16 Chapter 15: One of Us

It may have had to do with the drinks, but Luca found he was able to talk plainly and bluntly with Dominic without any problems. The devil-man wasn't quite a friend, but for Luca, it had been the most human interaction he had experienced in days. No one needed to pry under the surface for secondary motivations. Anyone could tell that at the heart of things, Luca had been craving socialization. Dominic seemed very understanding of what Luca had been comfortable telling him, and Luca recognized that Dominic, like himself, had a darker hidden aspect.

The rapport was real easy between the two of them. Probably because he stuck up for me and kept Keira from slitting my throat, Luca told himself with a slight laugh. Dominic raised an eyebrow, wondering what was so funny, but Luca waved it off simply, stating, "You carry yourself well. You're somebody I know I can count on."

"Well, thanks, Luca," Dominic responded, his words slurring a bit. Luca meant what he said. He needed somebody he could count on and trust. It was a desperate need he hadn't realized he had following the death of his father.

The two of them talked for hours. All the while, Dominic kept the drinks coming, never seeming concerned with whether Luca should be drinking or could keep up. Considering the state of the world, it was a bit of a moot point. As the night progressed, Luca grew more and more comfortable with the devil-man who had become his benefactor. The conversation between them were relaxed, and the laughs came easy . To Luca, it seemed that the horns on Dominic's head seeming more of a gimmick than any indicator of the man's character.

More than once, Dominic waved away servants who came to collect plates and mugs. Not wanting to be disturbed at all. Instead, every single time, Dominic directed them to come back with yet more of the burning liquor. He even dismissed his Lieutenants when they tried to come by and give him essential briefings and tasking updates. The man's attention was focused firmly on Luca and just as intently focused on trying to drink away the harness of the past day. Luca didn't mind, he needed a friend, and just as importantly, he too needed a reprieve from the disaster that was his life

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They revisited earlier talking points as Dominic's face grew pensive and encouraging as Luca went into details, describing the accident that took the life of his mother a year before and took the use of his legs. Describing how his body had become emaciated and crippled after the accident, losing all of the strength he had. Even describing the past, Luca still noted the deep-seated bitterness towards what had happened to him, a bitterness he struggled to contain and move past.

Sometime during the telling of his past, the levy broke. For the first time, Luca told anew the story of the constant fighting with his father. Fighting as both of them struggled to accommodate their new life after his mom had passed away and how hard the change had been on both of them. Luca told the story about how terrifying the road had been when they were attacked by the Hell Hounds. Describing how his father had shielded him with his body even as one of the Hell Hounds attacked and tore him to shreds, and even in all that pain, not once did his father give up on him. Protecting him to his final breath. As drops of water landed on his hand, Luca realized he had started to cry.

When Luca grew quiet and somber in reflection, with eyes full of tears. Dominic reached out a sympathetic hand. "We've all lost people down here, kid. It may not be much, but we've made a point to put up little memorials for those who have died. It might help a bit to put your dad to rest. You're among friends and family if you want us to be." Said Dominic as he tried to soothe the boy as he cried, and when the crying began to lessen, he gently prodded Luca to continue telling his story. "It's good to get this stuff out, and you don't need any of that living in your head weighing you down."

Luca transitioned into the final part of his story, the part he felt he needed to tell the most, and the part he had dreaded sharing the most. How for days he had been trapped beneath his father's rotting body, completely unable to move, unable to free himself. Stuck in his own filth in a pool of piss and shit, thinking the entire time he was seconds away from death. "You know, I had been happy when those men found me. I thought I was going to live. They seemed so normal, helpful. I hadn't expected any act of kindness like that. I mean, one of them carried me the whole way, and then just like that." Luca snapped his fingers. "They threw me away as some kind of sacrifice,"

Dominic took the lull in the story to point at Luca's black wings, asking, "But then you were given those, weren't you? You didn't go threw some tutorial like the rest of us did. It seems like you came out pretty well ahead. You've got a pretty well-rounded amount of knowledge that is fairly inconsistent with what your experience has been so far. It seems to me you were given more than just those wings and the class that goes with it."

Luca's heart began to pound as Dominic pointed out the inconsistencies. Inconsistencies that Luca had no answer for. His mood starting to sour as he realized Dominic had been probing him for more information. He groaned. I really am an idiot.

Despite Luca's change in body demeanor, Dominic only laughed. "It's fine. I wouldn't worry about it. This wouldn't be the first time a youngster like yourself has let their mouth get them into trouble. Don't worry, really, I meant what I said before about treating you like family. You and I are the only ones I've found so far that have had such a noticeable change. Part of it is the intelligence boost. Your mind is making connections with tidbits of information and preexisting knowledge that wasn't there before."

Luca nodded, feeling relieved that Dominic had gone ahead and diffused the situation. "That could be it. It would make sense to me.

Dominic nodded in appreciation, changing the topic. "Thanks for sharing your story, kid. I know that can be hard, you've been through a lot, and I won't pretend to know how hard the things you've been through have been, but I want you to know you've got a friend in me."

The conversation transitioned away from the heavy and the tragic. Instead, shifting to thoughts about this new world they had found themselves in. Laughing as they critiqued the guild name and the Gemini twins. Sharing between themselves their most outlandish dreams and delusions of grandeur.

Eventually, in the darkest hours of the night, Luca's head began to droop. Both of them had grown weary, badly needing sleep as each of their words had turned to long drawn out slurs. The conversation finally turned to business. Dominic seeming every bit as inebriated as Luca, once again asked if he would join him in guild Chaos. Luca, without any hesitation, responded with yes.

Both of them gave each other tired but elated smiles as they sealed the deal and a newfound friendship with a handshake. Each saying their goodnights to each other as Dominic finally summoned a servant to take Luca to the guest quarters before finding a place for him a more permanent residence in the member's barracks.

"In processing can wait until the morning. He's one of us now, so treat him well and make sure he gets into her team," Dominic told the servant a male servant, a short and portly man with a pock mocked face, with an infectious smile and an unfortunate case of premature balding.

Knowing that Luca was taken care of, Dominic decided it was time for them to part ways, and with an affirmative nod of his head, Dominic dismissed them both. Telling Luca as the servant led him away. "I expect big things from you, kid. Don't let me down."

Luca turned around, his eyes shining with an eagerness to get started. "I won't, thanks for having me. This is a good fit."

"I'll see you tomorrow when you start training with the teams." Replied Dominic as he watched the servant led Luca away. "You've got a big day tomorrow."