Dante awoke to the smell of bacon.

He slept in a tower within the Night Fort. Not the tallest or the shortest, but certainly the nicest. Out his window was the perpetual night of the Watch. No society within the underworld had a true sun, but some had better facades than others. Dante didn’t bother with the illusion at all, content to the twin moons of Makai. It was but one way among many in which his domain differed from the others.

The faint scent of bacon had managed to permeate the entire castle and the Vampire quickly followed it to its source in the kitchen. He didn’t need to check how he looked. Dante always looked his best.

in the kitchens he found a Tengu cooking a great deal of meat, all of it bacon. She didn’t yet have the beak-like nose of her kind, but if her grandmother was any indication she would grow into it.

“What are you doing Raven?”

She took a moment to respond, as if considering her answer carefully. She always seemed to do so, aside for when she was caught up in an interest. “Cooking.”

Dante repressed a sigh.

“Why?”

She shrugged her shoulders and covered her mouth with the flat of her spatula. She responded when she moved to flip some of the bacon. “I guess because I felt like it? Do you want some?”

“I don’t...where did you even get this much Bacon?”

“Got it from a friend. Apparently fought - found! - a really good price in…” She paused again. “DaiMachi, I think?”

“Look, where’s your grandmother Raven?”

“She’s downstairs I think but you didn’t answer my question.”

“What?”

“Do you want some Bacon?”

Raven, you know I don’t eat meat, Bacon included. There’s really only one thing on my menu and it comes packaged in alluring maidens." Dante put on a charming smile - as if he could smile in any other way - and gave the girl his best seductive gaze. “Unless you’re offering.”

“No. You’re not my type. Bacon’s here if you want it I guess.”

With that, Raven dumped the last of the bacon onto a paper-covered plate and walked out of the room holding a smaller plate with its own small, bacony mound. She didn’t even look at Dante as she passed.

“I’ll be in the study if you need me.”

The Vampire stood alone in the Kitchen but for the smell of Bacon. Raven had diligently shut off the stove and the room was cooling.

“What in Makai was that!?”