"You are quite an interesting kid! I still can't believe that such a cute guy like you can pack this much of a punch." Valerie's white lab coat floated and glowed green behind her as she healed him. Her green aura not only healed his wounds but also restored his lost stamina.
Theo wrapped bandages around his exposed arm as it began to shrink drastically until it returned to its normal size. He groaned, slowly lifting himself up and dusting himself off. "Man, I could really use a nap," Theo said before taking off to catch up with the group.
As they stepped through the steel gate, they could hear people yelling out prices as they bartered for products. Thalia gasped in awe, taking in the marketplace's ambiance. It looked like a sea of brown tents illuminated by bright spotlights in the tunnel. The owners of each tent were discussing what Thalia could only assume were their prices for the various items. She was honestly shocked to see so many people down there.
"Woah!" Theo exclaimed as they walked through the crowd, trying to navigate through the people pushing past them.
"This is unbelievable. How can such a thriving community and a wealthy economy exist in a network of old subway tunnels?" Tyler remarked. He paused in front of a tent that read: Fresh Produce!
"Where do they even grow fresh produce considering all we saw was a wasteland above?" Theo asked, reaching down to pick up an apple from the table.
Suddenly, a short, rotund man with sweat stains on his bright purple silk shirt appeared from behind the table. "Can I interest you in some fresh produce?" the man said, smiling and revealing a gold-plated grill covering his teeth. Theo took a step back, accidentally dropping the apple, which rolled underneath the table.
"You all are new faces in the market. I don't believe I've seen anyone enter through Hell's Mouth in at least a few months," the man remarked, stroking his scruffy black beard.
"We are looking for the Black Butterfly Troupe and would appreciate it if you could point us in the right direction," Valerie interjected.
She crossed her arms, pushing her chest forward as she leaned in. Dante shook his head at her obvious attempt at seduction, while Alexander stood back, glaring at her with a small smirk on his face.
Thalia honestly couldn't tell what was going through the Vice Captain's mind. On second thought, she didn't really want to know what he was thinking.
The man flashed her a large, gold-toothed grin, his eyes wandering down to glance at her cleavage. "Hmm, the Butterfly Troupe, you say? I've never heard of them before. Sorry, I can't help you."
Thalia could tell from the brief pause and his sporadic eye movements that he was lying through his ugly golden teeth. She was about to respond when Valerie giggled.
"I don't know of any Troupe," The man said. "However, I can offer you a special deal on my produce. It's not often that we get such a lovely beauty visiting our little market. How about 30 zeni for a 10-pound bag of produce? I'll even throw in a free bag of apples for your young friends. What do you say?" The man leaned on the table, his eyes still fixated on her cleavage.
Valerie twirled her finger through her vibrant red hair. "That does sound like a good deal."
The man licked his large, crusty lips.
"Only I have a counteroffer," Valerie said as she leaned in closer to him. "How about you tell us where we can find the Black Butterfly Troupe? That way, I won't have to report you to the 'Golden Tips' police about where all this fresh produce came from." She whispered sweetly into his ear.
The man's expression shifted from amusement and a hint of arousal to outright rage. His pasty white face turned bright red.
"You bit—"
Valerie cut him off before he could finish. "Oh, and pro tip: next time, make sure to get rid of the containers if you're going to steal from the farming district." She kicked under the table, and two wooden cartons tumbled out from beneath the white sheet covering the produce.
Thalia reached down and picked up one of the cartons, which, in large red letters, read: [Official Property of D12 Manufacturing – Fruits and Vegetables].
"Listen here you red headed witch! I don't know who you and your little friends are, but it is apparent you must be some real big shot types above ground. But down here, you are nothing more than a group of piss-ants underneath my boot." The man let out a low chuckle causing his trucker belly to bounce up and down.
"Do you have any idea who I am? I own this section of the market. The entirety of this section belongs to me. Golden tips, you say? Those Pompous bastards don't bother dirtying their white uniforms. They know what we do down here. They just couldn't bother themselves with us low lives."
The man dusted himself off and regained his composure. "I have changed my mind. I will take you to meet some members of the Black Butterfly Troupe." He reached into his shirt, pulled out a silver whistle, and blew it.
The crowd on the street dispersed in an orderly and calm manner. It was almost too orderly, as even the customers dropped what they were doing and headed toward the exits leading to the surface. The cart owners pulled down the rugs from their roofs, tied up their goods, and followed the crowd out of the marketplace.
A few moments after the last person was seen leaving, a large group of men in black, militaristic armor surrounded them on all sides. There were too many men for Thalia to count.
"Meet the Höllentrupp, my personal guards!" the man said with a disturbing grin of satisfaction.
Thalia was beginning to feel that wherever they went, this team attracted unnecessary danger. These men seemed stronger than the ones Kindred commanded at Hell's Gate, each of them exuding a significant amount of killing intent. After a period of unusual silence, Dante finally started to move towards the table.
"I think you have made a grave mistake today. I would apologize to her while you are still breathing. And while I'm still feeling generous."
Alexander stuck his hands in his coat pockets and swiveled his head around, surveying his surroundings while whistling a familiar tune.
"I'm sure the Papillon Twins could use a new call girl in their private bar for entertainment. You and the pretty brown girl would make me an excellent profit," the man said, casting his gaze over at Thalia. His creepy, perverted eyes traced down her body, sending a cold chill down Thalia's spine.
"APEX PREDATORS!" Dante yelled, cutting through the building tension and stress of the situation.
The entire team felt his purple aura swell around his body. The sight of their Captains unwavering will inspired confidence and dispelled any feelings of doubt or uncertainty from Thalia and her new teammates.