-eaten as the siblings talk through whatever matters come to mind. During a lull in conversation, Dani sets her plate aside and stands, wandering off to the bathroom. Danthony lets her go, turning his attention to the TV, and then he looks up once more as Dani enters the hall and shakes her coat out.
It… still looks red. Red-red, he means, that impossible color that evidently means the Crimson. "You cleaned that, right?" Danthony asks.
"I did," Dani says. "Just took it out of the dryer. It's… still weirdly bright, right?"
"I dunno if bright is the right word," Danthony says. "It's more."
"Hm." Dani glares at the offending coat, then lowers it to scratch at the back of one of her gloves. A moment passes, then with a shrug she throws it around her shoulders and sits back down.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Danthony asks.
"Eh," Dani says, retrieving her plate and stuffing some lemon chicken in her face. "Like I said, that demon's totally gone. The color'll probably fade eventually. If not, guess I have a kickass super-red coat now."
"Hm." Danthony makes sure his sword is still within arm's reach, then drops the issue, looking back at the TV.
They fall into a companionable silence, broken only by the sound of eating and occasional jabs at the quality of whatever soap opera they're watching. Danthony didn't catch the title. One of the bad ones, which doesn't narrow it down much.
Eventually, their stomachs full and the episode ended in a predictably unpredictable hackneyed plot twist, they set about putting the leftovers away.
Midway through stacking empty boxes for efficient disposal, Danthony stops, considering the pattern of grease in the topmost box. "How long are you staying?" he asks.
"Hm?" Dani tilts her head.
"You haven't stuck around for more than a day in…" Danthony thinks. "Months. How long are you staying this time?"
Dani doesn't answer immediately, finishes putting the leftovers away before she speaks. "Well, definitely more than a day," Dani says. "I've had enough of fixing some other world's problems. If someone summons another demon over there, that's their mess to clean up."
Danthony laughs as he gathers up the used forks. "Yeah, sucks to be them. You only get one free exorcism."
"Exactly," Dani says, leaning against the fridge. "Though I am gonna have to go back in a couple weeks, 'cause of Johannsen. Gotta be there for my boy, and all."
"You're sure he'll be fine until then?"
"He'll be fine, he has tasers," Dani says. "Anyway, I don't relish having to take the bus again. That thing's schedule is a mess."
"It would be, considering the, uh… dimension hopping," Danthony says. He opens the dishwasher, dropping the cutlery into its proper place before shutting it.
"The state of public transportation is awful," Dani says. "I wish I could just open a portal or— WOAH!"
There's an odd tearing sound, a buzz, and by the time Danthony turns around Dani is nowhere to be seen. "Dani?" he calls.
No response.
"Dani, this isn't funny."
Still nothing.
Now thoroughly convinced that his sister has abruptly vanished from the apartment, Danthony considers what to do about the situation. First things first, grab his sword and shield. He might need to fight an interdimensional demon or something. Next, make very very sure Dantoinette is nowhere in the apartment.
After several minutes of pacing and checking every weird hiding place he can think of, Danthony has no idea what to do next. Start looking outside? He doesn't know, Dani doesn't just disappear!
There's a knock at the door. Danthony jumps, twists and holds his sword at the ready. A moment passes, and then there's another knock, louder. Then a shout. "Dan, let me in! My keys are in there!"
Danthony stares for a moment. Then he walks over, unlocks the door, and opens it. There's Dani, hair a mess and coat nearly glowing in the harsh light of the hall. "Thank you," she says, brushing past him and flinging herself across the couch. "I am not doing that again."
"What happened?" Danthony asks. "You just vanished."
"Best guess? Bees dimension."
"...And how did you get out of the bees dimension?"
"Fuck, I don't know." Dani unclasps her coat and throws it across the room. Danthony catches it. "Blame that thing. Red bastard."
Danthony stares down at the coat. For a moment he thinks it stares back, dark eyes outlined in its shadows and creases, but he blinks and it's just a coat. Carefully, he hangs it up. "You're sure you dealt with that demon properly?"
"Maybe not!" Dani says. "I don't know, I've never had to exorcise anything before. I did my best, Val sure isn't possessed anymore, that's a win in my book. It just figures there'd be side effects."
She's scratching at her palms, sticking her fingers under the gloves to get at her skin. Danthony walks over and puts his hand on her wrist. She blinks, looks at his face, then pulls her hands apart.
"I guess it's kinda cool," Dani says, crossing and recrossing her arms. "Beats taking the bus, assuming I can figure out how to control it. Which I will."
"Of course," Danthony says dryly. "If anyone can get control over an evil possessed coat, it'd be you."
"Of course!" Dani says. "It's me. Just you wait, by next week I'll be hopping back and forth between dimensions like a pro."
"While you do that, I guess I should start reading up on exorcisms," Danthony says.
"You can try," Dani says, lifting her chin. "You know a demon isn't enough to slow me down."
"Hey, I win sometimes," Danthony says.
"Barely," Dani says. She's smug about it, but it soon slips into a pensive look, staring down at her hands again. A moment passes, Danthony opens his mouth, but she speaks first. "You and Val."
"Huh?"
"If I did mess up, and the Crimson gets me after all," Dani says. "I figure you and Val can take me. Captain Valentine, I mean." She thinks for a moment. "And Johannsen, just to be safe."
"Dani…" Danthony says. He hesitates, then puts a hand on hers. "I promise to beat the snot out of you if it comes to that."
Dani snorts. "Thanks, bro. Good to know I can count on you."
"Anytime."