Dark Lord and a Doctor (June vs Soma)

Soma Cruz let out a sigh as he sat down within the bar, sipping a glass of water. It was a quiet night, thankfully. No Midara, no battling...It was a nice way for him to close his eyes and just...relax. Swirling his glass around, he began to rethink on all that had happened.

The fact that he still could use the Power of Dominance. Despite the two times he had tried to spurn this fate, it seemed as though the whole 'you're destined to be the reincarnation of Dracula' thing was not going to go away. It was enough to make a man cry. Or in Soma's case, slam his head into a desk. But hey, at least he wouldn't be accosted in this nice, quiet bar...right?

Oh god my head. Where's Makalov. I need my drink. Now.

An extremely long night has ended up with June stumbling into her favorite dive bar, Patron's Getaway, with a drive for scotch. Covered in a full body cloak to avoid too much suspicion (and because she really did not need to hear the "AHH, MIDARA, RUN" tonight), she walked up to the bar stool and sat down next to this decidedly attractive white haired man.

"Ah, June! Good to see you! You look rough, I take it you want the usual?" The large, pleasant man said.

"You know me so well, Makalov." He had already slid over a bottle of her favorite brand, a small but extremely potent bottle of foreign scotch. Makalov's a great guy, he orders this stuff just for her. No one else is capable of drinking it anyway without instantly passing out.

In one fell swoop, she downed half the bottle in one gulp, clearly content and feeling an ever so small bit of the pain fading away with a content sigh. With her headache finally going away, she turned to look at the man next to her that caught her eye when she walked i-HOLY MOTHER OF GOD.

What the hell's going on with this guy?!? He's got hundreds of souls in him? And one of them is incredibly strong! Stronger than I've ever felt bef-

Wait.

No goddamned way.

That's not possible...is it?

Was she looking at Dracula? Famous Vampire? Bringer of Calamity? A being so strong that a family of demon slayers had to be formed simply to keep killing him? In the body of this unsuspecting man?

...oh god she's staring and nearly jumped out of her chair when she saw him. She quickly turned back to her drink unassumingly and tried again with this approach.

"So, uh...come here, often? You seem like a new face..."

It only just occurred to me that I'm really bad at this.

A new voice. Soma looked over, glancing at her as she talked to the man...Makarov, was it? He'd have to keep that in mind, even if he wasn't what one would call the drinking type. He couldn't get a read on her, thanks in part due to that giant cloak.

Returning his attention to his drink, he stopped only when he realized that...he had the feeling like he was being stared at. At her words, the white haired man looked over at her, raising his glass.

"Yeah. First time here, actually. Just...needed to get away from it all."

It's hard to get a bead on this man, because of how hard to pick out his soul among the hundreds of others in there. And then there's the local Dark Lord's soul just sitting there. Probably aware of my probing. Lord have mercy.

"You seemed like it, I can relate. You seem like you need someone to vent to. Any chance I can be that person?"

Maybe she wouldn't have to ask the incredibly rude question that's been sitting in her mind since she noticed him if he opened up on his own about it. Potentially, she could dodge that bullet.

A chuckle escaped him as he sipped more water. "I doubt you'd believe me. Then again, we live in a world where there are beings running around seducing people for..some reason. I guess, all I can say is...My past seems to love haunting me."

Turning around, he leaned on the bar. "Or is that too vague?"

"You'd be suprised what I'd believe, actually. I'm not stranger to a good haunting."

She reached out a hand in greeting. "June. It's a pleasure," adding a little bat of the eyelashes in for good measure.

Now, June, this is where your training with Airi is coming into play. Work that charm. You know you've got it in you. Now's your test. Do everything in your power to try and avoid the fight that you know might be coming.

A small tinge of pink made it's way to his face from her batting her eyelashes. Or perhaps it was just the lighting..or the atmosphere.

Holding his hand out, he took hers and shook it. "Soma Cruz. As for what you'd believe...Would you believe me if I told you that I'm supposedly the reincarnation of Dracula? And that I'm dealing with creatures that I think want to take advantage of that, and me?"

I was RIGHT?!?

What do you know, it actually worked. And she was right. Reincarnation? Not quite was she was expecting, at least.

"Truth be told, I...kind of expected something like that? I can...see souls, in a sense. And you are one hell of an enigma, just from first glance."

A soul that powerful, this could actually be what she's looking for. Something that can cheat the laws of magic...if anything could do it, this could.

"So, what did you mean by people who want to take advantage of that? I mean, you've got Dracula in your pocket. Most normal beings wouldn't be able to touch you, let alone do anything about that, right?"

She knew? She could see souls? That was...interesting.

"I just..I've either found people who want me to give in and become Dracula again...Or people who want to get into my pants for some reason. Lately it's been the latter. And I have no clue why, considering the fact that I'm...more or less a normal guy once you take away the whole 'I'm Dracula' thing."

"Become Dracula again," he says. Truly must be some crazy people after him if they want that madman up and about. They need a whole family of vampire slayers just to put him down again, and that's TEMPORARY. I'd believe the "get into his pants" part, he's got the looks for it.

She took a nonchalant swig of her scotch as she listened to his tale. Truly a human caught in an affair of demons.

"Soma, you've been so open with me, and we just met. I feel like it's only fair that I be open with you, in this scenario. I'm a doctor by trade, and a necromancer on the side, and I feel like I have something to show you." She reached down to start removing her cloak.

Makalov noticed her hand move to start unbuckling and went "Hey, June, are you sure this is a good ide-"

"It's fine, Makalov. He just admitted to being a reincarnation of one of the most famous demon lords in existence. I feel like this is beyond the realm of anything I could show him."

Still worried, Makalov shut himself up and watched Soma cautiously as she unbuttoned her cloak. When the last one came undone and she splayed her arms in a revealing manner, it fell to the floor with a thud, and revealed her true form underneath. in all it's confusing glory.

"I'm not exactly human anymore, either. But I would really like your help, if you'll listen."

Okay, now's the time, lay on the charm, just a little. Bargaining's a bit different from straight seduction. You've got this.

Soma almost wanted to jump up at the reveal of her being a Necromancer. However, he stayed calm. He'd respect her, that much. As the robe fell, Soma just...sat there, confused.

"Is...Is that your skeleton?" And the mention of wanting his help.....He looked over at her, an eyebrow raising. "Alright...Depends on what it is. Also....Barkeeper, sir...you seem really calm about all this."

"Makalov trusts me, as do many other people around here. I've been a doctor for a very long time, helping people here with whatever ails them. They...trust me."

Okay. Deep breaths. Here it comes. Do or die.

"Soma, I hate to be one of those people, but unfortunately, I'm yet another person in your life that needs your power for their own purposes. But I don't need it for taking over the world, or anything like that. It's...far more personal."

"What I need from you, is to come with me, at least for a short while. I want to examine that soul of yours. It's unlike anything I've ever felt before, and I feel like if I didn't ask, I wouldn't get an opportunity like this ever again. So, please, at least consider it. I promise I wouldn't do anything to you that you wouldn't consent to."

please don't be mad please don't be mad PLEASE DON'T BE MAD

"..." His face contorted to a frown. Another person who needed to unleash a power that really needed to stay buried. And yet....

"Assuming I believe you and that this isn't some elaborate ploy to take Dracula's power for yourself....What would I be doing? What is so important that you want my souls?" Souls. Plural. He had countless. Though he assumed she simply wanted Dracula's soul.

A quick glance at the exit. Would it be too far to make if things went south?

Oh god that grimace. This has gone south. Fast.

"I...would want to harness it. I know how sketchy it sounds. I know you have no reason to trust me. Truly, I do. But, I'm asking you to try. I'll do anything you want me to if you'll just let me have a little while to see what information I can pry from that dormant soul sitting in you."

There's no other way to go about this. I have to be completely transparent about this if I don't want him to bolt or see me as yet another Midara.

She licked her lips in pure discomfort at the idea, but she knew she had no other choice.

"I...I want to...break the rules of magic. To do the impossible. To see...my husband and child one more time."

"....."

That...That was not what he was expecting. Maybe it was a lie. Maybe it was all a ploy. But she seemed sincere enough.

"....I won't...I won't pry. I'm sorry for asking...But...You ARE asking me for a lot. You're asking me to give you the soul of the evilest creature I can think of..Next to people who put pineapple on pizza.And that Konami compa- Anyways...How would you even go about harnessing my soul? Wouldn't you have to rip it out of me?"

Okay, that seems to have placated him. Now I just need to find a way to get him to trust me with this...incredibly powerful ancient evil. Clearly I have my work cut out for me.

"I don't want the soul permanently. I know that it's a part of you, and I know that it's your own demon to sort out. I don't want to take that away from you. At most, I would be...borrowing it, and then giving it back, hopefully not waking up the spirit in the process."

"Like it or not, though, that soul is basically a battery for all manner of energy. And I need an incredible amount to do what I need to do. So much so that, for the longest time, I felt like it was truly an impossible task."

She shifted in her seat so that she was directly facing him. She wanted to be looking directly into his eyes for this next bit.

"Please. What would it take for you to trust me like this? I know it's a gargantuan favor to ask. But please. Tell me. What would I need to prove that I could handle this and not betray you in the process?"

Soma looked at her, letting out a shaky breath. Her request...It was a heavy one. A part of him wanted to deny her, right then and there. And yet......

He gazed into her eyes. She seemed truthful. So...

"...I'll let you decide what to do. It's not that I don't trust you. I'm just...very cautious about this. We're risking letting Dracula loose. Maybe not in my body, but..possibly yours. That being said....If you have any way that you want to try and prove yourself to me, go ahead. I'm trying not to butt into this. I know it's personal for you."

Okay, we have an outlet. This is good. Possibly dangerous but STILL, I HAVE to take this.

Even as I was asking him to offer up one of the most dangerous people in the world, he's still looking out for me. This one is...truly a special creature.

"I see that one part of the issue is that you worry that his soul would overcome mine. That is, an understandable gesture. However, let me prove that I can handle it. Let me show you what I'm capable of. We take this outside, and I give you a demonstration. And if I don't meet your expectations, then we drop the whole thing and I let you walk away, never to see you ever again. I'd hate myself for it, but I'd still do it."

"And when this is over and Dracula's safe back inside your body, I put enough seals and curses on that soul to keep him comatose for 10 more lifetimes. You won't ever have to worry about him waking up unintentionally ever again."

This is it. If he says no, then I'm dead in the water. It's all riding on this one decision. Come on, keep it together, June.

"......."

That sounded..rather reasonable. Standing up, he held a hand out to her. "Alright then. A friendly spar it is. You win, I'll go along with this willingly. You fail to meet my expectations, and I walk. Sounds like a good plan."

That being said, he was already starting to err on the side of trusting her. "What are the rules of our fight? That's..a thing, right?"

He's such a gentleman. It's so hard to believe that this man is what Dracula reincarnated into. If only all demon lords reincarnated into people like this.

Taking his hand, she pulled herself out of her seat and proceeded to walk with him outside the bar. "Don't worry Makalov, it's a friendly fight, no one's gonna die or anything."

Once they were outside, he popped the question of "rules." "Do most of your fights have rules to them? It seems like a rare occurrence. Neither of us have any intention of killing the other, so that's one, I guess. I'm making it a point to not disturb the many souls that are in your body, and only focus on specifically *yours* in this scenario. If I really wanted, I could probably take Dracula from you, but I would prefer if it didn't come to that."

"Other than that, I can't really think of anything. Is that acceptable?"

June: 40 HP
Soma: 40 HP

"Sounds like a plan. And to answer your question...No. But this is a spar, so I don't know if anything's really different."

Turning to face her, a stray breeze blew, causing his coat to flutter about. "So...I'll let you take the first move, if that's alright with you."

"As far as I know, no, this wouldn't be any different. Just treat me as you would any other Midara. I'm durable, don't worry~" she said with a wink.

Continuing to be a gentleman, I see. It's good that I didn't just take it from him, I'd feel like a truly awful person if I did.

My, how formal. In that case, I suppose we can begin.

(Basic Attack - 10, Success)

Without any warning, she rushed forward towards Soma, gathering energy in her hand and forming a sphere, before shoving it into her opponents chest and backing away before the ensuing explosion came forth.

"I wouldn't recommend giving me many openings though, I'm serious about using that soul. I wouldn't want you holding back."

June: 40 HP
Soma: 38 HP

"Oh, I'll be sure to keep that in mind, then."

The moment she rushed forward, Soma let out a grunt. She was fast, fast enough to shove a sphere into his chest and get away before it detonated. Alright...She wanted a soul? He'd show her what souls of his own could do.

Holding his hand up in the shape of a gun, a small blue circle formed in front of his fingers. Pulling his thumb downward like a hammer, a ball of pressurized water shot out towards the woman. It wasn't one of his greatest souls, but it could be effective.

(Water Pistol.)

(Water Pistol - 55, Failure)

What in the world is he doi-OH JEEZ

Moving just out of the way of the shot, she watched as the shot blasted into a nearby rock and left...a hole?

"Pressurized Water? Alright, I wasn't expecting that. You're certainly practical with those souls. Who knows what all of those will do? I'm actually getting excited to see the whole list."

(Ífingr - 24, Success)

With a quick motion, she raised her hand above her head and gathered a large amount of energy into her palm, eventually forming a blob like sphere slightly larger than herself. With a large sweeping motion, she threw her arms forward and the orb followed suit, moving at a much faster pace than the size would belie, before colliding with Soma and bursting open, throwing black globs in all directions, one of which June had to avoid herself.

"You might feel a little sluggish after that one. Don't worry, that's normal."

June: 40 HP, Ífingr cooldown at 2 turns.
Soma: 35 HP, Atk/Def down for 3 turns.

"Heh..I've got a lot of souls that are rather weird. Hell, I have one that lets me eat spoiled foods...Only really useful if I forget to check the expiration date on stuff in the fridge."

The black sphere slammed into Soma, his energy feeling...drained. "Ghk...." Alright..She wanted to play like that? Holding up a hand, a red circle appeared before he waved his hand forward, three fireballs shooting out at the doctor. Hopefully one of them would hit.

(Flame Demon: Three Flame Variant.)