Victor walked to the back of the bar and Dante followed right after, feeling nervousness slowly tighten its grip on both his heart and mind. He was still bothered by what the fixer said before they entered, and the atmosphere inside the shop only made things worse.
"Would you like anything to drink, young man?" The old bartender asked, having noticed the distress he was in.
"You should take him on that offer," Victor said in an amused voice. "Thomas knows his drinks. There is nothing he can’t mix."
Thinking for a moment, Dante did his best to smile.
"Maybe another time."
Knowing one’s alcohol was an important skill Dante planned on acquiring at some point, even with his lack of interest in drinking. Right now, however, he needed to focus, although the idea of torturing Vic by ordering his favorite drink sounded too appealing.
In a corner near the back of the bar was a spiral staircase made of glass. It was a little narrow, which gave Dante a hint on why Boris chose to stay in the car this time around. The door at its end seemed to be made from real wood and looked more like a work of art than a simple door.
Victor knocked on its surface a few times, following a rhythm that was without a doubt a code. A second later, the door opened and giant looked down at them, bending slightly so the door frame wouldn’t be in the way.
"Took you long enough." The surroundings seemed to tremble slightly with each word he spoke, even though he wasn’t being loud.
"What are you talking about?" Vic smiled at him. "We’re five minutes early."
"Make it ten next time."
The large man moved aside and let them pass. His eyes landed on Dante as he walked in, and from the short glance they exchanged, he knew right away that the giant was going to complain about him soon enough.
The best choice was to ignore him, and so he did. Dante turned around to check the rest of the room, but then someone else locked eyes with him, or eye, to be more accurate, seeing that her purple hair cascaded on the right side of her face.
A tackle severed his line of thought and the world around him shifted. Dante felt his back hit the floor then a heavy but soft weight press on him. Just as the pain settled in, the weight pressing him down was suddenly lifted, but he wasn’t freed.
Opening his eyes, Dante froze at the sight of her face merely an inch away from his. Her long hair flowed down around them, creating a curtain that sealed away the outside world. As she held his gaze with her dark eyes, her lips, coated in the same purple as her hair, curled into a gentle smile.
"Where have you been!!?" The woman asked. "I looked for you all over the place!!!"
Dante could only stare back, his mind entirely blank. His daze didn’t last long, however, and anger immediately surged from the depths of his heart, bringing with it a wave of explosive strength.
Without hesitation, he shoved the purple-haired woman aside.
"Kyaaa~" She squealed, sounding delighted for some reason.
Face ablaze with anger, Dante pierced the fixer with an enraged glare only for him to look away and feign ignorance.
As he screamed internally, a pair of hands grabbed his head and yanked him in the opposite direction. His face sank into the valley between two massive mountains, and the next thing he knew, anger left his body like a demon banished by an exorcist.
Once again, Dante was left with a blank mind and no will to act, only this time his recovery was much quicker. Unfortunately, he didn’t have as much luck freeing himself.
As the danger of suffocation quickly approached, he heard the woman’s enthusiastic voice.
"Victor! Why didn’t you say anything?"
"Ahaha... I... thought I would leave it as a surprise." Victor replied, sounding a little nervous.
"I only told you about him once, right? To think you would find him right away!"
"Y-yeah, how about you let him go first? The kid might die at this rate."
"Ah! Sorry! Are you okay?"
Dante drew in a sharp breath then went into a coughing fit. That was close.
"The hell is going on here?" An annoyed voice came from the other side of the room. "Is this a goddamn kindergarten or something?"
Though he wanted nothing more than to lash out at his fixer, Dante’s attention was drawn to the irritated fellow. A fatass sat on one of the sofas, his arms stretched on the back and his rested legs on the nearby table. His clothes seemed a size too small for him, and his choice of colors, mainly black and dark gray, was clearly meant to hide some of that mass he’s carrying around.
The massive blob was acting as if he owned the place, and to top it off, he was wearing large shades that covered most of his face. It was almost as if he was claiming the spot of the biggest douche in the room.
"There must be a mistake of some kind." Someone else spoke up. "Victor, may I ask why you brought a child to this place?"
In a nearby armchair, a man sat with his legs crossed. Unlike the fatty on the other side, his appearance fit the elegant decor, with a blue suit that seemed tailor-made, neatly combed hair, and a glass of white champagne in his right hand. His eyes studied Dante, and the longer that went on, the deeper his frown got.
Pursing his lips, Victor ran his fingers through his long hair, sleeking it back. He looked at the present individuals one by one, stopping momentarily on Dante. Heaving a sigh, he allowed himself to smile and finally spoke
"This here is Dante. He’s the last member of the team."