Welcome to Gaia! ::

Once again the scene shifted. Now it was Jacques a little closer to how she knew him now. He had been beaten up a lot quite recently. He was covered in tiny cuts, lacerations and bruises. She could see this because he was lying in an alley, not even half coverd by a rotting newspaper. All he had on his body were tatters, though they did cover what was necessary. He was lying in a cardboard box, shivering and starving. It shifted again, this time portraying Jacques falling, falling down an endless abyss. But the abyss itself was in fact a portal to a differnt dimension. He was headed toward the dimension of alchemy, of wonder, of Amestris. When he landed, which was in a bale of hay, fortunately enough, he was in Central. Or so one would think. Looking up at the sky, or where it should be, was the celing of a great stone cavern. Towards the walls of the cave, the buildings sloped up, almost parallel to the ground. Luckily for him, or unluckily, depending, he had landed in front of the biggest building in town, Dante's Mansion. So, being ignorant of who and what awaited him within in, he stumbled over to the door and knocked, a knife hidden behind his back, just in case.

Jacques obliviously banged on the door, weakly calling for help, food, money, anythinghe could get. When the door finally opened, he was delighted, but unfortunately, someone unpleasant had opened the door. But of all the people....well...things living there, it had to be him, Envy. "What the ******** do you want?! And for that matter... how the hell did you get down here?!" Envy bellowed at him, while Jacques just stood there and gaped at him. A guy, wearing what Envy does, who wouldn't be surprised seeing that for the first time? "I need help, sir...." Jacques said in his most pleading voice. Unfortuantely, Envy was, as always, not feeling like being nice. "Yeah so? Everybody needs a little help. What makes you think I'd help your sorry little a**?" he said, calming down, but not softening any. "I should kill you and leave you in the street. I'm sure Gluttony will find you eventually..." he said, musing. "Actually, on that note... INTRUDER!" he yelled, and rushed off into the house. Jacques stood bewildered, as Lust and Gluttony appeared behind him.

"ooh! A human! Can I eat him Lust, can I please?" Gluttony asked, literally slavering. "I think not. For a human to have made his way here, in this condition, is quite a feat. He may of some use to her. SO I think she should see him before we do anything to the boy." Lust replied, for some reason merciful. "What!? You're not even going to beat him up?! Not even a little?" Envy roared from inside the house. He had wanted to watch, damn them both. Meanwhile Jacques just stood there, his gaze moving from face to face and back again. He had no idea what was going on, but he wanted to. "Pardon me, but what are you talking about!?" he asked indignantly, unaware of the chance he'd took by doing so. "Hmm?" was all Lust said before she had him by the throat. "Listen up, little boy, and listen good. I'm goin to take you to our master. And she will decide what to do with you. Now I suggest you be quiet, or I'll let Gluttony here have what he wants and let him eat you." she said, a cold smirk on her face. "Mmmm. Its been so long since I've eaten..." Gluttony said, tottereing along behind them as Lust half led, half carried Jacques about the mansion, to Dante.

"Well, here we are." Lust said, as she dropped Jacques at the door. "Knock and wait for her to answer. Don't barge in." she ordered him before walking away. Gluttony followed shortly after looking back over his shoulder at his potential meal. Jacques stood up, and looked around. He was in a fairly nondescript hallway, and the door to her room. Whoever she was. "Hello?" he asked weakly, banging on the door lightly. He heard some soft movement from within the room, and then the door opened. Before him stood an opulantly dresed young woman, in a flowing dress of blue velvet and a short crop of straight black hair. "Why hello. Who are you?" Dante asked him, in a curt but polite manner. "I'm.. nobody really.." Jacques replied, his gaze dropping to the floor. "I'm just a beggar, really." he said, shifting uncomfortably. There was something about that lady that unnerved him into modesty. "WEll, little beggar. Why are you in my home?" Dante asked him, stepping back once. "I... need food. Or some money... if you have any to spare." he said, reaching for his knife which he then learned had been confiscated. "Well, I have some tea in here. If you'd like, you can stay here for a few days." she said, enticing his tired mind with thoughts of comfort and warmth. "Well, I guess so... but what's the catch?" he said, his sense retruning. "Oh, there's no catch. You'll just have to figure out some way to repay my kindness." he said, her voice laced with venom. "Well, alright.." he said, though warily. "Well then, welcome to my home. Here, have something to eat." she said, opening the door fully and gesturing to a chair beside the low table in the room, which had some tea and little cakes on it. Jacques took her offer as politely as he could, and sat down at the edge of the chair. Not wanting to dirty her fine furniture. He dug into the food, eating as quickly as he could do so politely.

Jacques ate most of what was left, and then looked up. He saw that the lady was watching him intetnyl, creepy. "Is there something wrong ma'am? Something you want to say?" he asked her, uneasy under her gaze.

The wall to his right rippled, as a fourteen year old girl with a cadaverous visage and shimmering blond hair stepped into the room, addressing the master. "Moth-- that is, Master, Slosse has just sent a response regarding the rumors of Homunculi in Xing." She turned dark expression on Jacques, analyzing every bit of him as she stepped completely through the wall and stood at attention. Unlike the skintight- and often scandalous- outfits of the Homunculi, she covered every bit of skin but her adolescent face in body armor. "A guest. So this was what niisan was making a commotion over. You shouldn't admit strangers while I'm away."

"He's only human, ma cher. I'll be interested to here Miss Douglas' findings. But first, I have an unexplained visitor." Dante returned her attention on Jacques, and the girl slipped to the edge of the room, a silent, threatening shadow on the wall. Young for a body guard. "What do you do professionally, friend?"