Chapter Text
-Dio arrives to the cottage, taking in it's decrepit condition. He doesn't feel that bad about taking this guy's house, clearly he wasn't taking care of it. He has one suitcase, his motorcycle, and a few credit cards. He can get his shit from storage later.
-Dio goes to explore the little town, taking note of the small shrines around. Looks like this is a guarded place, which he's dealt with before. He can probably just ask the locals about it, usually if you're not a dick you can get some pointers. A jet black cat hisses at him as he crosses the road, and he makes a mental note about cats crossing your path.
-He checks how big the town is- there's the main thoroughfare, a computer store, a bakery owned by the biggest man he's ever fucking seen,
-Dio sets to clearing out the junk from the yard (but it's weird that there doesn't seem to be any actual trash) only to be approached by a pretty person over the fence. Who looks incredibly pissed that he's here. They ask his name, and he tells them they can call him Ron. He knows how this shit works, and even the people living in a fae touched town can do some pretty heady shit with a name. Besides, it's not like he's going to give his real one out, anyway. They make an allusion that's a little too close to home on his secret for his liking, and he tells them he's busy as he gets back to it. He's not going to be run out of his own damn yard.
-There's another cat meowing at his doorstep- maybe the same one? He's not a big animal guy, he can't tell the difference. Aren't cats supposed to be inside? The fucking thing is gonna get eaten by coyotes or something. He lets it in, and the cat immediately peels through the house, causing Dio to give chase. Just because he doesn't want it eaten by animals outside doesn't mean he wants a feral cat just running around.
-The cat ends up settling on one of his discarded jackets, and he gives up. It gives him a look of 'I don't like you, I like the bed'. He can take a message, and leaves the cat alone.
-He has weird dreams all night, of being hunted down by - something. He wakes up in a cold sweat, with the cat sitting on the end of the bed.
-Dio goes back into town to get groceries (and snoop around the market) and asks if there's any like- town policy regarding cats. He's advised to leave out a saucer of milk, and not to pet unless given express permission. He decides to do the latter and nix the former.
-The same black cat shows up again, yelling at his doorstep. He tells them 'no milk, it'll give you the shits, trust me'. It takes one lactose intolerant to know another. He did grab a thing of fish though, which he sets up in one of his discarded bowls. This is deemed somewhat acceptable. Dio pours himself a drink, and puts on a superhero flick he found in one of his boxes, which the cat takes immediate interest in.
-Dio is patching his roof when Liang startles him, and he falls backwards, off the ladder, directly into their arms.
-Dio convinces Liang to stay over for dinner and a movie- he's sorely missed company, and he feels weird inviting anybody else. Liang seems to live close by, anyway. She's reluctant, but agrees. Around the end, when they end up slotted against him, he notes that they seem more comfortable with his arm around her shoulder than he expected. Like they've done it before. He wants to lean into that, but the bit about him not being honest about his actual identity eats at him, and he leaves it at that. Then feigns busyness for the next few days, to clear his head. Maybe some alone time is what he needs. At least he's got the cat.