::Lavish decorations blah blah here's the keys.::

::Dante walks in with Veronica and the pig and looks around::

"It'll do. And it doesn't smell so bad up here. Which is nice."

::Leers at Dante.::

"..."

::Leers a bit more.::

"..."

::Leaves.::

::Veronica, after having totally ignored the landlord since telling him "you disgust me" on the way up, looks around critically, and speaks without any emotion but just a sort of noting tone.::

"Mine is better."

(Wait.)

"Was..."

::Her mind is on the mess in her home. She can't really stop thinking about it. She's not really one who tolerates mess. She turns in nervous compulsion and flicks the light on and off, seven times, until the light brightens the room a little.::

::Dante's eyebrow rises as he watches Veronica's display with the light and walks over to her, then hits her hand::

"Don't break it. I just moved in. What's wrong? You look nervous."

::Snatches her hand away and moves away from Dante really quickly, panicked at him having touched her. She rubs her hand while looking around, the troubled expressiong still on her face.::

"It won't break."

::She murmurs, ignoring his other question.::

"I have a lot of spares if it does."

::Dante backs off, realising Veronica had issues, and looks up at the lights::

"Well, that's good..."

::He takes the athame belt and throws it onto the sofa, then looks around::

"I always imagined getting an apartment would be a bigger deal... anyway. Have you got any enemies?"

"No. Not really. Yes."

::Veronica's mind flickers over images of the vast amount of people she dislikes. Paz, Petunius, Patience, Lirie... pretty much everyone she's met.::

"Have you?"

"Just the fuckers I almost killed before I played with the stone. One day I'd like to find them again and..."

::Dante smirks, narrowing his eyes in a not-so-innocent way, as an idea forms in his head::

"What if we maybe... go find them... somehow. Show them who's higher on the foodchain? Payback for pissing us off and... other stuff which validates it in ways that don't make us sound like common thugs. I'm not common in the slightest, you could cut glass with my accent."

"..."

::Silent in thought, Veronica stares at Dante.::

"You're saying we should go out after these people?"

(Do I want to do that?)

"Maybe..."

::Bes uncertain.::

::Dante bites his lower lip, gauging Veronica's reaction, then pushes slightly::

"I bet whatever got you so rattled and caused you to use those sticks is linked to your enemies... Maybe if you took the power back from them you'd be able to move past it. Get closure as Americans are so fond of saying."

(This is all about tenuous. I barely know her and I'm making these huge assumptions about her life... I bet I'm right though)

::Veronica remains silent, thinking about what Dante's saying.::

"Look... Dante..."

(He's not more powerful than me. I could take him... but I know I can't, why can't, he can beat me, he did beat me, I almost was killed but still I think he's not stronger...)

::Her mind whirrs over Paz Paz Paz Paz Paz, knowing he's much more powerful than she is, but not wanting to believe it. And definitely not wanting to admit it. She takes a deep breath.::

"I don't know."

::Sensing that he needed to back off for a bit he shrugs and smiles a lopsided grin... in a way that makes more anatomical sense::

"Sure, there's plently of time. We could both do with a bit of rest after all that."

::Dante walks into the kitchen area and looks in the fridge, not expecting to find it fully stocked. He gestures to a chair and then looks inside::

"I'm sure I have whatever you could want in here."

::Veronica looks at him, dead serious.::

"Do you have red jell-o?"

::Dante stares back at her, matching her face, then reaches inside and withdraws her jello, then throws it to her::

"Yes."

"How convenient. But it's not set. Do you have a set one? Like a... non-tiny crap tub and one that's in a big bowl?"

::He pulls out exactly what she asks for and thinks it better not to throw it::

"Yes."

(He's good.)

::She looks at her hand an a projection of a spoon appears. Looking at it thoughtfully, she sighs.::

"My power would be great if it was real."

::Clenching her fingers into a fist, the spoon disappears as she effectively crushes it with her hand. She takes the bowl from Dante and opens his drawers randomly until she finds the cutlery. She washes the spoon intently, with soap and everything, then dries by shaking it in the air, eyeing the tea towel dubiously. And eats.::

"Maybe if you used it more it'll get stronger. I think Erin said something about mine doing that."

::Dante looks back into the fridge and pulls out a bottle of water, because 90% of American fridge space is filled by bottled water::

"Don't get it on the floor. It's new."

:: Shadow flies to the window watching Dante and Veronica, hidden due to her being only 2 inches tall and she standing in the shadows. Stalker ::

::Veronica considers spilling on purpose, but doesn't.::

"I use it a lot. It is getting stronger. But it's getting more expansive rather than becoming tangible. I can make things appear and I can make my senses appear elsewhere, but I've only managed to touch something once."

::Thinks of when she tugged Patience's hair.::

(Stupid Patience...)

::Shadow falls off the window sill and flies back up. She watches Dante and creates some fairy dust. She walks closer to the window, which is open, and shoots the dust at Dante's head. She walks back to where she was consealed in the shadows ::

::A flash of gold near the closed window catches his eye and Dante feels a tug of power as he connects with someone. He narrows his eyes and stares at the window as gold dusts drifts down it and then runs over, pushing it open and then looks out::

"One of the fuckers I told you about earlier is here. The little cow must be stalking me."

::He looks up, then down, then to each side, till eventually he catches sight of her. His hand flies up and a fairsized amount of gold fairy dust appears and heads towards Shadow::

"Come back for some more, have you?"

::Veronica puts the jelly down and silently walks over to where Dante stands by the window. She stares blankly at Shadow, fluttering around like an annoying bug.::

"You were annoyed by that?"

(Put it in a jar.)

(I am not a cow.)

::Shadow flies away from the dust and shoots into the penthouse. She flies up to the light passing it so Dante couldn't see her. She stops and hovers ::

::Twisting around, Veronica searches the kitchen for where Shadow could've gone. She moves over to the door and closes it, motioning Dante to shut the window. She walks over to the cupboards and pulls out an empty jar.::

(I'll catch the little brat...)

::Eyes travelling around the room, but not able to spot Shadow anywhere, she looks at Dante.::

"Can you see it?"

::Dante slams the window shut and then goes to the light switch, turning it off, despite having never turned it on in the first place, and looks around for a gold light. He spots it up on the ceiling and immediately throws his hands up, throwing as much fairy dusts up at Shadow as he can and then runs to the kitchen door and shuts it::

"She's trapped now."

::Veronica sends a projection of a huge fly swatter up after Shadow, in case the fairy dust doesn't work. She manipulates the swatter to look like it's about to smack her, which will force Shadow to fly a bit lower. Low enough for Vero to catch her.::

:: Shadow flies away from the dust Dante tried to attack her with towards the front door. She sees a flyswatter appear out of nowhere and flies to the ground beside the door. ::

::Veronica lurches down onto her knees and slams the jar onto the floor, trapping Shadow inside.::

"Gotcha, you little pest!"

::She looks up at Dante, not even grinning, but obviously happy.::

"We got her..."

"Yeah!"

::He kneels down next to Veronica and then takes the jar, slipping the lid on before the fairy had a chance to escape. He shakes the jar viciously and then stares inside::

"What do we do with it now? Release her back into her natural habitat? I don't know of any enchanted forests around here."

"I don't know, you probably just killed the little buzzing freak."

::She peers into the jar curiously.::

"Maybe we should poke holes in the lid... I think it's wrong to kill... fairies?"

(Wonder what would happen if I told her I didn't believe in her.)

"Try telling her you don't believe in her, then we'll see how wrong it is."

::He stands up and reaches into a drawer, pulling out a knife, then stabs it a few times into the lid. He holds the jar up to his face and looks inside::

"There. Breathe it up."

(How did he know what I was thinking? Are we that alike?)

::Veronica looks at Dante with interest for a few seconds.::

"Do you read minds? Is that one of your powers too?"

:: Shadow puts her hands to her ears when Dante yells ::

(Owww. . . My natural habitat is next door!)

:: Sits down and gets thrown around in the jar when DAnte shakes it. She grumbles about something and stares back at Veronica. Watches a knife stab the lid right above her. Sits back down tired and bored and scared for her life ::

::Dante stares at her, brow wrinkled with confusion::

"Not that I know of... why?"

(I wonder if she's testing me? Maybe she can read minds... ok, read this; boobs boobs boobs boobs boobs boobs boobs)

::His eyes wander for a second as he gets lost in his own thoughts, then he focuses again::

::Cocking her head at Dante, Veronica's attention is resumed by Shadow.::

"Ew... it's looking at me... should we give it some lettuce and a stick to climb on?"

:: Reads Veronica's lips rolling her eyes as an answer ::

(Apparently not... boobs)

"I didn't know fairies were related to snails..."

::Dante stares dejectedly at the fairy and then places the jar on the counter top::

"I honestly never thought capturing a fairy could be this dull. We should see if we can trade her in for a leprachaun and then steal his gold."

::With a sigh, Veronica sloucher her shoulders and nods.::

"Who'd have thought mythical creatures..."

(Well, what he said.)

"Maybe we should just throw it out the window."