Coming Home from a Dream

[helluvaboss]

Hell has a habit of sucking in hapless, tortured souls... including those from other worlds, it seems, when helped along by portalling magic concocted by Stolas of the Ars Goetia. Hell, in fact, is very receptive to the devised spell, sucking in those that portal from the land of dreams, songerein.

Residents of hell walking through the portal find themselves startled awake where they were, but newcomers? Their forms become physical, tangible, changing them into the creatures they dream themselves to be - for the best and most certainly for the monstrous. It is Hell, after all.

Welcome home, I.M.P. : D.M.C.!

Comments

[strawberryredgrave]

(Somehow, it happened. With enough study into the field, Stolas got the spell going and brought everyone along to their version of Hell. How many has Dante seen by now? Enough that he needs to slow down and think about it. The Conception and the drama with Lucifer, the one held back singlehandedly by the absolute chad, sir Arthur, Earth 616...

Can't say any of them directly impacted Dante as much as this one has. Sporting a notably different appearance from before, between red scales, wings and a tail, his human features were traded out. Probably to help him blend in; sinners were similarly transformed when entering Hell, as he learned from Angel and Alastor. He could work with this. And just in case anyone here has any grudges against Sparda, it might be slightly more difficulty to identify Dante. Slightly.

But these are a lot of thoughts to process after literally crashing through a window. Or a fish tank. Maybe both? He is picking himself up from a puddle of water that may or may not have been there before his arrival. At least he's resilient enough to walk it off without issue. The sight does give him pause as he looks around.)

...Huh. First time I'm the one crashing into an office.

1/2

[helluvaboss]

MOXXIE YOU FUCKER!! NOT THE EELS AGAIN!!

[Blitzø charged into the room, out of his little office, and--

[helluvaboss]

[...Wait. Wait!! That mug ain't the same, but he recognizes him. Holy shit! Blitzø bounces over, grinning horn to horn.]

Holy SHIT! It's Dante! You actually fucking made it, that means everyone can make it through the portal!!

[guns_and_swords]

Watch it dragon breath!!

[Yes, that is the voice of one little sister. Noticably not a unicorn]

[herewardbound]

Something about stepping into another world caused changes, apparently. Something in the air that made the human form twist in a way to make it fit the environs. Maybe this was why Goro Akechi had taken one step over the threshold- and immediately tripped over his own legs and wound up about seven feet of indignantly-squawking tangle on the floor.

"Ow."

[helluvaboss]

The imp in charge had just been shoving a desk into the boss office, one for Dante to sit at with him, and had the damn thing halfway through the propped-open door. But fuck that - he knows that voice! And in a shower of iridescent black feathers?

Blitzø vaults over the long table and grabs Akechi, lifting him - oh, yeah, definitely hollow bird-boned now - and sets him at his impressive new height. "Akechi! Akechi-bow-betchie, you actually showed," he cooed happily, smoothing over ruffled feathers affectionately even as he started tearing up in a happy cry.

[ninefunerals]

"...New stilts, honey?"

Now that he was on the floor, it was easy enough for a very small imp to plant her hands on her knees and look him over.

"You reckon His Highness would've been kind with a little 'watch your step' sign over those things. Moxx trips all the time...!"

[guns_and_swords]

What in the hell is going on here?!

[There is another red coated idiot waltzing through the doors of the office, swords on her back.

She appeared younger than the actual Dante, cockier as well, but there is still some sadness there.]

I just fixed my office and this isn't it.

[helluvaboss]

Wow, that lady looks like Dante. But she must be a client, or something. "This here's IMP headquarters, we'll kill any motherfucker in the mortal world for ya, bombshell. Or are you a cokehead too high to know where you are?" There were enough of those around too.

[mansbestend]

Hadn't been the first time he casually stepped into Hell. At least, it was casual rather than being shunted in by some devil bullshit.

But this was the first time he'd felt... itchy... coming through a portal and reached up to scratch his head.

And his ears. And his face. And his snout. "Wha-!?"

He peeked into a nearby window. Faintly, there was a very canine face looking back. Denji reached up with not very human hands and ran them up his upright ears. After another thought and a mild panic, he reached down to his own chest fluff and pulled it aside. Okay. Pull cord was still there.

Pochita was okay.

"...Alright, real funny- is this 'cause I asked Via out that one time? Joke's on you, 'cause I'm a fuckin' dog person! ...And a dogperson, I guess...!"

[herewardbound]

"Apparently whoever runs the place has a sense of humor mostly consisting of bad puns."

Ah yes. Crow the crow. Very funny. "I don't think Hell takes very kindly to human faces existing. Dante didn't come out of it intact, either."

[guns_and_swords]

"Via?" Came a kind of familiar voice. It was like Dante's but higher pitched and younger sounding.

"Not a name I'm familiar with," she admitted, hopping off of the desk she had been perched on. Like Dante she had white hair and bright blue eyes. She also had on a red coat, but this figure was obviously female.

Red scales covered her arms, her hands ending in sharp silver claws. Her legs were the same, ending in digitigrade claws and a tail idly twitched behind her.

[systemofadowny]

"A dog person now and forever."

Via jokes, wearing a big ol smile on her face as she wastes no time giving him a big hug. Her adopted brother's here! And now he's even more fluffy. Guess the hair just hinted at his potential and now he's so very soft.

"I'm so glad it worked. You're here now! You and everyone else!"

1/2

[helluvaboss]

Kicking open the front door, Blitzø was coming back in with a few bags and hangers, his hand still rummaging through a bag.

"Alright, 'Kechi, I got a bunch of different sizes and shit so your tail feathers can have actual tailoring around them, it helps keep your pants from sliding off your ass--"

He glanced up, presumably to look at Akechi.

[notladyluck]

[Here's a rare thing, someone actually using the office door for once. Another Imp walks in. Dark hair is cut into a short bob with curled ram-like horns on her head.

She's also carrying a rocket launcher and has dual colored eyes, red and green.

She looked around, clearly a bit surprised but I glad that she actually made it. Waking back up to Dante's empty office back home sucked.

She looked down at her new appearance and gave a low whistle.]

[herewardbound]

And then there's this asshole.

Someone covered Worst Boy in feathers and made him seven feet tall. As for the newcomer... the appearance was different, but something in his expression brightened when he realized who it was. Only one woman carried a rocket launcher like that. "Lady? You... actually made it. What are your memories of Reverein like? Do you remember everything, or..."

[helluvaboss]

Blitzø matched the low whistle, too.

"Ho-lee fuck. You are fucking sexy as an imp, Lady. I should've figured, yer human mug wasn't half bad to look at either," he chuckled, giving her a friendly pat on the back despite the borderline sexually harassing comment.

[strawberryredgrave]

He stepped out of the back office, right after getting some stuff sorted to maybe get some food for the crew. The dragon had to pause on seeing the new guest, recognizing the imp's new shape just from looking into her eyes. And the rocket launcher's a dead giveaway, but it's one of several clues. Eyes widen a little and a surprised smile forms on his face.

"...Lady...."

[lonelysmiles]

Coming back to Hell had not been something he'd particularly wanted to do, but it was a necessary evil. It felt good to have his full set of powers back, and he'd had a lovely snack on someone who'd decided to attempt to get more than what she paid for from her prostitute. He was buzzing with power, demons fled from him the moment they heard him coming...

Home sweet home.

Then he heard that jingle. He turned his head to look at the TVs in the window. The Immediate Murder Professionals. Did they remember Reverein, too? (Was Yoshiya's inability to remember when he'd returned home just a fluke or was Alastor the fluke?)

Regardless, his grin widened as he teleported over to Imp City, scaring the living daylights out of several imps as he appeared in front of the address. He straightened his bowtie and strolled inside.

[helluvaboss]

There's some distant scraping sounds, probably of furniture being shoved around, but it pauses at the sound of the front door.

"Customer! Be right there!" Blitzø called from the back room before sliding out and-- EYY. "Well well well! If it ain't Alastor! Have a good snooze, sleepy-head?"

[ninefunerals]

Many imps would be positively shitless at the sight of the Radio Demon.

But a not-so-freshly-awakened Millie put her hands on her hips with a smirk. "Well well, if it ain't Tall, Dark n' Spooky. Explains why the hell-crows went quiet just now."

[strawberryredgrave]

There's a newcomer kicking back on the couch, face buried in a magazine and otherwise not looking busy in the slightest. Standard affair of waiting for a client to come and give them a job, even if the dragon's operating more on IMP's rules than he's used to. Can't complain; it's a concession for being able to hang out with his friends and Blitzø understands Dante's position by now.

Though he's looking different from usual, the main features of white hair, red coat and the like are still there. He even sits up after recognizing the office's guest.

"The gang's coming back together. I love a good reunion."

Helluva Hangover...

[666_hellhound_aesthetic]

Sometimes Loona was her own worst enemy.

4:27 wasn't the latest Loona ever arrived to the office, but if she cared about it she didn't show it. The door to the office burst open with her foot still raised from the kick she'd used to open it, before the hellhound would slump like a puppet dragged along the floor. Loona didn't even dare look up to see what level of batshittery Blitzø and the rest of the three-ring-circus had in store for her today.

No, Loona just kept her head down and kept walking, counting on sheer luck or happenstance to ensure she didn't get hit by Mox with a crossbow or crushed by a client and their overenthusiastic entrance.

As she slid into her seat, tail dragging along behind her, the hellhound slumped and thanked whatever small mercy Satan was dangling today that she made it just this far. "Fuck me..."

Although, maybe that was part of the problem, the hellhound donning shades and rubbing her temples. Last night had been a full on rager, but the party was nothing compared to everything afterward.

"No idea what the fuck some dickshit tried to spike the drinks with..." she mumbled, blindly groping behind her desk drawers, rattling empty bottles with each one until she finally grabbed a bottle of vodka that wasn't empty, downing it with a gusto before letting out a greatful belch, "...but dogdamn I need to get some more of that shit..."

It still felt fuzzy, but there was definite traces there in her head of everything she had been through... all the strange twee coziness, all the villagers she'd pissed off and aggravated, all those faces... but it wasn't like a normal dream, where you forgot details as you went. No, she actually was remembering more of it as she thought...

Although maybe that could wait for later, as she kicked the table, causing the little triangular sign-thing-plate on the desk to bounce and clatter back to the counter to display 'OPEN'.

Welp, whatever today had for her, it would have to do a lot to top the last night anyhow.

Not a hangover hallucination

[strawberryredgrave]

Dante overheard the hungover hellhound and immediately knew he had to say hey. Probably shouldn't go with the big surprise approach; he's pretty sure Loona doesn't like those on a good day. Best to keep it simple, then.

Stepping out of Blitzø's office like it's no thing, Dante opted to simply stand there, give a bit of a stretch, ruffle his hair with his newfound claws and offer her a smirk. He's notably more dragon now, with the recognizable trademarks still there.

"About time we got you something better than mead."

[helluvaboss]

LOONA. Loona!! Blitzø was immediately at her desk, containing himself just barely from hugging her and instead clinging to the side of the desk and giving her exceptionally pathetic puppy eyes.

"Loonie! You didn't answer my text. Are you okay, sweetie? Fuck, I missed you!" And that would've sounded absolutely crazy, if song weren't a thing. Nonetheless, Blitzø was happily swishing his tail, purring up a storm. "Can I getcha anything? Some water, a sandwich, a coffee? Anything for my baby."