red grave city au with alastor

[carvemyname]

 

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[carvemyname]

...

[ Vergil sits down now, very heavily. Dante and he both looked stunned, and at a loss for words.

It's Dante who finally speaks. ]

Can we get it out of there?

[ He doesn't want to get his hopes up... ]

[superstylishsquid]

Technically, yeah. Resurrecting witches has been attempted before...ever hear about Eurydice? But it's only as simple as putting the soul back in the body when the corpse is fresh.

[He shakes his head.]

We'd need to come up with a new vessel for it, or else...well, you might not like the other option. The souls of witches who survive in the underworld for long enough become demons in their own right. I could facilitate that transformation, but she wouldn't be human anymore. And I can't guarantee the transition would be smooth after this long separated from her mortality.

[carvemyname]

No.

[ That's Vergil. He sounds insistent enough on it that Dante looks surprised, and looks at him for an explanation that doesn't come. Instead, Vergil just brings up more questions. ]

Where would we get a vessel?

[superstylishsquid]

That's the tricky part. It's possible a similar corpse that recently died would work, but I doubt anyone here has keys to a morgue.

Otherwise, the only thing I can think of is a homunculus. Use a combination of magic and alchemy to make something functionally identical to a human body, just without a soul of its own.

[carvemyname]

What would you do?

[ Dante has no idea what to think about any of this. What option is best does not seem obvious at all. All he knows is that suddenly, he could have his mother back and he wants that very badly. ]

[superstylishsquid]

The homunculus would be a lot of work, but...I just can't think of any ways to get our hands on a fresh human corpse that don't feel kind of gross.

[carvemyname]

You could rely on me to get one.

[ Vergil is the one who says this, and Dante eyes him. ] Huh?

[ Vergil shakes his head. ]

Just don't ask any questions about how and I'll get a body.

[ Dante... is not comfortable with that. ]

Uh...

[superstylishsquid]

No.

[It's Alastor's turn to be firm this time.]

I know you want to get her out of there, and I have plenty of sympathy for her situation, but it's not going to involve stepping on someone else.

[carvemyname]

...

[ Vergil looks discontent, and Dante levels him with a stare. ]

Just because we aren't doing it the easy way doesn't mean it's not gonna happen.

[superstylishsquid]

I'll talk to Rodin. If anyone has the connections and supplies to make this easier, it's him.

[carvemyname]

He'd probably like to see her come back, too.

[ At least that's what Dante thinks. ]

[superstylishsquid]

I think you're right. He's always enjoyed doing business with witches...don't tell him I said this, but I kinda think he's got a fondness for humans, too.

[carvemyname]

...she probably wouldn't look at me the same, if I gave her a used body? Mother, I mean.

[ Dante looks surprised at the interruption, but he's quick to verify it. ]

Probably not.

[ He can't be kind about this. ]

[superstylishsquid]

[He shakes his head.]

Demons like me and Trish have an easy time changing our appearance because our bodies are essentially solidified spiritual energy. Human bodies are entirely material, though...put a soul in a different body, and nothing about the body would change.

[carvemyname]

So what, she'd have characteristics of someone else?

[ Dante doesn't like that. ]

[superstylishsquid]

If we used someone else's body, yeah. That's an advantage of the homunculus, we can shape its appearance during creation.

[carvemyname]

How long is this going to take?

[ Vergil has to try not to be impatient, apparently. Dante frowns. ]

Probably awhile?

[superstylishsquid]

Yeah, these things don't happen overnight. At best, we're looking at a few days...and that's if Rodin already has everything we need.

[carvemyname]

A few days? That's way quicker than I thought.

[ For some reason that scares Dante, and it's obvious. ]

[superstylishsquid]

I said at best. I expect it'll take both Rodin and me working on it for that, so we don't have to leave the project unattended for meals.

[carvemyname]

[ Dante needs to talk about what he's afraid of, but he doesn't want to do it in front of Vergil, so he stays quiet about that. ]

We can feed you guys. I can learn to cook!

[ Vergil snorts. ]

[superstylishsquid]

[He chuckles and pats Dante's shoulder.]

Don't worry about it, the two of us can alternate working on it. We're both good at making things...honestly probably two of the best people you're gonna find for a project like this.

[carvemyname]

I'll trust you on that.

[ And just as abruptly as before, Vergil interrupts. ]

Do you need me anymore? I have some thinking to do.

[superstylishsquid]

Go ahead. Can't blame you for needing some time to process. Part of why I wanted to be absolutely sure before I brought this up...didn't wanna put you through the shock and then turn out to be wrong, y'know?

[carvemyname]

I understand.

[ Vergil gets up at this point and leaves, and Dante is silent for a moment before looking at Alastor. ]

Can we head to our room? I want to talk.