Dancing With the Devil

Chapter 7

Third Person P.O.V.

~One month later~

The young, teenage male walked casually through the streets of the city that neighbored his own, curiously observing the diverse merchandise displayed in the shops that lined either side. A small gust of wind played with his somewhat unkempt white hair, and his black tailcoat luffed out behind him. He reached into a pocket just inside his hoodie and pulled out the address that a mysterious woman in the Order of the Sword had written on a piece of paper for him. For the life of him, he couldn't remember the woman's name, or even what she looked like. Nonetheless, she'd recommended this particular shop that apparently specialized in many things.

"I sure hope this guy can help me," the young male grumbled to himself, his maturing voice a little raspy.

He turned left around a street corner and spotted a shop entitled Rares Repairs on the opposite side of the street. Walking over, he went to push open its front door when he suddenly became very aware of his right arm, hidden to all eyes in a medical sling, the protruding hand covered by a red-and-black glove. His ice blue orbs narrowed in annoyance as he inwardly cursed the damned thing. Shaking his head to clear the thought, he stepped into the shop, a bell above the door jingling with vigor to signal his arrival to the owner. It rang furiously again as the door swung closed behind him. The teen looked around at the walls, upon which were mounted almost every weapon imaginable. From guns and crossbows to swords and shields. In the center of the room stood a workbench with toolboxes, blueprints, gems, and pencils scattered across it. In the far right corner, a table that bore polishing supplies on surface sat to the left of a sharpening lathe.

"Great," the male groaned under his breath, turning around to leave the shop, "Another weapons shop."

"Correction; blacksmithy. Although I do specialize in weapon repair, weapon construction and design, I can also make various jewelry items."

The young male turned back at the sound of the female voice, watching as the woman to whom the voice belonged descended from a staircase he had failed to notice before. She had golden brown hair that was neatly braided and fell down the length of her back. Combat boots made of black leather came halfway up her calves and she wore smoke gray skinny jeans with a black, sleeveless crop top. Her emerald green eyes lingered on the insignia sewn onto the shoulders of his tailcoat.

"I take it you're the kid that owns..." she pauses to tap her chin thoughtfully. "Red Queen, I think it was?"

"Yeah," he replied shyly, noticing in the faint blue glow from his right arm was pulsating a little. "I take it Credo told you about me."

"Everything save for your name," she answered calmly as she extended her right arm to him, having also noticed the soft glow coming from his arm. "I'm Rose, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"Nero," he replied, tensing up a little as she laid her hand on the sling covering his arm.

Rose laughed quietly, not even fazed as blue flame swirled around her right arm, the flesh seeming to melt away. His eyes bulged in awe at the sight. Her right arm was just like his own in the sense that it did not resemble the rest of her body. The tough, outer hide was charcoal black. Her palm and the crevice that snaked halfway up her arm was bright orange like the sunrise. Nero's demon arm glowed a little more brightly than before, and hers flashed bright orange.

"Glad to know I'm not the only one hiding from unfriendly eyes," he sighed in relief, relaxing.

"Likewise," Rose said happily, walking over to her workbench. "So, how can I help you, Nero?"

"Well, uh..." he struggled to find the right words, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I wanted to get my girlfriend a necklace, but anything she wants-."

"Is insanely overpriced," Rose finished for him. "Come here and tell me what kind of design you think she'd like."

Nero warily approached while she cleared her usual working implements away and pulled multiple necklace design sketches from a large drawer to his left. She also collected some blank paper and a sharpened pencil, setting them in front of him. He opened his mouth to ask why she gave him these materials, yet he didn't speak a word before she had an answer.

"If you're inspired to make a unique design, feel free to draw it out," she says casually, sitting on a stool across from him. "And if you think you're no good at drawing, try me. I can create a masterpiece from a child's crude scribbling."

Carefully observing each drawing, Nero found himself picking up the pencil and sketching out a simple, winged version of the cancer ribbon he'd so often seen. However, it needed something more... a centerpiece. A gem. When he was finished, he set down the pencil and drew in a shaky breath, hesitating before turning the paper for Rose to see. She looked it over in detail, nodding ever so slightly.

"You've got talent, I'll give you that," he mused, as she looked up from the drawing with an impressed grin.

"How much is it going to cost me?" he asked while he reached into the inner pocket of his tailcoat and pulled out his wallet. "I don't have much, but I promise I can pay you the difference-."

"Nero, put your wallet away. I don't want to see that in my shop again."

He looked up at Rose, absolutely stunned and confused.

"W-what...?" he stammered, doing as she told him to.

"I never accept cash payments unless I need to use up my own supplies to make an order for a customer," she grumbled sternly, her green stare completely serious while she pointed to his drawing. "For this, all I need from you is something to make it out of... If not, it's no trouble. I won't charge you for it, considering this is your first visit."

Nero instinctively reached for the pendant around his neck that was tucked under his shirt, out of sight. He'd had it for as long as he could remember, though he had no clue whose it was originally. Taking a moment to consider the ups and downs, he finally tore the amulet from his neck and held it out to Rose. He looked at its golden frame and the soft pink gemstone within it one last time before letting it drop into her hand.

She set to work immediately, separating the two parts of the amulet and molding the frame into the shape that Nero had drawn. Once the body of the new necklace had cooled enough, Rose trimmed the gem down to the perfect size, sliding it into place between the folds of the pendant with a soft click. She walked over to a small bureau with various boxes showcased inside it. The box she pulled out was long, rectangular and was a beautiful shade of blue with gold trimming, and pulled together with a sky-blue ribbon. She placed the necklace inside and handed it to Nero, of whom was just now noticing the time. He very quickly thanked her and raced out the door, screaming, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!!!"

Rose sighed with a chuckle, hands on her hips as she shook her head.

"Young love... It's truly a beautiful thing."

She turned on her heel and walked upstairs for a moment to grab her red tailcoat before coming back down to lock up and set off for Devil May Cry.