ONCE IN A BLUE MOON | DANTE

When he looked at Mel now he saw her fear, something had happened and she was not quite as controlled as she was moments ago, what happened to her out there. He was a first Captain and didn't have the rank to hear all of the intelligence that she gathered. Something told him deep down that it didn't matter at this moment, he had to ask her to tell him what was going on otherwise she could break down. Still he listened to her wanting to get a read on her to see if she was willing to figure it out together, on some level. "Mel what happened out there? I have tried to give you space and respect protocol but clearly something happened that has you so off balance. You are fighting for control it seems. If you want to honor command and keep me out of the loop fine but you need to know I am here." He then placed a hand on her cheek and smiled softly, "The fates have fun with us, they throw things at us that challenge us, to be honest I never thought we would be this close when we first met. Sure I knew we would be friends but you are more than that, you are family." He brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, before he took a deep breath. There was a time before he realized Mel was more a sister that he would have liked to find away to ask her out, but she was younger than him, and he was afraid of ruining what they had. When he realized that he figured out she was family. "I'd give my life without any question. You are an important cog here and I don't know someone better equipped to do the job, just remember you can't do it alone."

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@accaila

For the first time in forever, Melanie decided to do what felt right for her rather than what protocol told her to. Moving her face away from Dante's hand, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Chain of command doesn't really matter anymore. You are pretty close to the top, you just don't get my reports. For that, I'm kind of grateful." Even now she couldn't quite look Dante in the eye, knowing she was about to admit to a time of weakness. Knowing that she was about to tell him she almost hadn't come home.

With a deep breath to steady herself, Melanie finally started to speak again. "About two weeks ago, I went out on a standard mission. It was so cut and dry that I didn't even bother pulling in backup. There were agents nearby and it shouldn't have been a problem. I've done it a hundred times before." And she had. Probably closer to two or three hundred times, but who was counting?

"I stayed there all night. It was strictly observation. No contact required. The Titan in question never showed. Right as I decided to give in and call it a night, this guy showed up. He wasn't who I was looking for, but I knew he had to be something, so I stayed. Before I even knew what was going on, he had flooded the room with light so bright that it actually burned my skin and eyes. He was a son of Helios and apparently a fairly powerful one at that."

As she regained a little of her composure, Melanie finally moved back far enough to look up at Dante's face to gauge his reaction. Maybe telling him everything wasn't a good idea.

He was noticing how she was avoiding his gaze and it worried him, what was so upsetting to her that she was unable to look him in the eye while they talked. If she thought he would think less of her there was nothing that would make him think that, worried yes but that was understandable. Then she told him about her mission two weeks ago and he remembered seeing her off but not really catching up with her after, more due to scheduling conflicts and it was something he had apologized for, he was a little surprised she had not requested back up but he would live with that. Then she told him how in essence she had been cornered by a son of Helios, his blood boiled. She was caught in as situation that could have cost her life, but she had saved so many others at the same time. When she pulled away from him he looked at her unable to smile not because he was upset at her, rather upset knowing that there was nothing he could do to save her when she was on the missions not really. Quests were different than her intelligence missions and he just hoped that the next time she left he would be able to provide her back up. Finally he really looked at her and said, "I am glad you are here, how did you make it out of there? "

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@accaila

"Pure dumb luck. The idiot either forgot or didn't know that I was right by a window. I got outside, but he got away. Another one of my people caught him on the way out of town. Like I said, they weren't that far away." That place had been crawling with titans and egyptians, unlike anything she had seen before. "And now I'm here. The Commander had me on medical leave for a few days, but I'm mostly back. Still doesn't want me to leave the island though." At least her skin wasn't red anymore. That had hurt far worse than any sunburn she had ever felt.

Pulling away from Dante, she moved towards the table that held her knives and hoisted herself up so she was sitting on top of it. The knife closest to her quickly made it's way in to her hand where she began to study it intently. Yes, the titan had made a rookie mistake, but so had she. If she had been ten feet over, things would have been different.

Dante took the time to look at her and really try and understand how best he could help her out, a lot had happened and he knew her well enough that she would be kicking herself over it. "Mel, mistakes happen and you have to learn from them. You are alive, and standing, well sitting here with me. I can't tell you next time will be better for one reason, as a daughter of Hades you are truly at a disadvantage against a son of Helios as you well know. I suggest though that you continue to practice your new skill but before you through actual knives throw..." He looked around and saw a handful of little stones on the ground. "These at me. You will see two of me but you have to figure out which one is the real me and you have to figure out how to tell the difference. Even if it is not me there, you could pretend that a tree or your pillow is say Braxton and you want to get back at him for all the things he has you doing. As if to grab her attention and pull her out of the memories and self doubts he once again moved to grab her before running out into one of the brighter parts of the range. He stood there watching her to see if she would even take him up on the offer, when she didn't move he smiled knowing he could get her in gear, "If you don't get moving on this I will tell Braxton that you have been in love with him for the last 2 years and you have a pillow named after him."

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@accaila

Melanie raised her eyebrow quizzically. "You know that I can't stand Braxton. I have a practice dummy named after him. Actually, I think we're up to Braxton the tenth by now. Those don't tend to last long." Yes, she had loved Braxton once upon a time, but only as a friend. It seemed that those days had come to an end in another lifetime, but Dante was still right.

"I have no doubt that he would believe you though and punish me accordingly." Moving to stand in front of him, Melanie grasped the rock tightly, not quite sure how to use it. This was definitely a different kind of exercise. Searching for the shadows along the edges of the practice field, she displaced them with some effort until the well lit area was flooded and pitch black, Dante no where to be seen. "Now, remind me why hitting you with rocks is supposed to help?"

Dante chuckled at her response to hating Braxton, if only he could tell her what he noticed when she wasn't looking. He decided now was not the time to to poke her in that direction not yet. He thought to all the small looks she probably didn't even know she made, they had been friends years ago all of them but ever since Octavia, things started to stiffen. He was so lost in thought he nearly missed her question regarding hitting him with rocks and how it helped. He chuckled and said, "Well the idea is to try and hit me, and distinguish the real me if you end up seeing double. Make sure you are trying for a kill shot, if you are using this in battle it has to be kill or wound enough where they don't come after you. Though if they see your face, you will need to kill them otherwise you are at risk any mission after that." He realized that meant she was in danger even now, the son of Helios had seen her face in bright light. His heart dropped, could he even let her go on the next mission. How could he stop her though, she didn't report to him even if he was a higher rank. The thought of losing her seemed to crush him, he wanted to grab her and never let her go, poke fun at her unknown attraction to their superior, and cause her all the grief in the world were she was so annoyed with him she shut him in the shadows for hours if not days. He couldn't do that though, her job was intelligence, all he could do was help her get stronger. How he wished he could take her place though.

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@accaila

Shaking her head, Melanie went to aim for him when she realized something. Though she normally had trouble seeing people inside the shadows clearly, she almost thought she saw his face fall and his smile fade right before she threw. Letting the rock fall back to her side, Melanie let the shadows drop towards the ground before looking at him with a concerned expression. "Dante? Are you okay?" Up until now she hadn't noticed anything effecting him, like it normally didn't. Now though, he looked like he had the wait of the world on his shoulders.

Closing the space between them with quick, smooth strides that flowed through the remaining shadows like smoke, Melanie grabbed Dante's hand and pulled him in the direction of a bench. She had a faint idea of what was bothering him, and maybe it was time to get it out in the air. "You know this wasn't the first time, and you know it won't be the last. Intelligence is dangerous work and we all knew that when I signed up." How many times had she not let his brother call him to her bedside because she knew it was too bad? How many times had she laid in the house of Hades, comatose from the ambrosia or the nectar, while he thought she was simply busy? More times than she wanted to count, but maybe it was time he knew.

Dante wasn't blind, he knew she had been hurt it was a dangerous job, but it was in that moment he really realized that at that moment she was the most important person in his life. His siblings here on the island lead relatively relaxed lives, Mel was like him choosing a life that was not inherently based on who their fathers were. "I know it's not, I know you would keep me from seeing you getting hurt, I just realized though how important you are to me. We lead a life that has more risk and I have accepted that, however, I haven't accepted a life without you. Don't worry I won't drop down on one knee, even if I knew you would accept, I already know there is someone else for you out there. Besides it would be weird you are my sister in all but reality." Mel was close to him so he pulled her in for a hug and picked her up, he held her in his arms for a few moments before he simply sat down with her still in his arms. To anyone just watching they might think they were dating but he realized he just wanted to feel her close to him to calm his mind, one might find it odd but they had known each other so long that just having her near by was all he would need, even if he would now wait with baited breath for her return. Nathaniel would soon learn he was to be called if she was brought in hurt, until she was married he wanted to be the first call. "No more hiding when you are hurt, I can't act like I am okay with it and laugh it off. Until you are married, or have a significant other long enough where I don't matter that much, I want to be. No I need to be the first call they make besides Owain or The Chancellor."

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@accaila

Melanie laid her head against Dante's shoulder, letting him do what he needed to. He was the only one besides Ethan that could ever get away with something like that, but she let him. "I don't think you know what your getting yourself in to Dante." From the sound of it, Braxton was at least looking after one of them. If Dante didn't know, then someone was definitely doing something. "I don't want you to hurt worse when it finally happens. When the ball drops and I don't come home. If you were smart, you'd follow Braxton's lead and distance yourself. From me." Isn't that why she didn't talk to ESPN, to Bernie? So that they wouldn't miss her when she's gone.

Her head on his shoulder was calming, then her words broke the momentary peace, "I don't think you know what your getting yourself in to Dante. I don't want you to hurt worse when it finally happens. When the ball drops and I don't come home. If you were smart, you'd follow Braxton's lead and distance yourself. From me." His lips touched her forehead and he smiled for the first time in the past half hour or so. Though it broke his heart to think of her as gone he knew what he was getting into, he was in the same profession though he was to remain on the island baring a quest or assignment from Owain. He chuckled softly as he pulled her closer, "You won't get rid of me that easily, though it would hurt and I can't fathom a life with out you, I would want that pain knowing we spent time together and formed memories to hold onto. We are soldiers you and I, though you get to leave the island more I still could leave and it might be me who doesn't come back, or I could be captured. If this were to happen tomorrow you and my siblings would be what helped me survive or would be my last thoughts. He took a breath just looking at her before he continued, "I would never regret the pain of having known you. It is why I disagree with him distancing friends. Pain is apart of life and shows you have a connection. I would regret pushing you away, so I will never leave your side as long as you will have me there beside you."

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@accaila

A thought flashed through Melanie's mind, a memory of Cass from a few years ago. It was painful enough to cause her to wince, but she got what the older girl had been saying now. "Cass told me something once that I didn't quite understand until now." She started, trying to keep her voice even. "I think she meant for it to help with losing Octavia and Damien, but it didn't make sense then."

"She told me that where there is great grief there was once great love, because grief is simply love with no where else to go." The pain in her chest was building now, but it was more manageable than it had been in a very long time. "Whether you stay or not, I'll grieve for you. I can't let that happen though. There are few enough reasons for me to come home. You aren't allowed to leave me for a very, very long time. If you stay."

He pulled away and tilted her head up as he looked at her, "I will make you this promise to do everything I can to stay here, but I will also do everything to keep you alive. Just as you would do for me. Though I hope I will be here with you till we are old and grey with boat loads of kids, grandkids, even great grandkids. We will always be partners in crime and justice." He kissed the tip of her nose smiling as his fingers began to move along her sides slowly at first until they were moving quickly to tickle her. Dante kept it up to for several minutes until he stopped laying back on the ground. Looking up into the sky he then said, "I promised you five years ago I would never leave you, and I make that promise again I will always be here for you."

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@accaila

Using Dante's arm as a pillow, Mel followed his gaze up to the sky and simply watched for a moment without speaking. Her sides were still heaving from her tickle induced laughter, but the moment was more calm and serene than she had felt in months. "I'm going to hold you to that." She finally replied after several long minutes of quiet, her voice barely a whisper. She almost felt like if she talked too loud or moved to soon, the lull would be over and the chaos would return. It inevitably would, but not right now.

"You need to come over soon, so I can introduce you to Achilles." She said suddenly, sitting up as she talked. "Lilith brought home a hellhound. We're hiding him in the library." Mel wasn't completely sure how her sister had managed to get the big beast in there, but it must have been interesting.

A hellhound really, now that was something he would have to go and see for himself, "I would love to come see your hellhound though if possible can we do it when there isn't a party going on, I don't really fit in during parties unlike some of my siblings." This moment was peace and quiet and easy if they could only stop time and share this moment for the rest of time he would be happy, He knew it wouldn't last and as if to alert them to this his watch alarm sounded, groaning he looked at it and realized he had to get back to the garrison. "I guess duty calls, no longer can I simply be Dante your friend but I have to be First Captain Tyrell. Sometimes I really wonder why I said yes to the post. Will you be okay?" He asked Mel softly.

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@accaila